Locking Your Hatchboards In Place

One of the scariest situations that I've experienced is to be hit with a big gust of wind that heels Snickerdoodle over so far that not only were the side decks awash, water was actually pouring over the coaming into the cockpit.  Luckily, Snickerdoodle rounded up - righted - and I was able to tuck in a reef and change down to a smaller headsail.  But, this adventure got me thinking about what would have happened if water had actually spilled off of the cockpit seat and into the wide open companionway.  Would I have been able to round up in time to keep from swamping and potentially sinking the boat?

To ease my mind, I installed barrel bolt locks on the inside of the lower two hatchboards and drilled quarter inch holes in the companionway trim to accept the bolt.  I can now lock the lower two hatchboards in place whenever it appears that the wind will be strong.  Of course, I have now adopted the policy of reefing sooner and shifting to a smaller jib more quickly than before.

Remember, water coming over the coaming is frightening and uncomfortable.  Flat is fast.

barnaclebillholcomb@gmail.com
 

GPS Chart Plotter

When Kathy and I first bought Snickerdoodle we installed a Signet knotmeter.  It lasted about eight years and then began to malfunction.  Of course, the warranty had expired.  But, I called Signet and they still sold the same model and I bought a replacement that was supposed to fit into the same thru hull for the transducer and same housing for the thru-bulkhead gauge.  Unfortunately, the thru-bulkhead housing was a little bit tight and the new knotmeter never read true.  After a couple years, I quit trying and bought a hand-held GPS that fit on an oak bracket that I made and could put in the companionway.  This worked fine until one of my crew in a race sat on the GPS and broke the antennae. 

The following winter I read about chart plotters and found that Garmin made a model with a four-inch screen that had all the US fresh water lakes and rivers loaded from the factory.  I bought one of these and a movable bracket to mount it on.

At the boat, I sawed off the inside of the knotmeter housing flush with the inside of the cockpit to cabin bulkhead.  After securing the adjustable bracket and placing the chartplotter on it, hooking up the electrical connections, et. al. I turned the unit on and it worked perfectly.   And, with the adjustable bracket, I can simply view speed, heading, time, Lat/Lon, and the chart of Lake Pend Oreille…… Or, I can swing the chartplotter into the companionway opening and play with other features.

So, if your knotmeter has “bit the dust”, you might consider a chart plotter.  They are pretty neat.

barnaclebillholcomb@gmail.com

Baking on a 25-foot Boat

Baking on a 25-foot Sailboat

One of the real drawbacks to sailing on a 25-foot sailboat (or many other sailboats larger and smaller) is that the galley comes equipped with a two-burner stove - - but due to space restraints, there’s no oven.  Without an oven, baked goods from sour-dough bread to cinnamon rolls must be prepared at home and then brought to the boat.  Even if these products were baked the day before, they are not fresh baked.  Plus, the aroma of fresh baked products in the small cabin aboard Snickerdoodle is astonishing!!!

What to do???  There are several manufacturers of “camp ovens” that sit nicely over one burner on your galley stove (originally designed to sit over a burner of a Coleman camp (white-gas fueled) or similar stove.  Most have a thermometer that measures the oven temperature for control.  Some have a door in the front of the oven… others, like mine, has a “lift out lid” that pulls up (and out of the oven) a grill-work which will hold two baking pans easily.

Now, simply light the stove’s burner and place the oven over the burner.  When the oven temperature is right, lift up the lid and slide onto the grate whatever it is that you want to bake.  Lower the lid and time the cooking.  Of course, if you don’t want to watch the watch, you can use the tried and true “smell option”.  If it doesn’t smell, it isn’t done… if it smells done, it probably is done…  if it smells burnt, it probably is burnt.

Take a look around camping departments or go on-line to see if you can find one of these ovens.  Mine (when not in use) fits perfectly in the aft part of my port-side settee locker… along with some canned food, pots ‘n pans, dishes, etc.  When you start baking, you will be amazed at how many of your neighbors suddenly show up on the dock at your marina slip.

Here’s a link for a Coleman Camp Oven…

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-5010D700T-Camp-Oven/dp/B0009PURJA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399217847&sr=8-1&keywords=colman+camp+oven