All Aboard (October): Near Gales & Sewing on Sail Boats
Hello water-loving friends! Welcome back to a fresh splash of news, views and inspiration, direct from the ocean waves. Every month we scour the web for interesting, useful or downright amusing blogs and posts from bloggers on boats, all to inspire your next adventure. This month we’ll be sailing in near gale force winds, learning to sew aboard a sail-boat and considering the cost of a great big, wet adventure. Dive on in…
Near Gale Sailing with Theresa Carey
What are the windiest conditions you’ve ever taken to the water in? With hurricane Joaquin threatening to disturb Theresa Carey‘s passage on her Morse Alpha Sail training, her crew needed to make some time against the elements this month.
Although this particular watery adventure didn’t quite reach gale level, this was certainly an exhilarating ride! As you can see from the video, very strong winds and choppy seas were all there to be contended with, and making 6-9 knots in up to 40 knot gusts is certainly not to be sniffed at! For more adventures, advice and great commentary, Theresa’s blog, Sailing Simplicity is well worth bookmarking – great stuff!
How to Sew at Sea
Sometimes when you take to the waves, you’ll find that you need to become a little more resourceful. In this instance, Where The Coconut’s Grow blogger Jody (who set sail in search of sun, surf, sand and serenity back in mid 2013) needed to give her 1980 Whitby 42′ Ketch’s salon a bit of an update with some fresh soft furnishings in the form of new throw pillows.
As it transpires, one of the very best tools for the job is the Sailrite sewing machine – a contraption designed especially for sewing at sea. Jody has completed a full tutorial here you can follow step by step. With little experience with sewing since high school, this post is proof that with a bit of ingenuity you can make your floating world just perfect.
The Cost of Living on a Boat
Whether you’re considering embarking on a long-term adventure or already hat your hat at sea, this interesting post from The Cynical Sailor (and His Salty Sidekick) is a very good and comprehensive read. On a regular basis Scott and Ellen publish a full breakdown of their expenses incurred from living on a boat and pursuing an itinerant lifestyle. The whole blog is great if you’re interested in adventures as well as the financials too – well worth a read!
Allotment Garden
As we supply gardeners as well as marine customers we’re always coming across great gardening sites, and thought we’d share this one with you. Allotment Garden is run by John Harrison and it’s a great place to learn about vegetable growing and allotment life.
Do Ellen & Scott’s expenses tally with your own experience? What are the strongest winds you’ve ever sailed in? Have your say below.
