Posts

Showing posts from May, 2018

My Take on the Wisdom of Others

" If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise ." William Blake. So, if I persist with this dream and forge ahead to manufacture a double canoe, and then take her voyaging upon the sea there will be cognitive rewards?  "The biggest danger, that of loosing oneself, can pass off in the world as quietly as if it were nothing; every other loss, an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife etc., is bound to be noticed ." Soren Kierkegaard. Unfortunately I know this to be true. During a 27 year marriage to a woman with a hounding and harrassing personality, I lost myself. No one among my family recognised my loss, nor did I until it was finally over. The good news is that time is effecting a rapid recovery. Our own life is the instrument with which we experiment with truth . Thich Naat Hanh. See previous comment. We have to risk life to get into life, then it takes on colour, otherwize we might as well read a book . Carl Jung. As a child and young man, I

Would You Like a Coffee?

   I love numerous comforts, reading, sailing and drinking coffee, chief amongst them. Last night while reading " Sailing Around the World on Two Oceans " by Mike Barzan , this passage sang to me: "I need a boat on which I can make and drink coffee". I suspect that prior to this time in his sailing career, Mike B had been sailing dinghies or open boats and being roundly tired of exposure, he just wanted a yacht on which he slip below and take shelter from the elements and enjoy a nice hot cup of coffee. I instantly recalled my sheer delight for the first time on a boat I built from a bare hull, being below while the Navik windvane steered, drinking coffee and looking out watching the waves pass by. When I read last night  I thought, what a wonderfully simple need to have regarding the design of one's next sailing boat.    Mike B went on to build a Wharram Tane, not the boat he ultimately circumnavigated with, but a boat he joyously sailed for over seven years.

Dalai Llama says Go Sailing!

Image

New Hinemoa on EBay.UK

Image
A freshly minted Hinemoa with spare sails and registered trailer for just £2,300.Buy it, do a basic prep and sail UK then pop over to the French canals, onto the Med.? Store it over there and fly over each season ....    It's torturous knowing how much money and time goes into this type of build and this one is going for so little money.

Choosing a 21' to 27' Wharram Catamaran Design

   James Wharram Designs has been very productive since the first transAtlantic voyage by a Wharram double canoe in the 1950's. Unfortunately this has resulted in a glut of beautiful designs in the 21 to 27 feet range. These include: the Coastal Trekkers Tiki 21 and 26, the Classic Hinemoa and Take, in the Ethnic class the Tahiti, Mana and Amatasi and finally the Pahi 26.    Paraphrasing from JWDs Design Book:- > The Tikis are a "modern design, lightweight, trailable and fast on the water". The award winning Tiki 21 is probably singularly responsible for breathing new life and financial success into the company.  > Pahi is a heavyweight, a real contender for singlehanded ocean sailing, she has beautiful upswept bows and sterns, she is also  trailable.   > The Ethic class goes back to the origins of double canoe building with simple, dc  friendly construction.  The Tahiti Wayfarer 21' is by far the lightest of all and is designed as a utility craft. Her bu