Anchoring
December 22, 2018
I just love going for a cruise and finding a quiet cove away from all the other boats. Gunkholing requires an anchor. Here I’ll discuss how I store, launch and retrieve an anchor … … More Anchoring
Author: scoobscobie
an opinionated guy that sails and camps.
Do you know the condition of your boat’s deck hardware bedding?
December 17, 2018
Your sailboat’s deck hardware should have been installed using a bedding compound. (I sadly write ‘should’ as I have worked on boats where there is no evidence that bedding compound was used!) Commonly used are Sikaflex’s 291 and 3M’s 4000 and 4200 (remember, 5200 is for under the waterline applications that will very very very likely never be removed). SPECIAL NOTE: do not use silicone to bed deck hardware! 99.99% of the time silcone has NO PLACE for use in the marine environment! … More Do you know the condition of your boat’s deck hardware bedding?
More on sailing in strong & heavy winds
December 15, 2018
The [Sage 15 and Sage 17] sails way better with a small jib and a reefed main. All boats of this type should have a storm jib – if the winds looks like it’s going to come up to 25 or so, put up the storm jib; you’ll be amazed at how little it slows the boat down to even in a 15 knot wind … More More on sailing in strong & heavy winds
Heavy weather sailing – wind
December 14, 2018
The Sages are very capable sailboats being excellent in light AND heavy winds. I have sailed all of the Sage boats in winds above 20 knots with gusts above 25. The highest winds I’ve sailed a Sage were in the mid-30 knot range in a SageCat & Sage 17. … More Heavy weather sailing – wind
SWEET PEA in the boat yard
December 10, 2018
SWEET PEA has gone into the boat yard to have her centerboard serviced. This involves: Dropping board Removing prior sealing coat and old antifouling bottom paint. Sealing board. Applying antifouling bottom paint Reinstalling board back into boat This was last done about 10 years ago and is normal servicing schedule for a cast iron centerboard … More SWEET PEA in the boat yard
More on reefing
November 19, 2018
Reefing is an important skill for all sailors. Putting in a reef should take less than 30 seconds … not really hard to tuck in a reef in less than 20 seconds and close to 10 on a Sage 17, Sage 15 or SageCat. On the Sage boats the reefing system that comes standard is … More More on reefing
Reefing
November 16, 2018
Spring has come conversations among sailors has increased. One topic that has been batted around is reefing. For those reading that are not sailors reefing is reducing the size of the boats sails in response to the wind speed increasing. The smaller sail catches less wind and the boat heels less (until the wind increases … More Reefing
Internet isn’t forever
November 15, 2018
Much information is available on the Internet. Much is helpful. Sadly it seems the good stuff goes away. To assist small boat sailors I created informative posts about small boat sailing on Sage Marine’s BLOG. I’ve just found out that the BLOG is being closed. ☹️ So the educational information isn’t lost I will be … More Internet isn’t forever
Heading North
September 7, 2018
I’ve been gunkholing around South Puget Sound for near a month so it is time to head north. I move from McMicken to Longbranch with a stop at Zittle’s Marina at Johnson Point to get gas, water and dump the porta-potti and a swing by Eagle Island State Park. The plan was to stay at … More Heading North
Tossed about
August 13, 2018
As the evening settled in around Sweet Pea the forecast not to windy northerly was blowing out of the Southwest at Joemma State Park. The seas were confused one to two footers and the wind whistled in the rigging. I had hoped it was just a ‘bit of wind’ as the sun was setting – … More Tossed about
M17 #375 - SWEET PEA 