I don’t remember this much sustained rain when Hugo came thru Hickory in September of 1989. Given the high humidity, perhaps I shouldn’t have had a late lunch of Progresso Beef Barley soup. The soup warmed me up such that I was sweating though the a/c had cycled off. So, I turned down the a/c thermostat on our Gemini sailing …
Joaquin Rains- Oct 3rd 2015
Diann and I had just returned to Hickory NC to take care of rental property needs when the NOAA Hurricane Center began posting information about the possibility of Joaquin coming to Southport NC where our Gemini sailing catamaran is currently based. Given the need to secure Yacht A Fun and to monitor any possible hatch leaks- I had to return …
Plastalina Clay- Oct 3rd 2015
So what do you do when you need to divert water on your boat’s deck, or create a temporary seal to a deck opening? On Yachtafun, our Gemini sailing catamaran- we chose a block of Plastalina clay. As a matter of fact the material went far enough that I needed only one block. Our issue was that a deck hatch …
Wooden Boat Show- Sept 26th 2015
The Southport Wooden Boat Show was coming to a conclusion when I left our Gemini sailing catamaran Yacht A Fun. Make it I did, though. The boats were parked at the area close to the old wharf having restaurants including The Provisioning Company and Fishy Fishy. By the time I arrived, close-in parking wasn’t too hard to find. The boats …
Jack & Vivian Visit- September 24th 2015
Mom and her friend, Jack, came to Southport to visit Diann and me on Yacht A Fun, our Gemini sailing catamaran. Bald Head Island was to be a day trip for the four of us. Weather was very IF-ie given the incoming rains. Just in case we were rained out, I made a pot of vegetable soup and had it …
AmSteel Life Lines- Sept 16th 2015
Steel life lines rust. Especially when coated in plastic. The white plastic looks great when new. But as the sun degrades the plastic, it cracks. Rain and salt water get into the cracks. Rust results since the stainless cable doesn’t get proper oxygen. The rust highlights all the cracks in the plastic. Yachtafun, our 1997 Gemini sailing catamaran, had functional …
IsoTemp Water Heater- Sept 14th 2015
As the dogs say, “howl e lu yah”. The water heater is now installed in our Gemini catamaran. The electric heating version is powered up. IsoTemp is a great unit- but doesn’t have a standard screw-in element. So we had to run a new cord for plugging into either the inverter, or into the A/C electric outlet. While the inverter …
Moore St Market- Sept 15th 2015
WiFi is important for those traveling by boat. Being able to get online when off of our Gemini sailing catamaran is a basic necessity- especially when Diann needs the saloon table for a sewing project. So, today I ventured into Southport NC to get parts at NAPA Auto Parts and Lowes Hardware as well as spend time at a wifi …
Yeast Bread on our Boat- August 21st 2015
Cooking bread on your boat shouldn’t be something to shy from- assuming you enjoy cooking. Our Gemini sailing catamaran has a 1997 vintage propane stove with two eyes and an oven. The oven doesn’t heat well, however. Perhaps the boat builder wanted to minimize a fire hazard by keeping the oven regulated conservatively. In any event, our oven does not …
Fresh Baked Boat Bread- August 18th 2015
As part of our pre-departure activities, I taught myself how to bake bread. YEAST bread. Buttermilk and top quality yeast from jars was how into-it I became. Diann gained weight, as did I. I baked bread every third day and doing so in six cup batches. One of the loaves pushed up over the rim of the pot and browned …