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

"jeff" wrote in message ...
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.

Not much of a sailing trip. Sounds like more motoring than sailing. But,
that seems to be the norm for cruising catamarans that tend to be so below
their designed LWL by the time a family loads them up with all kinds of
extraneous crap.

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!

Pretty hard to capsize in sheltered waters or doing short coastal hops,
dude! Multihulls mainly capsize well offshore where very large waves can
form due to the long fetch.

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.

WIMP! Get some real sails and use real winches. Try being a man for once. If
your forearms don't look like Popeye's then you're no sailor.

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!

You can't judge anchor holding by one particular case. Next time it could be
the Delta that fails to perform. Don't get too smug because you held and the
other guy didn't. He might not have even backed down on his anchor. I've
seen plenty of people just toss them in and then let out some chain and they
think that's all they need to do.

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.

Idiot! You were anchored. WTF do you think you need a GPS turned on when
anchored? Best to leave it turned off in case you get struck by or lightning
strikes nearby. The fact that you seem to think you need it most anchored in
a thunderstorm tells me you're no sailor. Ever hear of a visual range to see
if you're dragging. Much more reliable, dude!

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.

Nothing whatsoever to do with sailing, dude!

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.

Leave the camping clothing to the campers, dude! Leave the lubberly gadgets
at home.

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 to you for not posting a daily blow by blow with parenthetical
sailing word definition inserts. Perhaps you are smart enough to realize it
would be an example of the blind leading the blind. I wish Skippy would
realize it.

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.

LUBBER! Lose the TV habit. It will make you even stupider.

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!

Next time stay home and play with all your little techie toys until you have
an orgasm over them. Do you realize how wimpy you sound posting this
lubberly crap to a cruising news group. Next time try sailing. Leave the
gadgets ashore where they belong. If you can't enjoy sailing for sailing's
sake then WTF are you sailing for? Figure out your priorities, dude!

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!

Stupid waste of money. You run your engines plenty enough that the miniscule
savings in light bulb wattage is simply not worth the price paid for the
fixtures.

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.

Try actually sailing and you won't need to worry about the high price of
fuel.

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.

Lazy? You should be in the water cleaning the slime off with a sponge or
non-abrasive scrubber. S'matter? Spend all your time playing with the
lubberly electonic gadgets and have no time left for the more important boat
maintenance issues? Some sailor!

Enough for now -

Enough forevermore. (Please!!!!!)

Wilbur Hubbard

Sounds like a Bobsprit review of his entertainment system (home theater).

At least he would be jelious of your set up.



"jeff" wrote in message ...
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

Mike wrote:
Sounds like a Bobsprit review of his entertainment system (home theater).

At least he would be jelious of your set up.


I doubt he's jealous. My total cost for the AM/FM and HDTV upgrades was
under $400, and the TV will go back to our house in a few weeks.
Bobsprit spends more than that for speaker wire. Actually I mentioned
it here because I'm sure there are some people who are wondering how the
change to digital TV will affect a boat TV. The answer is it will be
nice if you have a good signal, but even within 20 miles of a city, we
would fall back to analog (which won't be there come Feb) a lot.
Hopefully, enough broadcasters will get powerful enough transmitters so
that it will work.

I knew this would bring you out!

Wilbur Hubbard wrote:
"jeff" wrote in message ...
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.

Not much of a sailing trip. Sounds like more motoring than sailing.

Why? I didn't mention how much we sailed or powered, or how far east in
Maine we went. I haven't measured but I'd guess the summer was about
750 miles, 1/3 sail, 1/3 power, 1/3 both. But, we're usually going
somewhere. I sailed a lot more when I had no place to go.

But,
that seems to be the norm for cruising catamarans that tend to be so below
their designed LWL by the time a family loads them up with all kinds of
extraneous crap.

She'll out sail your boat (do you even have one now?) on any point. The
reason they power a lot is that they are so fast and efficient under
power that its tempting to always arrive quickly. I do recall the last
honest trip report that you posted, where you admitted you powered over
to the Abacos, powered virtually everywhere, and then powered back.


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!

Pretty hard to capsize in sheltered waters or doing short coastal hops,
dude! Multihulls mainly capsize well offshore where very large waves can
form due to the long fetch.

Everyone seems to know that, but it didn't stop you from insisting that
every cat eventually capsizes.


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.

WIMP! Get some real sails and use real winches. Try being a man for once. If
your forearms don't look like Popeye's then you're no sailor.

Funny! I didn't think your boat had sails big enough to require winches.


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!

You can't judge anchor holding by one particular case. Next time it could be
the Delta that fails to perform. Don't get too smug because you held and the
other guy didn't. He might not have even backed down on his anchor. I've
seen plenty of people just toss them in and then let out some chain and they
think that's all they need to do.

Actually I watched him set it up - he seemed to know what he was doing -
reasonable scope, plus he added a small mushroom as a kellet. The
ironic thing is that about 15 years ago I was having trouble anchoring a
CQR in the same spot (Richmond Island, ME) and friend came by and gave
me an experimental anchor similar to a Delta and it worked perfectly.
The next week I traded the CQR for a Delta and I've never had it drag,
except in very soft mud where I should have used a Danforth style.


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.

Idiot! You were anchored. WTF do you think you need a GPS turned on when
anchored? Best to leave it turned off in case you get struck by or lightning
strikes nearby.

So you're saying that a GPS should always be turned off in the storm???
I have to think about that one! (To be honest, this was one of the
few times I've used a GPS to measure drag - I never trusted the accuracy
of my old one.) But what if was coming in and trying to anchor - should
I turn it off??? The point is, no matter how reliable th setup seems to
be, it can go down at any moment. Therefore, one should always be
prepared with a backup.


The fact that you seem to think you need it most anchored in
a thunderstorm tells me you're no sailor. Ever hear of a visual range to see
if you're dragging. Much more reliable, dude!

At the height of the storm, a visual would have been impossible, and the
radar was useless, also. I could tell by the feel I was still holding,
but it would have been impossible to know if it was dragging slowly.
The Tartan knew he was un-set because he fell 100 yards behind me in a
few seconds!


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.

Nothing whatsoever to do with sailing, dude!

For you perhaps, because you've never dealt with a boat that had an
alternator.

....
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!

Stupid waste of money. You run your engines plenty enough that the miniscule
savings in light bulb wattage is simply not worth the price paid for the
fixtures.

You're just showing that you haven't actually been on a boat lately.

On Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:51:59 -0400, jeff wrote:


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!

And if you think the Delta is good, try a Spade or Rocna. My Delta
was good also but I sold it recently after many years with a Spade.


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.

Yes, I'm pulling 130 amps from a single 1/2 inch Gates XL with the
notches in the belt with no slippage. I get mine at NAPA.


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!)

I still use my 362 once in a while but our real workhorse is now a
Engenius EOC-3610S-EXT from www.wlanparts.com It is not quite as
easy to configure as the 362 but it requires no driver at all, has
minimal co-ax losses and gives a more stable conection. The 3610 can
be mounted at the top of the mast if you wish, with a POE ethernet
down feed.

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.

Exactly what paint is CPP and where do you get it?

On Aug 24, 12:47*pm, "Wilbur Hubbard"
wrote:
...
Not much of a sailing trip. Sounds like more motoring than sailing. But,
that seems to be the norm for cruising catamarans that tend to be so below
their designed LWL by the time a family loads them up with all kinds of
extraneous crap. ...

I don't see why it matters what power was used. By oar, paddle, mule,
gas, diesel, sail or whatever, if it's cruising it's on topic. I also
don't see where you're getting your ideas about catamarans. Rodger
says he used 35 gallons of fuel to travel less than 500 miles on his
monohull. On my catamaran I used about the same amount of fuel
traveling from Honolulu to San Francisco and I thought that was
excessive. I used much less than that sailing from New Zealand to
Honolulu. Two of us live on my Catamaran and have done so for years
and yet we still make pretty quick passages. Anyway, if Rodger uses
35 gallons of fuel on a Maine cruise and Jeff uses some similar amount
of fuel in similar cruising grounds I think that probably says more
about Maine in the summer than it does about differences between cats
and monos.

-- Tom.

"jeff" wrote in message ...
Mike wrote:
Sounds like a Bobsprit review of his entertainment system (home theater).

At least he would be jelious of your set up.


I doubt he's jealous. My total cost for the AM/FM and HDTV upgrades was
under $400, and the TV will go back to our house in a few weeks. Bobsprit
spends more than that for speaker wire. Actually I mentioned it here
because I'm sure there are some people who are wondering how the change to
digital TV will affect a boat TV. The answer is it will be nice if you
have a good signal, but even within 20 miles of a city, we would fall back
to analog (which won't be there come Feb) a lot. Hopefully, enough
broadcasters will get powerful enough transmitters so that it will work.


What kind of antenna are you using for the HDTV?

The tv antennas are sometimes directional in the azimuth so it may be they
don't want to transmit tv out over the ocean.

Bobsprit will never see his tv signal fade and it's not because of his
equipment.

"jeff" wrote in message ...
I knew this would bring you out!

At the height of the storm, a visual would have been impossible, and the
radar was useless, also. I could tell by the feel I was still holding,
but it would have been impossible to know if it was dragging slowly.


If you put a stethoscope on your anchor line you could hear it dragging. A
tension gauge will also tell if you are dragging. The tension signal will
be discontinuous whenver the anchor drags, very similar to the force
required to break static friction.

wrote

(Sensible stuff)

The dramatic speed differences between sailing cats and monohulls are due to
the ability to generate the required sail carrying power on very slender
hulls. The speed differences, for equal horsepower and displacement,
between power cats and monos are significant but much less dramatic. At low
speeds, a cat may even require more.

The large fuel consumption on my recent trip does mostly reflect the
weather, lots of wind for brief periods but more long calms than I've seen
on most cruises of similar length. Boat and personal characteristics do
play a part though. This trip was on an ambitious schedule, one leg to get
to a birthday party, and the rest to see some of far downeast Maine. I'm as
happy motoring as sailing as long as there is shore to look at. Although my
engine is louder at max continuous RPM, it is smoother and the overall
effect is more soothing. Throw in a pinch of impatience and you have a
perfect recipe for large fuel bills, by sailboat standards anyway.

Now that I've revisited all the cruising grounds of my youth and seen all
the coast from Buzzards Bay to Cutler, I feeling an urge to make next year's
cruising a lot slower and more relaxed as well as reducing my carbon foot
print. This recent trip would have been a much better 2 - 3 week cruise but
my schedule made it a choice between seeing places I've spent a lot of time
or getting past Schoodic delivery style. Next summer, I should have much
larger blocks of time, hopefully the whole summer, and will take it much
easier.

--
Roger Long