October 27th, 2009
Terzo made a new friend at park day the other week. That family expressed an interest in sailing so I took everyone out for a late morning tootle around Shilshole Bay. We had kids (aged 2, 5, 6), myself, and another dad.
We had an easy 5 knot wind from the southeast. There was a regatta going on and the kids really liked all the bright colors of the dozens of spinnaker sails. The wind never really picked up for the races to get going for reals but we got to see a lot of the boats working on drills, especially with the hoisting/adjusting/dousing their spinnakers as they sailed in large circles. We saw a few harbor seals, too.
We sailed for about an hour, then I hove-to and we broke for lunch. Despite the overcast there was no rain, and it was surprisingly warm. The wind died on our way back and we ended up having to motor in. You just do what you gotta do.
The kids had a good time. They saw some neat stuff, got to help rig the boat, and everyone got a turn on the tiller. I didn’t get to show off any fancy sailing tricks (I only know two), but the focus for that day was on comfort since that was all the crew’s first time in a small boat–a J/24. The treat for me was that I didn’t have to dock the boat, and flake all the sales by myself. That second set of hands makes everything so much easier.
So, hurray! I think we have a bunch of new sailing enthusiasts.
Go sailing!
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October 22nd, 2009
Just finished reading
“Singlehanded sailing: The experiences and techniques of the lone voyagers” by Richard Henderson
I got this book via PaperbackSwap. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from it, there wasn’t a description provided. I’m super happy with it though!
Due to the fact that I tend to sail on weekday mornings, I nearly always am sailing by myself. I was hoping to just get some tips on single-handing, but got a lot more in the bargain.
The book starts with a really detailed discussion of the history of long-distance single-handed sailing. Reading the stories of the men and women who set off on their own to cross endless oceans was really inspiring. I was surprised though to see that single-handed passage-making didn’t really come into its own until the 1960s. There were people who had done incredible things before then, but in the 1960s you started seeing tons of people entering transoceanic races, lots of circumnavigations, etc.
This book is from 1988 so it is pretty out of date in the technology department. It certainly never considered the possibility of GPS, computerized chart plotters, instant weather reports from satellite internet, or handheld satellite phones.
Still, it was a great read, and the discussions of boat design, rigging, etc. for single-handing are all still relevant. You can pick up used copies for $2.50 all over the place so it’s worth checking out.
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October 22nd, 2009
If you’re doing Mac or iPhone programming, you really, really, should do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of:
“Core Data: Apple’s API for Persisting Data on Mac OS X” by Marcus Zarra
This is by far one of the best technical books I’ve ever read.
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October 13th, 2009
My first iPhone application just went live in the Apple app store. Help a brother out and tell everyone you know to buy a copy. Click the link below to be taken to the product page in iTunes.
Dare to Compare: Abs
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October 10th, 2009
Actually, I didn’t need a star because I never left sight of land.
I’ve learned to sail, and found that it is something that I love dearly. Wish I had started 20 years ago. I spent much of this past Friday sailing around Shilshole Bay in Puget Sound. The sound is a great place for sailing. Lots of interesting features; lots of quirky local weather to learn to deal with; lots of commercial shipping, fishing, cruise line traffic to learn to recognize and avoid; etc.
There’s a nice view off my starboard side. That’s Bainbridge Island there in the distance, 5.5 nautical miles away. Trivia: Russell Johnson, the actor who played the Professor on Gilligan’s Island, lives there. How apropos.
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October 1st, 2009
“Mine’s Bigger: Tom Perkins and the Making of the Greatest Sailing Machine Ever Built” by David A. Kaplan
If you’re involved in technology, or love sailing, or both, then you totally have to read this book.
Tom Perkins is, of course, the Perkins of Kleiner Perkins, the Silicon Valley venture capital firm that launched Genentech, Google, Amazon, and a ton of other big-time tech winners. His business accomplishments are interesting enough to warrant a book of their own. “Mine’s Bigger” covers a lot of that history, but it’s primarily about Mr. Perkins’ megayacht, The Maltese Falcon, and how it came to be.
As long as a football field, as tall as a 20 story building, and involving the largest single order of carbon fiber material outside of the Pentagon, the Falcon is a marvel of design, engineering, and, uhm, $125,000,000.
The books a great read and is full of great interviews and anecdotes. I certainly recommend it.
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September 28th, 2009
“I’ve Been Around” by Tania Aebi
Back in the 1980s, when Ms. Aebi was 18, she sailed alone around the world. She had almost no sailing experience, had only a weekend long celestial navigation class under her belt (no GPS), and hadn’t even taken her boat on a shake-down cruise before leaving. She made it, and immediately became a sensation in the sailing world.
Tons of sailors say that the thing that gave them the bug was having read Ms. Aebi’s first book, “Maiden Voyage”, which is her chronicle of that famous two-year circumnavigation. It certainly inspired me.
“I’ve Been Around” is a collection of entries from her column in “Latitudes & Attitudes” magazine. They’re a great read. There is sailing wisdom, trivia, reflection about her maiden voyage and how it has affected her life since then, and a lot more. I couldn’t put it down.
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September 25th, 2009
In the sky that was our home
I remember them flying bold
I was proud as they learned and grew
Wept as they bathed in the morning dew
Now their feathers are soaked in oil
Heavy wings that can’t unfurl
No longer shall I hear them sing
No longer will they feel the majesty of spring
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September 24th, 2009
But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed, but not defeated.
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September 19th, 2009
I just finished reading
“Sailboat Refinishing” by Don Casey
As mentioned in a prior post, I’ve been helping the crew of Lavengro with some topside refinishing. Unfortunately they’ve been having to hold my hand the entire way. Although my grandfathers worked in construction, and could build or fix anything, they didn’t pass any of that knowledge on to me.
So, I gotta learn it for myself. I went through every book on refinishing that was available in the local marine supply shops, and at the marine library. I settled on Mr. Casey’s book because it was so complete and well written. There are detailed descriptions of every kind of paint, varnish, and oil; down to descriptions of every kind of sandpaper; and everything in between. The descriptions of application are extremely easy to understand, and he does a great job of easing you in to the jargon of the trade as the book goes along.
I highly recommend this book.
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