Good Reading

I have enjoyed reading WoodenBoat Magazine for years. I wanted to mention the current issue (#203) for two reasons; one is that there is a review of a new re-print of Princess, A Man’s Affair With A Boat by Joe Richards. If you have been looking at this site for Friendship Sloop news or information, you might recognize the name Joe Richards, who passed away in 1992. Comments have been posted on this site regarding Joe slipping his final mooring and the question of whatever happened to Princess, as well as the book he wrote about his experiences with his boat. (see comments on the boat page)
           The second reason I wanted to direct attention to this review is that the review itself is an outstanding example of classic WoodenBoat writing at its best. The review is by WoodenBoat former managing editor, and founder, Jon Wilson. Clear, articulate, the review is able to draw attention to elements of this new re-print, put out by Joe’s Daughter, which might not be perfect, while recommending the book.
            As a loyal reader of WoodenBoat, I am biased, particularly as the magazine plugged this blog in an issue last year, but if you ever wondered how this Maine based magazine went from a funky, hand built publication, produced out of a cabin without a phone, to an international publication with 140,000 subscribers; read the review. It is all in the writing.

Princess, A Man’s Affair With A Boat does not appear to be available through Amazon, but you can get it directly through the publisher by clicking here.

Spring Commissioning

One of the most important parts of getting the boat ready for the season is not shopping. A huge amount of time can just vanish while you try to decide which product is the right one for whatever job you need to do next. When spring arrives, I don’t have the time to lose, I need to get the boat prepped to paint, painted, cleaned, the engine re-commissioned, safety equipment checked, rigging overhauled…. Ad infinitum ad nausium.
      To avoid the dreaded loss of time shopping, I review catalogs in late winter when they come out. I put stick-ums on pages so I can locate the stuff I need to order when the time comes. I try to make decisions about what to replace, and how much to spend while the snow is still deep (April this year), then when the time comes, a few minutes on the phone is all I need to make purchases and arrange shipping. Or, in the case of some suppliers who are within driving distance, I have a list. One-trip: done.
      The other nice thing about this method, for me anyway, is that by making lists in the dead of winter I tend to avoid impulse buys and the acquisition of unnecessary items. It is amazing how often something that looked like an absolute “must have” in February looks like a waste of money in May.
      Another key part to the boat maintenance puzzle is to buy what you actually do need in bulk. If I need one vacuum bag, I buy the five pack. I know I will need them and it is a better deal. This does require a little bit of record keeping, but in the spring when everything needs to be done at once, it is much easier for me to consult a list made in March than it is to start searching shelves for a can of bedding compound that I may, or may not have.

 
 

Six Weeks Summarized

I took the last six weeks off from writing for this site, mostly because I had so many other things going on. Now that I have a moment let me just note some of what I have been doing.
        First, I did get quite a lot of maintenance accomplished on our friendship sloop. The bottom has been cleaned, sanded, spot primed, and painted. The rigging has all been overhauled, and the diesel re-commissioned. In addition, I have all the supplies here to finish the yearly paint and varnish tasks on the boat, and will be moving the spars into a better position to overhaul them this week. We launch late in June.
        Second, I got in a trip to Canada to visit with some of my friends on Deer Island, New Brunswick. A beautiful weekend, but too much driving.

        Third, I got over to Vermont to help with the installation of windows and the building of doors for the barn/shed project that I have written about before on this site. Despite some damp weather, it was a terrific weekend. 

        Fourth, A book project that I have been working on, is finally out in print. The book is by my father, a retired Headmaster, and is on the unique ways that boys learn and relate to the world around them. Part of that project involved helping my Dad to set up his own blog. You can check it out here. You can check out his book by going to his blog, or you can check it out here.
        Fifth, I was the author for a navigation article specifically written with rescue personnel in mind. The Article was for the Wilderness Medicine Newsletter, for which I am the regular illustrator. Since writing is not my strong suit, this took up a lot of time.
        Sixth, I was able to stay ahead of my deadlines for freelance illustration work, which I enjoy, but I don’t like to fall behind on artwork.
        So there you have a quick summary of where the last six weeks went for me. My hope is that the rest of June will not be quite so busy…