Recent content by saltbox

My summer cottage (the story behind the Cruising World article 08/11) James and I met on Match.com. His screen name was 'Dances with Boats'. I was 'Outdoorsy Girl'. James was a powerboat guy with a sailing passion. He owned an 18' trimaran and a 29' 1967 Bristol with NO amenities (and a couple...

I still haven't found a reasonably priced masthead light. We ended up going with old technology. Maybe someday...:esad:

I remember the feeling very well! Before I found Island Girl, an Ericson 34, I felt the same way. She's a gorgeous, fast cruiser and my itch has been scratched!

Thanks for the advice. I may try to sail direct to Charleston from Grand Bahamas and which keeps us close to various inlets and if the conditions are good, continue on to Cape Lookout and then do the ICW to Norfolk. James and Tracy

I am getting ready to sail our new (to us) '87 Ericson 34 North to Maine, from Cape Cannaveral Fl. We are planning a shakedown cruise to the Bahamas and back, for spring break,(April 19th to the 27th), afterwards I drop my partner off so she can fly back and then her daughter and I will sail...

Trading up from a B29 My partner and I just bought an Ericson 34 and we are selling my Bristol 29. My Bristol is an elegant plastic classic, a real head turner, and after many improvements, I never intended to sell her:egrin:. But, after several long weekend excursions, I had to admit that more...

Yep, they're great! Got our flag in the mail and we love it! I heard mention that there may be a t-shirt version in the wings... Might I make a suggestion? How 'bout a long sleeve version in black with a white logo but for those southern cruisers when black might be too warm, there could...

Maine Boat Show Any idea of the dates? With all this snow, it's hard to believe that we'll ever sail again!

Masthead.......anchor light Thanks for the feedback. The light in question is the anchor light at the top of the mast, and I think I will try to find an LED fixture from the local marine supply place which should last longer and draw fewer amps. James & Tracy

I have to troubleshoot a mast head light on a 1987 E34. My partner is willing to run me up the mast to inspect the bulb but I thought it would be cool to have the correct bulb with me when I go up, in case it really is a bad bulb. Is there anyone out there who has replaced a masthead bulb and...

this awesome flag Soooo, we're all psyched. Can't wait... Most of us can't even think about getting aboard for the next few months but, How do you plan on selling them? Have you thought about Ebay or Etsy and just give us the link? We want it to be as easy as possible and the thought of hand...

storing meat I used to do a lot of back country paddling, a week or 2 on the allagash river each summer. The challenge was similar and we always tried new ways of storing food with NO refrigeration or ice. One of my favorite things to do was to make beef jerky with very lean flank steak before...

Hooray! Tracy here, I got my guy back with glowing reports. Our next adventure is to sail our new E-34 back up to Maine. We live in Woolwich and have a mooring in Georgetown. Although I love our old Bristol 29, I'm really looking forward to a boat we can spend more time sailing than fixing...

Sceptical about Roller Furling Main James here. Tracy sent me off to Florida to check out Island Girl with the roller furling main. It sailed 30 degrees off the wind on the starboard tack, and between 30 and 20 on the port tack, making just under 6 knots in a 10 knot breeze! Up until then, I...

good ideas, both I didn't take offense (much). The type of roller furling is on a separate rod just aft of the mast. It looks like it rolls up to about 6" in diameter. It's hard to tell from pictures, only. James is going to check to see if there's already a track on the mast and it was put on...