Environmental
In a number of my Dyneema rigging posts I've referred to using HDPE to reduce friction and chafe where dyneema comes into contact with the mast or the deck. I'd found a straightforward supply of HDPE as rods and sheets at Direct Plastics. However, we have
Plans
I said I was going to write this in my post "In the works", just taken a bit longer than I thought. This is what our wheelhouse looks like at the moment. The blue cover is really designed for use when Vida is ashore, or left on a
Environmental
I have written a lot on rigging your boat with Dyneema and thought it was about time I provided a overall guide to what I've written. So I'm going to try to give a coherent guide to what we have explored so far. First, the obvious
Plans
[Update] I have written a lot about Dyneema standing rigging so I now have a guide to it all in: Dyneema / Synthetic Rigging Summary[End Update] Updated design now completed see Next generation Dyneema Chainplates. When I was coming up with the design of through deck dyneema chainstays and the
Plans
At the moment we are working on two sets of ideas. Chainplates. Following up on a merger between our through deck synthetic chainplates and our Drogue attachment we are looking at whether through Bulwark chainplates might work well. Wheelhouse. We have been having some conversations on Attainable Adventure Cruising which
Cooking
I've been thinking about the relationship between these two concepts. Unfortunately, in my view, both concepts have been manipulated by unscrupulous businesses so that they have been undermined. Recently I saw an ad for composting coffee pods that drove that home for me. Coffee Pods have long been
Safety
When we chose our Spade anchor we read up on all the testing and advice we could find. Some of that was videos by Steve on his SV Panope YouTube channel. Since then he has continued to add many more tests. These are by far the most useful tests I&
Environmental
Amidst the dark days of the catastrophic response by the UK government to the Covid pandemic, the disaster that Brexit was always going to be, continues to unfold. Unsurprisingly, given the dire impact on so many industries, communities and individuals, little attention is being given for the implications for what
Appliances
In my post Safe, Sustainable Coffee for sailing? I made the point that using an electric filter coffee machine is safer because you do not have to pour boiling water. Especially you do not have to pour boiling water onto a tower of things resting on each other (eg V60
Appliances
Planning for live aboard cruising on a sailing boat presents particular challenges for one of the highlights of the day - especially if you are aiming for a sustainable life. Almost everything about the environment of sailing makes coffee a challenge, particularly: Availability, Space, Power, and Safety. Clearly we need to
Safety
I'm a great fan of simplifying things, even if I'm not always good at it :-) So I love this Dyneema Pendant, which you can buy from Mantus (they call it a Snubber Pendant). Except, that it is so simple that we will make several of our
Appliances
Sadly, we can't do much but plan at the moment. However, that does at least give us the opportunity to improve those plans. In More on sustainability, I included a bit about Jimmy Cornell needing to abandon his attempt to sail around the world with zero carbon emissions.