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I want one of those shirts!!!!  Sailing it is - lets go!

This is a divergence from the original topic if there ever was one but what the heck...

In all seriousness, I am often puzzled by the real and percieved differences between males and females, especially when it comes to physical risk taking.  In my professional life and my play time I do things that are largely mens' occupations, but there are also a few women.  We constantly swim against a current that does not encourage women, but we do the activities because we love them and a side effect of that is that it shows that we can; That there's no reason for us not to.  On the other hand, it's easy to lark over timid women, but we don't often point and laugh at timid men (no kick in the shins for Tubatooter there, just a general observation of different social norms).  It's a large and complicated topic but I'm not sure why - where do these perceptions, expectations and occasional truths come from?  It's a question that has challenged me my entire life (so far).

I'll be disappearing again soon, so here's my suggestion:  For new and shellbacks alike, cruise your local used book store for a copy of "Boating in Canada" by Garth Griffiths.  It was published back in the late sixties and was the text used by the Canadian Power Squadrons for all their courses right through to the eighties I think.  It covers piloting, hull construction and basic stability theory (centre of gravity, righting arm, buoyancy etc), boat handling, rope work, tides and currents, the physics of waves and the basics of weather - the whole kit and kaboodle.  Some of it is dated but it is still a good general reference.  It also encourages good seamanship - something many recreational boaters lack these days.  It is a large format book but not thick, and the cover without the dust jacket is bright red, so it's not hard to spot.  I've seen copies in used book stores, rummage sales etc. - they're not rare and they're not expensive.

Another useful book that you might find used is called "The Handbook for Non-Macho Sailors" by Katy Burke.  It offeres some good ideas on how to do things using your smarts if you can't rely on brute force and ignorance.  Also has some good logistical and safety tips for living in, and working on, a small cruising boat (the author cruises in a Flicka 24). A good reference for new sailors, but I still find it handy as a single-hander (a single hander who is over 40...)

Update on the Voyager tiller lock:  I contacted Holland Marine Products myself and inquired about the item; Sadly it is no longer made.  When I unwrap Virago in the spring I'll get someone to take some detailed digital photos of it and post them here.  I'll include some measurements too.  Hopefully someone with a machine shop will find some inspiration.  In the mean time, I'm glad I peeled mine off Imp when I sold her...

That is a grand idea!  Much of what I know about boats and boating has come from some well-thumbed copies of favourites (and yes, Letcher's book is on the list for my next order from the Nautical Mind).  Not all of it comes from text books either, some accounts of voyages provide excellent tips and insights into everything from seamanship to the psychology.  Posting book titles and reviews would allow us (well, me anyway) the great pleasure of snooping through other peoples' libraries for those titles yet unknown.

Clever.  I think I'll copy that.  Thanks for the idea!

Going waaaayyyy back up to the top of this pile of entries, there was some mention of a Tiller Tamer.  There is a product made here in Canada called the Voyager tiller pilot (I think...I'm sure about the Voyager part, but not the rest of it) Anyhoo, I have one on Virago, and I used it a lot on my previous boat too.  The Voyager product is a cam lock type device made of stainless steel and brass.  It mounts on top of the tiller and a line passes through it to either side of the cockpit (I have the ends shackled to the pad eyes for the main sheet blocks), the cam lock grips the line and holds the tiller in place. When it is released, the line passes freely through the clamp and does not hamper tiller movement at all. What I like about this simple invention is that it is easy to release the line completely from the locking device and just as easy to put it back in again - simply lift the cam jaw, which is open on one side, and slip the rope out, or open it and slip the rope in again.  This is handy when you want to be able to lift the tiller while sailing, or clear the rig out of the cockpit to make room for people.  And I like that it is all metal construction instead of plastic.  Here in Canada you can order them through Brewer Brothers chandlery in Hamilton Ont.,  I dare say one could be sent to Peter (or ordering details)  if he's interested.

Thanks for answering that question.  I'll be refinishing the wood trim on Virago next summer and will give that product a try, providing I can get some!  You are right to be afraid of varnish.

Interesting conversation...I'm going to float the idea that technology has something to do with it.  With roller furling, power winches and windlasses etc, people can manage much bigger boats and the associated gear than they could several decades ago when everything was done with "arm-strong" technology.  Also, autohelm will steer a boat that is not a natural course keeper; The sailor does not have to rely on lateral plane and good hull and sail balance anymore to keep a straight(ish) line.  Thus fin keels, post mounted spade rudders with no skegs etc. can be designed into a boat for speed with little consideration for her directional stability.  We've also become creatures of comfort  - we want hot and cold running water, showers, a gas range and a microwave oven, lot of clothes and toys, stereos, televisions, and lots of electronics to do our piloting and navigation for us, and all that takes space - not just for the objects themselves, but for the systems that support them such as batteries and generators, and lots of tank capacity.  I've just finished living three years with no indoor plumbing or electricity, and there are many who would not come to visit me for a week-end for lack of facilities let alone jump into a small boat and add cramped and wet to the list of hardships.  As a local commercial fisherman put it, "...it used to be that the boats were wood and the men were steel...".

On the other hand, SteveM's inventory of current pocket cruisers is encouraging.

Hi All,

The installation of the gimbals didn't seem difficult, nor would be the removal of the old ones, but what baffled me is that the alcove is about five inches wider than the stove with gimbals, so how to mount the Origo gimbals in the alcove neatly and still have them reach the stove?  I would like to maintain the fire and heat resistance of the metal lined alcove and don't want to introduce wood.  Perhaps photos of an Origo stove mounted on Origo gimbals would help.  In the mean time, I'll keep trying with my home-built rig.  Or I'll just stick to the velcro (ha!) and skip the gimbals all together...

One of the possible solutions to the "how to get at the cannisters" puzzle is to put a shelf directly below the stove, tight enough to the stove that it won't swing when the board is in, but the stove will swing with the board out.  In other words, instead of taking the stove to a solid work surface for filling, I'm taking the solid work surface to the stove.  I believe the stove will be positioned such that there will be clearance enough behind it to lift the lid.  Also, the pivot pieces I've salvaged are from an old depth sounder mount and an old Loran mount and are threaded.  Once the rig is assembled I can tighten down the pivots to hold the stove steady, then loosen them up when it's time to swing (!).  Between these two precautions I think it should be ok.  But that's only in theory, the reality could be different.  As in my original post above, I'm not certain that I have the pivots in the alcove mounts properly.

Thanks for the input, and keep it coming if you have more to say.  As anyone who works alone will tell you, sometimes it's good just to bounce ideas off someone else's head to see if they sound the same.