HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jfh@cs.brown.edu (John F. Hughes)
Subject: Re: Another great sailing weekend...
Organization: Brown University Department of Computer Science
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 15:56:07 GMT

In article <8SEP199209340497@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu> ecf_stbo@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu (especially the mouth part of the face) writes:
>[...]              I've never seen an International Canoe before. What a trip!

My dad used to race these things, and remarkably enough, the boat he raced was
still being actively raced about 5 years ago. For those who don't know, the
Int. Canoe is about 15 feet long, and about 2 feet wide. You don't sit in it
like a normal boat. There's this plank that sticks out to windward, and you
crawl out onto the plank so that the tips of your toes are about at the
windward gunwale. (There's a long tiller extension.) 
   Tacking goes like this: begin to head up...crawl in along the plank...free
leeward jib sheet...as she comes head to wind, sheet in new jibsheet...throw
the plank over to the new windward side...pass the tiller behind your back as
you climb out to new windward side.
   It's that "pass the plank over to the new windward side" part that's tricky.
You don't even want to *think* about how jibing looks...

-John
Newsgroups: rec.boats
From: burati@apollo.hp.com (Mike Burati)
Subject: Re: A sailing problem
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 22:41:41 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Corporation, Chelmsford, MA
Followup-To: /dev/null

In article <1992Sep14.191825.19121@cs.brown.edu> jfh@cs.brown.edu (John F. Hughes) writes:
>A year or so ago I proposed a couple of thought experiments---situations that
>*might* arise while sailing---for folks to think about and propose solutions
>to. Here's another. There's no real problem here, just an exercise in thinking
>about appropriate preparations.

Geez John, getting overworked?  Last year's problem was much more challenging

>sailing friends to help out.
Make sure they bring warm clothes.

> The sail is about 15 miles, and you're getting 
>hauled out first thing Saturday morning. You meet up with your friends after 
>work on Friday (cutting out a bit early) and get to the boat at 5 PM. It's 
>October 15, and the boat is kept in CT.

Make sure your batteries and lights are ok.  If you get to the boat at 5pm
for a 15mile trip in October, you're going to arrive sometime after dark.
Also, check on the forecast for chances of fog, which may drop in unexpectedly.

>Late Thursday night a coldfront passed through, and the NW winds that followed
>the front have been dropping, but it's still a good steady 8-12 kts from 
>the NW. The course from your mooring, along the coast to the haulout place, 
>is about SW. 

Make sure your tank is topped off (good idea for haulout anyway in case you
don't have a chance to do the winterizing for a while after it's hauled)
since if the wind is already dropping from the NW after the cold front, it
may shift to the SW or die altogether.

>What preparations do you make before setting out? You have arranged, by the
>way, to pick up a mooring at the haulout harbor---it's mooring number 237, and
>it has a white float with a blue and gold band and the numbers "237" on it. 

Have a good spotlight or you won't see the numbers on moorings at night (they're
almost all white with blue bands).  Check on anchoring space in that harbor
(cruising guide or coast pilot) beforehand in case you can't find the mooring or
it's taken, and make sure you have the right type of anchors and enough rode.

..Mike
ps:  Get the credit card ready.  I just called a few places to find out rates
    for hauling/storing/launching/powerwashing mine and my wallet really hurts.
Newsgroups: rec.boats
From: gerard@progress.COM (Gerard Bras)
Subject: Re: Splices vs Bends
Organization: Progress Software Corp.
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 14:57:26 GMT

bonnet@prl.dec.com (Christophe Bonnet) writes:


>> I would think that the appropriate knot (or bend) here would be the Bowline.
>> Personally, I would use an eye splice - it is stronger and neater than any
>> knot.  If you are really concerned about it slipping, you can put several
>> stitches through the splice, and a whipping over them.

> I guess strongness is the real point here. A bowline knot can stand 50%
>of the maximum load of the line, when a splice is around 80%. That could
>make a lot of difference in critical situation.

I may be wrong but as I recall it a good splice has more like 95%
strength.  Knots, any knot, comes in a distant second.  "the Riggers
Apprentice", by Brion Toss has some good info on this issue.  I think the
best of knots got you around 65-70% strenth but I don't remember
which knot was "best".  It wasn't bowline or carrick though.  BTW,
my fave knot for putting temporary eyes in is the stunsail tack bend.
It's kind of a clove hitch but made differently. I find it easy
to make and it's very secure.  Untying it is not impossible, only a
little harder than a bowline. 

> The problem is that it's quite impossible to do splices on "modern"
>ropes (polyester ones). In this case (for example, to put a snap hook at
>the end of an halyard), I use another knot, stronger than the bowline.
>The black point is that, after several days of use, this knot is really
>painfull to undo (just like splices, after all). Unfortunately, I don't
>know the English name of that knot.. the french one is "noeud de Capucin".

With the right kind of fid and a little practice most modern braids are 
actually easier to splice than 3-strand anything.   There are some exceptions
in some of the ultra-low stretch composite lines but most braid is pretty 
easy.

cheers,
gerard

Newsgroups: rec.boats
From: wkl5819@zeus.tamu.edu (LEVERICH, WILLIAM KENT)
Subject: Used Flying Scot sails
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: Texas A&M University, Academic Computing Services
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 19:00:00 GMT

I'm looking for a set of used sails for a Flying Scot.  I called a couple of
businesses listed in the back of Sail magazine, but they didn't have any that
were specifically designed for a Flying Scot.  Please send me a message if you
know where I can get a set.  My E-mail address is WKL5819@ZEUS.TAMU.EDU.

Thanks,

Kent Leverich
From: mike@gilligan.East.Sun.COM (Mike Roncadori)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Re: Bayliner myths: a challenge
Date: 11 Sep 92 12:23:48 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc. - Vienna, Va.
NNTP-Posting-Host: gilligan.east.sun.com

In article <1992Sep10.145158.4341@bnlux1.bnl.gov> gc@bnl.gov writes:
>In article 14192@cbfsb.cb.att.com, heon@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (garry.j.heon) writes:
>
>Obviously there are *!#$%s on both sides of the sail/power division.
>But it might help the power boaters to understand the attitude of the
>sail side of the house (I admit it, I am a sailor) if you consider the
>percentages.  I dock my boat up a small creek with a 5 mph speed
>
	[lots of stuff about rude boating deleted]
>---
>Graham
>gc@bnl.gov
>

I think the underlying idea here is that just like there are
rude drivers, rude pedestrians, and rude eaters, there are
also rude boaters.

I kind of wonder how much of it has to do with the way boats
are marketed today. I grew up around boats, and they were not
nearly as aggressively marketed back then. My father also taught
me to respect the water, and always be the guy who pulls the th-
rottle back when there is a standoff, whether I have the right
of way or not.

Today, if you want a boat, you go to Boat-A-Rama, and the sales
guy says "This baby'll do 90mph... It has 1600HP, and dual 27"
Stainless Steel Freddie Kreuger props." Never mind the fact that
the prospective buyer may or may not have ever driven a boat in
his life. They'll sell you as much as you can afford, and the
ability to operate it safely has no bearing whatsoever.

I strongly support licensing requirements for boaters, and I
feel that in order to buy any boat capable of high speed, one
must complete some sort of fast boat driving school. Something
along the lines of Wellcraft's Scarab driving school would be
a good place to start. (It's only available to Scarab owners.)

One way I use to see how much experience a person has in a boat
is to watch them launch and trailer it. A good boater in a well
rigged boat can be in or out of the water in under 3 minutes with
ease, and never has to leave the helm. An inexperienced boater
seems to take all day, and they always have ONE person do all
the driving (of the tow vehicle, and the boat). This means that
they have to pull up, dock (usually blocking the ramp in the pro-
cess), go get the tow car, and finally get the boat on the trailer
(usually with alot of wading, and harsh words towards one another). 
Sailboats are a bit different in this regard, because of their
odd shape, low power, etc..

IMHO, there are alot of people out there who don't know what they
are doing, from the moment they drop the hitch over the ball. I'm
not saying this to sound elitist, it's just that I see more people
do stupid things in one day at the lake than I see the rest of the
week.

-- Mike

----------------------------------------------------------------
My opinions, not my employer's
From: cote@cs.ucsd.edu (Brad Cote)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Re: Clear Lake (was: Hobie mast repaired - thanks much!)
Keywords: hobie
Date: 11 Sep 92 18:16:38 GMT

johnf@HQ.Ileaf.COM (John Finlayson) writes:

>I sailed many lakes and bays in California when I lived there, and I've never seen better Hobie conditions than on Clear Lake in the summer.  Three hour drive from Palo Alto, but it we were never disappointed.

>John.

We weren't so lucky for the Laser Masters on June 21-22. It was
brutally hot, and almost no wind. The wind was so flukey that between
the prep flag and the start, the start went from upwind to downwind.
Pretty miserable, overall.

				Brad Cote'
				UCSD Stare Project

Snipe #19390
Laser #32150 
Newsgroups: rec.boats
From: francis@oas.stanford.edu (Francis Muir)
Subject: "Jiffy" reefing
Organization: Stanford Exploration Project
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 21:57:30 GMT

My Freedom 21 has built-in one-lead jiffy reefing on each of two
reef points, and its not as practical as it should be. One problem
is that all the sheaves have worn, and i'm taking care of this with
a bunch of new small parts from Kenyon. But the other thing that disturbs
me is that the reefing line -- both at the luff and the leech -- goes
up to an eye and through and down again. In a perfect world this would
give me a 2:1 advantage, but it seems to me that the frictional losses
as the line bends sharply through the sail will more than offset this
mathematical advantage. Questions. Would I do better using reef hooks
and no mechanical advantage? Could i use blocks at the reef hooks to
return me the 2:1 advantage? Is it OK to use blocks like this or is it an
aerodynamic disaster? maybe blocks are OK forward at the mast end but not
at the leech?

Francis Muir
FELIX
Redwood City
California
From: will@wixer.cactus.org (Bill Staniewicz)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Live-aboard experience
Date: 5 Sep 92 20:22:08 GMT
Organization: Real/Time Communications

I am interested in hearing from anyone who has
lived-aboard a boat for a relatively long period of time.
I am thinking in terms of boats tied up semi-permanently
to a dock with all the utilities running into it. How does
the cost and comfort compare to an apartment on the long term
for instance.
I remember watching the show "Quincy" and thinking how neat
it must be to have a home you can move to where ever you like.
 
-- 
Bill
will@wixer.cactus.org
From: kstuart@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Kenneth Stuart)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Re: 2 batteries -- how?
Date: 10 Sep 92 12:38:28 GMT
Reply-To: kstuart@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Kenneth Stuart)
Distribution: na
Organization: Carderock Division, NSWC, Bethesda, MD

From an electronics engineer's point of view...

The voltage regulator on the boat's alternator forces the output voltage
of the alternator to be at about 14 to 14.5 volts at all times.  This
is the voltage as measured AT THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR, not necessarily
at the battery or other equipment.

A diode isolator will automatically "steer" the alternator's output
to the lower voltage battery of the two.  As the voltage of the more
discharged battery approaches that of the charged battery, the alternator's
output is divided by the isolator as necessary to maintain the two batteries
at the same voltage.  Since the discharged battery will be accepting
current for charging, the current through its diode will be higher than
that of the other diode to some extent.

The simple 2-diode isolator AUTOMATICALLY performs this function.  I
know of no other isolator currently on the market which has any other
construction than the basic 2-diode configuration.  Again, the simple
isolator automatically gives the lions share of the alternator's output
to the battery with the lower charge state.

With the voltage regulator connected on the alternator side of the
isolator, there is no way that an isolator can "cook" either battery
unless the voltage regulator itself malfunctions.  In fact, the isolator,
as mentioned by others in this group, has a certain loss (as much as
one volt) which may PREVENT fully charging both of the batteries, which
is an undesirable situation.  Schottky diodes will decrease this loss,
but I doubt that the current crop of isolators make use of these devices.

The main purpose of the isolator is to prevent an old battery with a
high self-discharge rate from discharging the other battery when the
boat is sitting for any length of time.  Simply flipping the battery
switch will do this quite effectively. Also, it is supposed to allow
charging of both batteries without flipping the battery switch to the 
"both" position.

In my opinion, this gadget is a waste of money and alternator/engine
power.  Any boater with salt water in his veins can certainly rotate
the knob of a battery switch to allow parallel (or alternate, as
suggested by one post in this group) charging.  By not installing this
gadget, proper battery charging is assured to the battery/batteries
switched on line, there is one thing less to go wrong on the boat, the
alternator does a better job of supplying power, and money is saved.

Ken Stuart

.
From: niemi@astroatc.uucp (Bob Niemi)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Re: 1960 Chapmans, should I buy it?
Date: 4 Sep 92 18:30:52 GMT
Organization: Astronautics Technology Cntr, Madison, WI

>>As the subject said I have found a circa 1960 edition of Chapmans in a used
>>book shop for $15.00.

Having paid $29 for my 59th edition, I have noticed the price of Chapman's
dropped in the last couple of years.  In the latest Goldberg's sale catalog
the 60th edition is $20 (list $29.95).

Chapman's should be a standard item in any boater's library.  ( I was going
to say "serious boater", but if you ain't somewhat serious, you ain't a
boater.)

Also in that catalog, a RayJeff LORAN C for $190.

(I have no particular interest in Goldberg's or any other vendor; I shop around)

Bob Niemi, Astronuatics, Madison, WI  ..uwvax!astroatc!niemi
    "Bobbin' Sue", a 23 Carver Montego sunbridge cruiser
Newsgroups: rec.boats
From: francis@oas.stanford.edu (Francis Muir)
Subject: Re: Narrow Boat and Computer.
Organization: Stanford Exploration Project
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1992 03:13:56 GMT

Wallace Venable writes:

	Andrew F Stratton writes:

		I am considering buying a narrow boat as a home (while 
		I do a PhD), but I am concerned that my PC clone wouldn't 
		be up to it.  Any comments (good or bad)?

	For Americans:  This is about living on an English CANAL BOAT.

Ah, now we understand. A fair question. The computer will prefer to be kept
dry, which will mean some sort of heat on every night. This will have
the added advantage of keeping you dry too. I lived on a College Barge
for a term up at Oxford sans heat, and it was bloody miserable.
From: steve_lemme@gateway.qm.apple.com (Steve Lemme)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Ball Gears needed for OMC
Date: 14 Sep 92 20:11:54 GMT
Followup-To: rec.boats
Organization: Apple Computer

Just as it says, I need ball gears for an OMC 400 1980 outdrive.
Any source would be appreciated. My Local dealer wants $100.00 a piece.
Thanks
Steve
From: bobc@hplsla.hp.com (Bob Cutler)
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 14:56:09 GMT
Subject: Re: Vector II Loran
Organization: HP Lake Stevens, WA
Newsgroups: rec.boats

Thanks to all of you who responded by e-mail.   

It would appear that the unit was defective.  I took it back to West Marine 
and they exchanged it for me (no hassle).  The old unit powered up in the 
store OK, but with a strong signal it was a steady 20 miles off.

The new unit has worked very well except for a sticky key.  The first few
times I tried to enter a coordinate the unit appeared to get confused.  It
turned out to be a stuck key.  The problem seems to have gone away with a 
little use.

Bob Cutler
Everett, WA
Newsgroups: rec.boats
From: heon@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (garry.j.heon)
Subject: Re: Novice boaters
Keywords: Stupid Ignorant Beginners Novice
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 19:44:32 GMT

In article <1992Sep14.132336.13346@hemlock.cray.com>, ss@tamarack16.cray.com (Sandra Swanson) writes:
> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> Sandra Swanson   -   Software Publications
> Cray Research, Inc. - ss@tamarack.cray.com
> 655F Lone Oak Drive
> Eagan, MN     55121     -     612/683-5815

Very well said.  There is a difference between being a novice and
dangerous.  Although it's possible to be a dangerous novice or
expert for that matter.  Just because I like to blast out in the 
ocean at high speeds doesn't mean I'm in a rush.  I have no problem
waiting for novice boaters that block access to marinas while waiting
for the ramp.  Usually that's when we get a good laugh.  

On a earlier post someone mentioned having a problem with noise we
make with our boats.  Yea, mine is loud, measured 93db at idle so
it must be really loud when I'm running.  But, in NJ, at least in
my area, noise laws are enforced.  When I start heading into shore I
always engage the mufflers.  When I run outside there's no one
to hear me so why should I give up the 300 rpm to run quietly?
The noise has nothing to do with being "macho" rather it has do
with getting the maximum performance from our engines.  People
with these types of boats can easily spend $20,000 to $100,000
for an engine.  After spending that kind of cash, consider most have
two, wouldn't you want the max out of your investment, I would (do).

******************************************
* MY OPINIONS.............AT&T's NETWORK *
*                                        *
* Garry Heon                     AT&T    *
* heon@cbnewsg.att.com       Holmdel, NJ *
******************************************
From: torsten@unisql.UUCP (Torsten Weirich)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Re: 2 batteries -- how?
Date: 10 Sep 92 17:41:10 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: UniSQL, Inc., Austin, Texas, USA

In article <24827@oasys.dt.navy.mil> kstuart@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Kenneth Stuart) writes:

[excellent explanation deleted]

   In my opinion, this gadget is a waste of money and alternator/engine
   power.  Any boater with salt water in his veins can certainly rotate
   the knob of a battery switch to allow parallel (or alternate, as
   suggested by one post in this group) charging.  By not installing this
   gadget, proper battery charging is assured to the battery/batteries
   switched on line, there is one thing less to go wrong on the boat, the
   alternator does a better job of supplying power, and money is saved.

What?  Saving money?  And here I thought the object was to spend money...

;-) ;-)

Torsten Weirich
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| UniSQL                      Cursed by a fortune cookie:       |
| 9380 Research Blvd.         "Your principles mean more to you |
| Kaleido II, Ste. 200         than any money or success."      |
| Austin, TX 78759               ^                              |
| Tel: (512) 343-7297            |                              |
| Fax: (512) 343-7383            +-the story of my life... ;-(  |
| Email: unisql!weirich@cs.utexas.edu                           |
| Disclaimer:  something about "plausible deniability"...       |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
From: tomm@voodoo.boeing.com (Tom Mackey)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Launch ramp funnies
Date: 14 Sep 92 23:42:47 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Boeing Graphics project, Bellevue WA


I went sailing yeaterday -- with Fall starting, so is the "real" Seattle
sailing season! ;^)  Nice winds for a change!

After rigging the boat and getting in line, I noticed a cluster of folks
down at the "unload" ramp (2 ramps -- one to load, and the other unload).
I watched from my truck as the boat (some kind of small (15 ft?) runabout)
finally floated off the trailer, but the tow vehicle and trailer did not
move.  After 5 minutes of talking with my buddy catching up on what we've
been doing, it looked like they needed at least one more observer, so I
walked on down.

Seems like the idiot had backed his trailer off the end of the ramp.  Now
this is no easy feat:  the end of the ramp is marked by three (count 'em,
thats 3) methods.  There is a bright yellow stripe up the side of the
dock, there is a bright yellow pole on the outside of the ramp, and there
is a 6 inch high concrete lip on the ramp itself.

What makes it even more amazing is that his trailer has dual wheels, and
the rear tire on one side was flat ("Yeah, I know, but the other one is
good.")  It took two of us hauling on lines from the dock, the owner and
one other volunteer (he deserves a medal) lifting from the water, and a
plank shoved under the center roller to get that puppy out of there.

His reason?  "I've got to go out pretty deep so the boat will float off."

And then I backed my trailer so that the wheels were at the lip, and
gave my Freedom 21 (draws 4 feet, fixed keel) a mighty shove with my
buddy pulling on the bow line, and listened to the oohs and ahhs as it
slid off my nifty EZLoader and floated on down the dock...

And then there was the other idiot who came down to haul his San Juan
21 out for the season.  When he got the boat onto the trailer, both
his trailer tires went flat!  He was trying to fill them up with one
of those little electric compressors.  Don't know how he made out, but
he was gone when we came back 4 hours later...

Not that I'm totally without stupidity myself, but these two incidents
had me shaking my head.
-- 
Tom Mackey       (206) 865-6575        tomm@voodoo.boeing.com
Boeing Computer Services         ....uunet!bcstec!voodoo!tomm
M/S 7K-20,     P.O. Box 24346,     Seattle, WA     98124-0346