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Archive for March, 2012

It’s Cocktail Time — Have a Painkiller!

There are two drinks that make me think of fun sunny days sailing — either at the dock after the race, at Pussers in Annapolis, the Soggy Dollar Bar in Jost Van Dyke, or during an island adventure in St. Thomas.  Those drinks are the Painkiller and the Bushwhacker.  Here’s the recipe for Pusser’s Painkiller, to get the weekend off to a tropical start.   4 Parts Pineapple Juice 1 Part Cream of Coconut 1 Part Orange Juice 2, 3, […]

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Posted by admin - March 31, 2012 at 11:37

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Sailboat Racing Trim — Part 5

In Chapter 5 of his book Racing Trim, Bill Gladstone talks about genoa trim and controls. The following post shows a short summary of that chapter.  I’ve added a few extras just in case you find them helpful.  Enjoy!   The role of the genoa trimmer is to guide the boat upwind while trimming the genoa to achieve the right balance of speed and point.  This is a continuous process and is not achieved with just one adjustment. The genoa gets its […]

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Posted by admin - March 29, 2012 at 20:53

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Sailors Go on Vacation — The Reality

At the end of February, six sailing friends met in Vieques.  We had high hopes for relaxation, fun in the sun, and some adventure.  Things got interesting the day before vacation even started.  I called to get the address of the house we rented.  That’s when I was told that most of the roads on the island didn’t have names — which made it interesting to get six people to the house.  Luckily islanders were very friendly and we had […]

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Posted by admin - March 23, 2012 at 16:46

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Looking to Sail? Update Your Crew Listing Profile

Are you doing as much sailing as you’d like to?  There are lots of resources to help connect skippers with crew.  If you’re interested in getting more time on the water, meeting more people, or finding a new boat, check out a crew listing and update / add your profile.  Some sailing groups even host crew parties so that sailors can connect in person.   On the Chesapeake Bay, Spinsheet compiles an extensive crew listing database; and even hosts a […]

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Posted by admin - March 21, 2012 at 19:51

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Sailboat Racing Trim — Part 4

In Chapter 4 of his book Racing Trim, Bill Gladstone talks about upwind boat handling. The following post shows a short summary of that chapter.   Tacking (turning the bow of the boat into the wind to make way upwind) is one of the most important aspects of sailing upwind.  Every tack is an opportunity for a boat to lose speed.  So, it’s really important for tacks to be smooth and efficient.   Different crew members serve different roles throughout a tack. […]

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Posted by admin - March 20, 2012 at 15:17

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Sailors Go On Vacation

By November, a bunch of sailing friends were already looking forward to warm weather.  So, the discussion started — Who wants to go on vacation?  Where should we go? Who’s in? Discussion started out with trying to organize a sailboat charter in the Caribbean over New Year’s.  However, we were never able to get the right group of people together at the same time for the right vacation budget.  If you haven’t chartered a boat before, make sure you know who […]

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Posted by admin - March 3, 2012 at 16:44

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