Recent content by Teranodon

Calibre Yachts Sales is offering a very clean-looking E38.

I sail a 1988 E34 in the San Juans. It's a pleasure every time... The pictures look good (though I don't know about that giant mirror). I've never seen such a huge cabin table. I made my own - smaller. The electronics looks antique, and I wonder why here is no picture of the engine...

When I installed a windlass on the E34, I included an anchor lock, which I always engage before backing down so as not to strain the windlass. I always set the anchor when staying overnight. Even with my 15kg Rocna, I drag about 1/4 of the time when setting. I've never had a problem breaking...

Thanks! There are two other photos of my "Talpa", plus my buddy John's Etchells 22. It looks like someone was snapping photos from Brown Island during our club's doublehanded race.

That's my baby! Great photo. Nick - can you tell me where you saw it?

This brings up another radar controversy: to gimbal or not? I went through the arguments when I was facing this circa $1000 question. I chose not.

Here's what the chartplotter screen looks like with the Garmin Fantom doppler radar. The big red blob is an approaching Washington state ferry. The two smaller green blobs are boats that are moving away. Everything else in black is "stationary" (note that the software is aware of the GPS...

I installed radar last year, mostly because my wife kept asking for it as a safety feature. I have never used it "in anger" but I like to turn it on just for fun. I went with Garmin because it connects seamlessly to my 9" chartplotter and AIS VHF radio. I chose the Fantom model which does...

I think you're probably right. I just wish that there was a good intuitive explanation. Alas, air and water are fluids, that is, they need to be understood in terms of the mysterious quantum inter-molecular forces that produce collective behavior. It would be nice if they could be viewed as...

That's one point. Another: the force vector is always shown as being (roughly) orthogonal to the curve of the "airfoil". So, to go into the wind, the sail should be eased so as to bring the vector forward! I tried that on my boat - it didn't work. Yes, yes, I know that the magnitude matters...

Orcas are a fairly common sight here in the San Juans. I would guess that I see them on about a third of my outings. Alas, they are almost always accompanied by a whole fleet of gawkers who routinely violate the distance restrictions. That's why it was such pleasure to encounter a trio of...

I wish I had been there, maybe I could have learned something. I have been sailing for more than half a century. I have a PhD in elementary particle physics from an Ivy League university. Every few years, I try to understand how a sailboat goes to windward (something I was doing this morning...

I'm not so sure I'd be comfortable pumping diesel fuel. The thing is very cheaply made, and electric motors can spark. I fill 5 gallon jugs at the gas station, then siphon the fuel with a siphon:

As everyone knows, Harbor Freight stuff can be great or lousy, depending. Here's an inexpensive (under $10) battery-powered transfer pump that I've been using for about a year, and it still works. I've only used it for water, but it's supposed to be good for oil, diesel. It takes two D cells.

I just counted: 13 Dewalt cordless tools, including the vac! I like it. One problem: there is - necessarily - an exhaust port. It tends to scatter the things that you are trying to vacuum up. Not sure how that could be avoided. P.S. I have three different Dewalt cordless lights. They are...