After a nice couple of days at Liberty Bay and Poulsbo it was time to head to Edmonds to meet up with my family and celebrate my sister’s birthday. This trip involved transiting Agate Passage and then crossing the main channel of Puget Sound. There is a strong afternoon and evening wind forecast for Admiralty … More One month
It has been some time since I’ve posted about SWEET PEA’s Salish Sea adventure. I’ve been busy on my new boat/home SWALLOW and posting on this BLOG what I hope are helpful information on semi-generic trailerable sailboat things before the information disappears into the dead portions of the Internet. So here begins again the tale … More Some catching up
The modern outboard motor is an amazing thing. In comparison to the outboards I used when I started sailing back in the mid-1970s the new motors are very reliable. The 4-cycle motor is a lot easier to keep going, especially because there is no need to mix oil into the gas. I remember one outboard, … More Outboard motors – fuel issues
For obvious reasons when you are trailering your boat you must ensure that boat is secured to the trailer. In addition you must ensure that the mast is secured to the boat & trailer so that in a sudden stop situation the mast doesn’t become a javelin. … More Safe Trailering – securing boat & mast to trailer for a pocket cruiser road trip
Walking around the trailer I couldn’t see a thing. I ran my hands around the tires and on one things didn’t feel right … a bulge. The section of tire that seemed ‘off’ was resting on the pavement so I couldn’t see much. I moved the truck forward about a foot. Looking at the tire I could clearly see that the tread was failing and cords were showing. Back to the shop I went for a tire change! … More Trailer tire lifespan is short
The tires on a boat trailer are not the same as those on your car or truck. Trailer tires are designed and manufactured differently and treating them like automotive tires will cause you problems. … More Safer trailering – tires
Trailers are very different ‘beasts’ than their tow vehicles. Their moving parts – axle, wheels, hubs, lighting get abused through through the multiple dunkings in water … the worse offender being saltwater … and neglect. As a result it is up to you as a trailer owner to keep a close eye on your boat’s ‘road wheels’. In this post I’ll be covering trailer hubs. … More Safer trailering – hubs
Besides the joy of going down memory lane and reading old entries, information noted about how the boat sailed, anchorages, weather patterns, etc. are great resources for future voyages. Keeping track of items needing attention when back home is also helpful … this was especially helpful after the first sea trails conducted on AIR BORN in the San Juan and Gulf Islands. … More Keeping a ship’s log
Trailer sailors are great boats … one of many reasons it is easy to inspect the rigging each time the boat is put on/off the water as we rise/lower the mast. … More Rigging Inspections
As Spring has come I am touching up AIR BORN’s rudder & tiller varnish. Sage 17 and Montomery 15 owners, as the rudder design is the same, will find this post helpful in doing rudder and tiller maintenance on their boats. … More Spring commissioning – rudder and tiller
M17 #375 - SWEET PEA 