the horse's mouth

Friday Follies.

Oh no, this not my berth!

Read the real story here.

A La Mar. Opti Sailing Time on the Mar Del Plata.

Wrong Way Wednesday.

Playing chicken for over 100 years. 

Monday Morning Mishap

And people wonder why I like the Folkboat.

An Alerion Express 28 after it sank when a microburst hit Newport on August 25th. Read all about it at Scuttlebutt.

Bluewater Sailing.

How about a Landfall?
It could be a lot of work.

 

Ah-oh!

Not your Dad's beach cat.

Boat Tour Tuesday. Tayana 37

The Tayana 37 is perhaps the most successful semi-custom cruising boat to be built. It was designed by Bob Perry and introduced in 1975 as a response to the Westsail 32 which were selling in enormous numbers. Today looking back, with the boat still in production with a boat count of 588, most still sailing, and an active and owners community, its very apparent that Perry has succeeded. Read more here.

Wrecks On Wednesday.

Be proud, fly the flag!

Boat Tour Tuesday.

Go sailing and surfing with Coen and Richard in Fiji when we can travel the world, again.

 

Jibe Ho!

Thanks, Skip. I needed a bath.

RS Neo. Could This Be The New Boat For Us?

Wylie Wabbit Wednesday.

Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits!

Throwback Thursday.

Sailing From The Shetland To Faroe Islands.

The Horse Latitudes, The Continuing Journey Of Randall Reeves Figure Eight.

If you haven't heard of Randall he's my fellow Californian who is sailing around the world via a Figure 8. What like a knot or some other obscure thing, Joe?

Nope, see the pic above.

Randall is a badass. While we are hiding in our secure world of apps and Instacart (they are not a sponsor) Randall is sailing around the world looping the Americas and Antartica. He's the first guy to undertake this momentous task.

Why the hell would anyone do this? He must be crazy or a badass. I'll go with badass since the crazies are roaming the streets of San Francisco and don't resemble Randall in the least.

Ah, maybe crazy?

I love the Horse Latitudes (gotta love that name), it's the perfect place to kayak or row. Sailing there, more like floating, is an entirely different experience. Hint, you better have a good engine and plenty of fuel.

Mind you, you can always throw your tender in the water and row pulling your boat along. Think Charleston Heston in Ben-Hur.

Sorry Randall, as a rower also I went off in a tangent. Back to the story.

The horse latitudes are located at about 30 degrees north and south of the equator. It is common in this region of the subtropics for winds to diverge and either flow toward the poles (known as the prevailing westerlies) or toward the equator (known as the trade winds). These diverging winds are the result of an area of high pressure, which is characterized by calm winds, sunny skies, and little or no precipitation.

According to legend, the term comes from ships sailing to the New World that would often become stalled for days or even weeks when they encountered areas of high pressure and calm winds. Many of these ships carried horses to the Americas as part of their cargo. Unable to sail and resupply due to lack of wind, crews often ran out of drinking water. To conserve scarce water, sailors on these ships would sometimes throw the horses they were transporting overboard. Thus, the phrase 'horse latitudes' was born.

Follow Randall here.

Sad Sailboat Saturday.

Words fail.

C'est fini! Sorry Sir Robin, There's A New Sheriff In Town.

Jean-Luc Van Den Heede and his trusty steed were first to cross the finish line, winning the 2018 Golden Globe solo non-stop round the world race. He bumped Sir Robin Knox-Johnston out of the record books by becoming the oldest solo circumnavigator in a race. 

On the ranch, we say that's très bien!

Read all about at Sailing World.

I Like Sailing With My Ice.

Ice Baby, Ice.

Meanwhile, in Europe, they had a clambake or maybe a Baked Alaska fest. See the show over at Scuttlebutt.

Photo: Gwidon Libera

Time Tunnel Tuesday. A Seagull's View.

Silly rabbit, they've been kicking it before you were a glimmer in the old man's eye.

Merry Christmas!

Throwback Thursday.

The tale of the sail must be told.