The summer is almost over and rather than giving a travelogue I thought
I'd give some thoughts on what gear worked and what didn't. First,
though, a micro-travelogue: In late June we went with daughter, cats,
and dog from Boston to the Vineyard, and hung out around there for
several weeks. Then, daughter went to camp and the rest of us went to
Maine, where as everyone knows by now it rained. A Lot. About a foot
while we were there! Back to Boston, picked up daughter and cousins and
headed to Wellfleet on the Cape, and we'll go home in a few days via P'town.

Now the reviews, mostly electronics since I've replace a lot of that
this year:

Big thumbs up to Loki, our PDQ 36 catamaran, which once again has
carried us in safety, security, speed, and the lap of luxury for another
year. Thumbs down to Wilbur who has insisted we would have capsized by now!

Thumbs up for the Harkin furler and winches, etc. which have worked
flawlessly. And also the new Lewmar OneTouch winch handle which is
pleasure to use.

Thumbs way up for our Delta anchor which always set quickly and held
securely, especially when the T'storm hit with 40+ kt winds! Thumbs
down for the CQR that failed the Tartan next to us, forcing them to
circle the anchorage while the storm blew out!

Thumbs up to our Garmin 545 GPS which has made navigating almost too
easy. However, Thumbs Down to same for dropping the satellites
repeatedly in the middle of the above mentioned T'storm, proving once
again than when you need it the most, you can't count on it.

Thumbs up to the new alternator belt, a Gates Green Stripe HD (similar
to the XL series) which shows no sign of wear after a summer. Thumbs
down to Torreson Marine, who after I politely queried them as to why the
last set of belts they sent me were shredding in less than an hour
declined to respond.

Thumbs up to my LL Bean Goretex rain jacket, which I thought was an
indulgence but earned it's keep during the incessant rain. Likewise the
Blackberry which could provide instant weather radar except in odd dead
zones in Maine.

Thumbs up to the EnGenius 362 EXT USB WiFi with 7 dB antenna (about $65
from Keenan Systems) which has been able to connect up with the 'net
almost wherever we are. Thumbs down for not providing a native Linux
driver. (And I suppose a thumbs up to those who neglect to turn on
security on their routers!)

Thumbs up on digital TV which gave us crystal clear reception on our new
$200 HD TV, particularly nice for the Olympics! Thumbs down for the
cheap stations which still have minimal signal (Portland was iffy in
Freeport!) and those that haven't converted yet.

And thumbs up to the new Sony receiver with iPod connection and control.
I don't understand why people pay more for "marine" radios. Thumbs
down to the Windows version of Apple iTunes which really sucks!

Thumbs up to the LED's I've partially re-equipped Loki with. Anchor and
reading lights now draw a tenth of what they used to, almost negligible
compared to the fridge. Thumbs down to the high cost - we'll finish the
job next year!

Thumbs down to the high price of fuel, but thumbs up to the great fuel
efficiency of the catamaran - about a gallon an hour at 7.5 knots -
which meant it wasn't too painful at all. In fact, this year we were
able to a get a mooring everywhere we wanted, even places that normally
booked long in advance, so maybe this isn't so bad.

Thumbs up to the CPP bottom paint I put on 16 months ago - we got some
slime, but were still able to sail at 8.5 knots. Detractors said going
down from Micron Extra (twice the price!) would have a big penalty but
it doesn't seem to be that bad.

Enough for now -
Jeff, aboard Loki, Wellfleet Harbor