Recent content by Thresher

I have a theory. I would imagine that a majority of boats in that region now carry firecrackers and if they go for a sailing boat's rudder they will get firecrackered. Orcas are intelligent creatures, they will learn not to do this and indeed may have done so already. It could be a perfect outcome.

It's amazing what people choose to do, voluntarily and with his 15 year old son. Not being judgemental, it's a good story that another poster would find interesting. Inexperienced crew, yes or no?

Thank you for the link. I had it in mind for July/August and now can check progress.

Just out of interest. Why do you use mould release wax on your boat instead of the stuff that they sell us in automotive shops and chandlers?

I'm curious to know why you say not to use polish. How would you prepare the surface before waxing?

Yes...but alcohol delivers.

Whatever you do, ventilate, insulate or dehumidify, you are not going to know if it's working unless you can measure it. You can buy digital humidity meters for about a fiver. Buy a few and spread them around, if the relative humidity goes above 70% you will have condensation and mould.

That's exactly how I use my 5kw £100 Chinese diesel heater on my 27 feet sailboat. I stand it on a sheet of 18mm ply to stop the exhaust from scorching the grp and have a spare washboard with a 4" hole cut in it for the flexible ducting pipe to go through. A few points though. You don't have to...

Minerva: Next time your mast is down for winter, try standing near the foot of the mast, perhaps even gooseneck level and picking the whole mast up. In that situation it will not have any sails in the water adding weight and resistance to being picked up so will be (comparatively speaking) much...

Thank you, I guess I am looking for real life experiences. I often wonder what would I do if for example I were sailing my 27 footer a few miles offshore, iin moderate conditions, singlehanded with full sail up and the mast broke (let's say near the foot) and assuming that there is no danger of...

OK. I should have said 'Is it worth doing?'

If a mast breaks, should cutting the shrouds and letting the whole rig go over the side be the first action to take? Or is it worth trying to salvage something? I know there are a lot of variables here but my main question is, can a broken mast be repaired?

Yes, thank you Sandro. That was the question that I asked.

I am quite sure that is an old connection problem come back to haunt me 3 years later and it only happens when the starter battery is less than 100%. I condemned the old battery although it was reading 12.7v because of an almost unnoticeable leak and the new one had been in the shop for a long...

Oh. It's just failed to start with the new battery (it was OK an hour ago). It starts ok with jump leads from the domestic battery. I think I have a bad connection issue (and now a spare battery).