Unlikely Boat Builder: Plan 'B'

[John Almberg]

As Captain Cook knew, there's always a Plan B. Thus, when the wooden boat that Helena and I had been looking for for years, turned up on eBay, we suddenly needed a Plan B.

Plan A had been to "build Cabin Boy this winter so when and if we buy a wooden boat, I'll know how to take care of it." But the right boat came along sooner than we expected, and we now owned a boat. A boat in Florida -- about 2000 nm. from home. Clearly, Plan A wasn't going to cut it.

So we came up with Plan B: to sail the new boat home from Florida in stages. Stage 1, the north west coast of Florida to the south east coast of Florida, via the Keys, commencing in 20 days.

And that means this unhandy man needs to finish Cabin Boy in 20 days...

Read complete blog post: Plan B (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2009/12/plan-b.html)

Enjoy: John ;)

[Tim Thomas]

Now this should be really interesting to watch. Thanks for sharing, I'm looking forward to seeing how this unfolds.

[John Almberg]

What a difference a deadline makes. I've been puzzling over a build problem for several weeks now, without success. None of my boat building books has a solution. Even Clem Kuhlig's "Building the Skiff Cabin Boy" just skips over the problem.

Here's the problem: The backbone of the skiff consists of the stem in the front, the keelson along the bottom, and the transom in the back. The stem has to go from about where my hand is in the picture below, down to the leading edge of the ladder frame. What makes this complicated is that the angle and position of the stem is very important, and I knew I'd have to fool around with it a bit to get it right.

So how could I hold the stem in place in a way that was easily adjustable, but also very strong?

Read complete blog post: Stem Invention (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2009/12/stem-invention.html)

Enjoy: John

[John Almberg]

On this Day 18, my goal was to work on Cabin Boy's transom. I had bought a large plank of Mahogany from Condon's. It was a beautiful piece, but since I'd brought it home to my basement workshop, it had developed a nasty crack. The sudden change in humidity combined with a hidden weakness in the board, I suspect.

Luckily, I'd been smart enough to buy a longer length than I needed...

Read complete blog post: Year of the Blue Moon (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/01/year-of-blue-moon.html)

Enjoy: John

[John Almberg]

Well, on this Day 17, my mission was to mount Cabin Boy's transom, using the micro invention described yesterday, and to tie the whole backbone together, as much as possible.

I started by bolting the keelson to the stem. To do that, I had to drill a long 1/4" hole through the keelson and the stem, and then chisel out a 'landing area' on the stem for the washer and nut.

For some reason, I still find it difficult to drill or cut 'real wood'... i.e., the wood that will end up in the actual boat. There is something so final about drilling a hole, or -- worse -- making a saw cut...

Read complete blog post: Oak Smoke (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/01/oak-smoke.html)

Enjoy: John


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Partially-reflected-plutonium-sphere.jpeg/350px-Partially-reflected-plutonium-sphere.jpeg

[John Almberg]

I had a nightmare last night. Not about 60 foot breaking waves in the Gulf of Mexico. Not about being dashed on rocks, or falling overboard. No, I was worried about my lofting.

I woke up in a cold sweat, realizing that the chance were zero that a batten, run from Cabin Boy's stem to his transom, would show a fair line. I mean, how could the stem, the 4 forms, and the transom all line up perfectly, so that a plank, when pressed around that curve, would touch all 5 points at the same time?

Impossible. I would have had to do a perfect job of lofting -- and I knew I hadn't done that. And I would have had to build all the forms exactly right, and mounted them, again, exactly right. And then my jury-rigged stem and transom jigs would have to be perfect.

Not a chance. The batten would probably have more bump and bends than the Long Island Expressway. My project was doomed...

Read complete blog post: Scary Dreams (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/01/i-had-scary-dream-last-night.html)

Enjoy: John

[John Almberg]

I knew it might come down to this: Build or Blog? Build or Blog?

So, for the last two day's I've been building, with no time to blog. The cause for all this concentration is the hardest thing I've run into, yet: letting the chine log into the forms. Whoever said there are no straight lines, no right angles on a boat, sure was right!

Read complete blog post: Chine Logs - Part 1

http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/01/chine-logs-part-1.html

Enjoy: John

[John Almberg]

There's a woodworking adage that goes something like this: "Every one makes mistakes. The difference between a beginner and the Master Craftsman is the Master Craftsman knows how to fix his mistakes."

No doubt this is true, but on the long road that leads to Master Craftsmanship, I am still on the 'on' ramp. So I've come up with my own adage: "Make Mistakes Slowly".

Read complete blog post: Make Mistakes Slowly (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/01/make-mistakes-slowly.html)

Enjoy: John

[John Almberg]

One of the nice features of the Tom Glimer Blue Moon is the raised deck amidships. It gives the boat great strength, lovely wide side decks, and lots of room below decks (for a 23' boat.)

I don't know what Tom specified on the original plans (they suddenly being out of stock at the Wooden Boat store), but this particular Blue Moon has flush decks, right to the edge of the boat. Not even a toe-rail. While this keeps her lines (http://www.sailnet.com/forums/autolink.php?id=75&script=showthread&forumid=4) clean, I like to have a little something between me and the deep-blue sea as I'm crawling up to the foredeck...

Read blog post: Bulwarks a la Buehler (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/01/bulwarks-ala-buehler.html)

Enjoy: John

[John Almberg]

Once or twice a week, I get gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) comments or emails from readers, asking me, in one way or another "Why do you do everything the hard way?!?!"

An easy answer would be, because my goal is not just to build a boat, but to learn how traditional wooden boats are put together, so I can maintain a larger wooden boat, such as the Blue Moon.

I have nothing against modern techniques like stitch and glue, but building such a craft (as attractive as one seems as my deadline looms), would not help me understand traditional wooden boat construction.

But a fuller, more honest answer is that it's just plain fun to do something that is really, really hard...

Read complete blog post: Easy is Overrated (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/01/easy-is-overrated.html)

http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/01/easy-is-overrated.html

Enjoy: John

[Dale Probst]

I'm enjoying your blog, totally get the "Essential Tool".
DP

[John Almberg]

When you look at the plans of a Master, like John Atkin, everything you need to know is right in front of your face. It's in the plans... in the boat's DNA.

The trick is seeing it...

Read complete blog post: Seeing DNA (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/01/seeing-dna.html)

Enjoy: John

[John Almberg]

I'm enjoying your blog, totally get the "Essential Tool".
DP

Thanks! I've been using it a lot, lately :)

-- John

[Mac McQuinn]

John,
Keep "em" coming! Atkin's designs are timeless and always a hoot to peruse on a cold winter's night.

Mac

[John Almberg]

And now for something completely different...

A weather window in Florida opened up, and I was able to get a slot on the only Travel Lift within 50 miles of my Blue Moon, so I abandoned Cabin Boy for the moment, and dashed down the coast with a Honda Fit full of tools, paint, and other supplies.

Read blog post: Blue Moon Rising (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/01/blue-moon-rising.html)

Enjoy: John

[John Almberg]

Resuming our Tale of Two Boats...

The Blue Moon's hull being painted, I relaunched her, splashing half a bottle of Blue Moon beer on her bow (no need to waste the whole bottle!)

Then Bob and I motored her down to her temporary new home -- a dock in the Steinhatchee River. With her long bowsprit, the slip was a bit short for the Blue Moon, so we had to back her in. NOT an easy thing to do with her long keel and small motor....

Read complete blog post: Lining Off (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/02/lining-off.html)

Enjoy: John

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KWIIP1jb40Q/S3Arxbo_ULI/AAAAAAAACX4/BHBPGgZ2-ZA/s320/lo7.jpg

[John Almberg]

The first step in getting out any plank is to spile it. Determined, this time, to follow the advice of the Boat Building Books as closely as possible, I read and re-read the pertinent sections of Greg Rossel's "Building Small Boats" until I believed I understood exactly what I was supposed to do.

One important point was to not try to use one, long, single piece spiling batten. Such a batten cannot be curved around the forms in the right place without being edge set. And, I understood, edge setting a spiling batten is a sure path to depression, suicide, or worse...

Read complete blog post: A Garboard Tragedy (Act 1) (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/02/last-week-i-woke-up-and-decided-i.html)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KWIIP1jb40Q/S3gZ8WPlP6I/AAAAAAAACYo/HTP75ROPo1c/s320/garboard1.JPEG

[John Almberg]

All the BBBs (boat building books) tell you that when you spile, you must lock down your dividers and use exactly the same radii for all your arcs. Being an overly-clever chap, I saw straight through this lie.

This brilliant insight almost tripped me up, of course.

But before I explain myself, let me make up two definitions. There may be words for these processes already, but I don't know what they are...

Read complete blog post: A Garboard Tragedy (Act 2) (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/02/garboard-tragedy-act-2.html)

Enjoy: John

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KWIIP1jb40Q/S3sAax4woVI/AAAAAAAACZI/XNfIiERcsuY/s320/garboard4.JPEG

[John Almberg]

There are a lot of good boat building books (BBBs) out there, and I own many of them. But when I started to build Cabin Boy, I decided to pick one guru to follow. That guru, for me, is Greg Rössel and specifically his book "Building Small Boats".

Not only is Mr. Rössel a master boat builder, he's a very good writer, and as I finally fastened my very first real plank on to Cabin Boy, a line (http://www.sailnet.com/forums/autolink.php?id=75&script=showthread&forumid=4) from his chapter on lofting came back to me...

Read complete blog post: Mountain Climbing (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/02/mountain-climbing.html)

Enjoy: John

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KWIIP1jb40Q/S369bgVZKqI/AAAAAAAACaQ/no3n16l0z64/s1600/k2-topo.jpg

[John Almberg]

Only a darn fool -- or a first-time boat builder -- would try to cut the 'gains' on a lapstrake plank after fastening it to the building forms. But after forgetting to cut the gains on my first garboard, that's exactly what I had to do.

What are 'gains'? On a lapstrake boat, like the one below, the planks overlap for the full length of the boat, but overlap magically disappears at the stem (and sometimes at the transom).

There are several ways to perform this disappearing lap trick. I chose the method that looked the simplest to me: cutting a sloping rabbit along the edge of each plank...

Read complete blog post: Symmetry (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/02/symmetry.html)

Enjoy: John

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KWIIP1jb40Q/S4foLUuyGWI/AAAAAAAACb4/hONgvckP73o/s400/sym7.jpg

[John Almberg]

Wow. After finally figuring out how to spile Cabin Boy's garboard plank, I figured it would be a snap to do the rest of the planks. After all, they were so simple, compared to the garboard.

Boy, was I wrong!

Read complete blog post: Over the Hump? (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/03/over-hump.html)

Enjoy: John

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KWIIP1jb40Q/S41seYst0oI/AAAAAAAACcM/cK5pucfVSUE/s1600/slam_dunk.jpg

[John Almberg]

Cabin Boy's build is now proceeding smoothly... I'm perfecting my planking technique, but nothing to exciting to report, so I thought I'd take a bit of a diversion...

While finishing up Cabin Boy, I'm also preparing for my 2000 mile voyage on the Blue Moon.

One piece of Blue Moon equipment that desperately needed replacement was the bunk cushion. The old one was grungy, damp, and well past it's due date. I chucked it onto the garbage pile while I was down in Florida, and thought I'd just buy a replacement.

That was until I got a quote for $450! No way I was going to plunk down a King's ransom for a bit of foam. Surely I could make one myself for less? And -- more importantly -- learn a valuable new skill...

Read complete blog post: Swedish Furled Foam (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/03/swedish-furled-foam.html)

Enjoy: John

[John Almberg]

As I've been planking Cabin Boy, I've been trying to figure out ways to make the job easier and faster. But I found it difficult (nay, impossible!) to do more than one plank per day.

The reason? Lots of steps. In fact, I counted 34 different steps per plank...

Read complete blog post: Planks and a Scarf (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/03/scarf-planks.html)

Enjoy: John

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KWIIP1jb40Q/S6LKLChbh4I/AAAAAAAACek/KSex_i_V0P8/s320/scarf4.jpg

[John Almberg]

Cutting out and fastening Cabin Boy's bottom was easier than I expected. Using plywood, rather than the spiled cross planks that I'd planned on, saved a few days work, at least.

Since it's almost time to pull the boat off the forms and start working on the interior, I decided to drive up to the Maine Boat Builder's show in Portland, to steal some ideas from 'real' boat builders.

I'm glad I made the trip. Some great pics!

Read complete blog post:

The Unlikely Boat Builder: Ready to Flip (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/03/ready-to-flip.html)

Enjoy: John

http://tinyurl.com/y9andgj

[John Almberg]

At this moment, I am blogging from the middle of the river that flows through Steinhatchee, FL. Helena and I have spent the last few days preparing the Blue Moon for its 2000 mile voyage from the West Coast of Florida, around the Keys, and up the east coast of the US, to New York.

Actually, I was focused on preparing the Blue Moon. Helena was focused on preparing me. We both must have done a pretty good job, because I'm tucked up in my comfy bunk (with my home made foam mattress), anchor light burning brightly from the mizzen mast, and -- miracle of miracles -- an Apple laptop connected to the Internet by a cell phone card, so I can blog all the way home.

My intention is to up anchor around 9:30 tomorrow morning, to catch the morning tide for a ride out into the Gulf of Mexico. But before I start talking about the Blue Moon, I'd better talk about Cabin Boy's launch...

Read complete blog post: Launch Day! (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/04/cabin-boy-launch.html)

Enjoy!

[John Almberg]

Today I'm anchored in Clearwater, Florida, having decided I didn't have time to make it into Tampa Bay before dark. Ever since threading the needle into Cedar Key in the pitch dark, I've been over cautious about getting to an anchorage before dark.

Today, I found the perfect anchorage, and then decided to try for something just a wee bit better... Oh bitter irony!

But I'm not emotionally ready to tell that story yet. Maybe later...

Read blog post: Jessica Watson (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/04/jessica-watson.html)

Enjoy: John

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Airplane_vortex_edit.jpg/737px-Airplane_vortex_edit.jpg

[John Almberg]

The first night I anchored in the Manatee River, I anchored off Emerson Point Park. This is a huge anchorage that was almost empty when I was there. There was just one other boat, and she was at least a half-mile off.

It was a clear, calm night, with a million stars in the sky. My kerosene anchor light was lit and hanging in the mizzen shrouds. I'd just taken a last peek outside and was tucked up in my bunk with a good book -- "Three Men In A Boat"...

Read complete blog post: Jumping Dolphins, Batman! (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/04/jumping-dolphins-batman.html)

Enjoy: John

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/52/Sandy_and_Bud.JPG

[John Almberg]

While waiting for the antibiotics to work their magic on my poor battered shin, I have been working on my to-do list. Top on the list today was to mount sidelight boxes in the Blue Moon's shrouds.

Sidelights are the red and green running lights that sailboats must show at night. The Blue Moon came with tiny, electric sidelights, in the shape of a small plastic light that looked like it would be more in place on a kids bike than on a boat.

Even though these tiny lights were barely visible, they gulped enormous amounts of electricity from my solar-driven batteries. Taking another page from the Pardey's books, I long ago decided to use kerosene running lights.

Read complete blog post: Sidelights (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/04/sidelights.html)

Enjoy: John

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_KWIIP1jb40Q/S89s52gCHOI/AAAAAAAACpU/O_VMjQ-RXaA/s400/DSCN3327.JPG

[John Almberg]

Having completed some chores, like lashing my sidelight box into the rigging, it was definitely time to move on.

One problem: getting back up the Manatee River. When the wind has blown at all, it has blown straight down the river. Not only does this make it difficult to beat out of the river, it has made the anchorage darn uncomfortable at times...

Read complete blog post: On the ICW (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/04/on-icw.html)

Enjoy: John

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[John Almberg]

Yesterday, it was finally time to leave Sarasota Bay and head south. Unfortunately, a southerly wind was blowing like stink, as they say. No matter, I thought, I'll just motor. That is why sailboats have reliable engines, and I finally have a reliable engine.

So I left my sail tied to the boom, powered up my engine, and headed south. The engine was reliable, and ran 100% better than before. As I've already said, before the rebuild, the engine had been unable to push the boat into any sort of strong headwind. It could now push us along at 3 knots against a 15 knot wind.

The engine was loyal. It was game. It ran and ran all day. But by the end of the day, I knew the strain had been unfair. It was too much for the little one cylinder 4 stroke. If I wanted it to last the rest of the journey, I was going to have to be fair with it...

Read complete blog post: The Boss (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/05/boss.html)

Enjoy: John

[John Almberg]

They say you know when your vacation is long enough when you start thinking about work, again. My break away from the Blue Moon voyage must be almost up, because I am definitely thinking about her!

My new engine is on order and should be delivered on or about June 7th. It wasn't easy to choose one. Here's what I was hoping to get:

* at least 15 hp
* 25" shaft
* as high a gear ratio as possible (3:1)
* as big a prop as possible
* as light as possible
* as reliable as possible
* as fuel efficient as possible
* easy to find repair people (on east coast of US)

Dealers call this a 'sailboat' motor, or a 'high thrust' motor. It's designed not for speed, but for power. And since the Blue Moon displaces about 8,000 lbs, power is what's needed.

Unfortunately, no one makes an outboard that meets all these criteria....

Read complete blog post: Missing Her (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/05/single-handing.html)

Enjoy: John

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[John Almberg]

They call Florida "The Sunshine State", but for a small boat sailor in Florida in June, a better motto might be "The Too-Much Sunshine State".

When I set sail from Steinhatchee in April, I was wearing my Irish wool sweater on deck to keep warm, and zipping myself into a sleeping bag at night. The sun was a pleasant companion who's warming rays were always appreciated.

Two months later, I'm doing everything possible to fend the sun's rays off.

Read complete blog post: Enemy #1 (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/06/enemy-1.html)

Enjoy: John

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_KWIIP1jb40Q/TBbr_QJ9gTI/AAAAAAAACyI/haYvUXWRnxc/s320/DSCN3457.JPG

[John Almberg]

If I had to pick my favorite city in Florida, St. Augustine would win hands down. Helena and I made a short visit here a few years ago, and we both loved it. This time, I had the pleasure of landing in it from the sea side.

I anchored off the Municipal Marina, which is located right downtown, at the foot of the main street. I arrived just in time to sit out the daily thunderstorm, which have started to become a real issue... They come like clockwork every afternoon around 5, and you really need to have an anchor down in a sheltered place before they strike...

Read blog post: Beautiful St. Augustine (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/06/beautiful-st-augustine.html)

Enjoy: John

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_KWIIP1jb40Q/TB10zS95haI/AAAAAAAACzk/3hnWkcCjDJo/s400/IMG_0627.JPG

[John Almberg]

One of my goals on the Blue Moon is to get really good at this sailing/cruising business. I've sailed practically my whole life, first with my Uncle Marty (who's sailing the Newport-Bermuda race, right this minute), then with my father, and finally on my own boats, but sailing over 700 miles in a small boat has given me a whole new outlook.

Oddly enough, practically every improvement I've made in how I'm doing things has involved eliminating things. I call this process improving things out of existence...

Read blog post: Improved out of Existence (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/06/improving-things-out-of-existence.html)

Enjoy: John

[John Almberg]

This Sunday, Helena and I drove up to Mystic, CT for the annual Wooden Boat Show. One day really isn't enough for this great show. Next year, we plan to sail the Blue Moon down the Sound to Mystic so we can anchor off the show (as several other boats did this year) and spend 2 or 3 days there.

But working guys and gals have to be happy with what they can get, so we made the most of the time there.

One thing I wanted to see was Sam Johnson's demonstration of bronze casting. This is something I have been interested in for a while, so I was super keen on seeing this, and Sam did not disappoint...

Read complete blog post: Bronze Casting (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/06/wooden-boat-show-bronze-casting.html)

Enjoy: John

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_KWIIP1jb40Q/TCk5Rtm5L5I/AAAAAAAAC_c/VALdP4sZZyY/s400/DSCN3593.JPG

[John Almberg]

I am a volunteer crew member on the Christine (http://www.thewaterfrontcenter.org/christeen-public-sail.cfm) -- the oldest Oyster Sloop in America. This 50' gaffer is commanded by Captain Pete, who likes everything ship-shape and Bristol fashion.


http://lh4.ggpht.com/_KWIIP1jb40Q/TGKn0kkzUrI/AAAAAAAADIA/Hj241E0ipXA/s400/IMG_0505.JPG (http://lh4.ggpht.com/_KWIIP1jb40Q/TGKn0kkzUrI/AAAAAAAADIA/Hj241E0ipXA/s1600/IMG_0505.JPG)
A chilly-but-game Girl Scout troop enjoying a spring sail on the Christine
photo jalmberg

This summer, the Christine was sporting a brand-new set of sail ties, and as soon as I laid eyes on them, I realized that I'd been making due on the Blue Moon with an sad collection of old scraps: odd lengths of frayed rope, a couple of ragged bungee cords that had long lost their spring, and a knotted strip of cloth that must have been salvaged by a previous owner from a drowned kite.

In contrast, the Christine's new sail ties looked like they'd been hand-crafted by a master rigger. Sail-tie envy burned in my breast. I had to have a set, just like them!

Read complete blog post: Sail Tie Envy (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/08/gasket-envy.html)

-- John

[John Almberg]

Way back in April (April!?!?), at the very beginning of my intermittent 2000 mile voyage on the Blue Moon, I complained about being relegated to crew member:

There were many reasons why I felt like an overworked galley slave, including the fact that I was in over my head and had no idea what I was doing, and so I had to work twice as hard as I should have.

But the biggest reason of all was that I was a slave to the tiller...

Read complete blog post:

http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/10/i-am-captain.html

[Peter Lavik]

Hello John, I just want to say that I like your blog, very useful info, thanks!

[John Almberg]

One of the first places I stopped in Georgia was also one of the nicest.

Cumberland Island is a large barrier island off the coast of GA, about a day's sail north of the Florida border. I wasn't planning on stopping there, but as I was cruising up Cumberland Sound, the current was so strong against me that I decided to pull in to wait for the turn of the tide...

Complete blog post: Cumberland Island (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/10/cumberland-island.html)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KWIIP1jb40Q/TKEt7e-ERrI/AAAAAAAADMI/OwCyAcEM8TQ/s400/IMG_0018.JPG

[John Almberg]

Thanks, Peter!

[John Almberg]

On 29 September, I was anchored in Cattlepen Creek. I can't quite figure out how this creek got it's name, because it was just a narrow cut of open water in the middle of the vast Georgia marsh. If there were any cattle around, they were up to their necks in mud.

During the night, the remnants of a tropical storm blew over the anchorage. Not much wind, but torrential rain. I woke up with a tropical stream dripping onto my forehead, and for a few minutes I was dashing around my little cabin, dogging down all 8 port lights, stopping leaks, and mopping up drips. I put my head out into the deluge to see if the anchor was holding, but between lightning strikes, it was black as pitch. I was all alone out there...

Read blog post: Bowsprit (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/10/bowsprit.html)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KWIIP1jb40Q/TLRcFzZreDI/AAAAAAAADPk/ZxDxMkav4AA/s400/DSCN3753.JPG

[John Almberg]

Sometimes it pays to be lucky...

Last weekend, I sailed into the harbor in Southport, NC, straight into the middle of their 1st Annual Wooden Boat Show. Naturally, I stayed to participate!

Read blog post: Wooden Boat Show (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/10/southport-wooden-boat-show.html)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KWIIP1jb40Q/TLjxZV77odI/AAAAAAAADQE/8MP0hxpHMpo/s400/IMG_0040.JPG

[John Almberg]

As much as I have grown to appreciate the convenience, safety, and, yes, beauty of much of the ICW, I am looking forward to finally reaching the deep, open water of the Chesapeake.

However, my anticipation is not without an edge of anxiety. My last experience with open water was also the worst on this voyage -- a dreadful thrash across Albemarle Sound...

The Unlikely Boat Builder: A Dreadful Thrash (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/10/dreadful-thrash.html)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KWIIP1jb40Q/TMWNmsc9AsI/AAAAAAAADTk/WzMq6q-yVGo/s400/cachalot5.jpg

[John Almberg]

"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

I get it, Leo! What can you say about a fabulous cruising ground when every thing (including the wind) is going your way? Who wants to read about happy cruising? Well, I'll give it my best shot, but if Tolstoy couldn't handle it...

Complete Blog Post: The Chesapeake (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/10/chesapeake.html)

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[John Almberg]

There's an old English proverb that says "An yll wynde blowth no man to good".

Apparently, this was a bit gloomy for Sir Walter Scott, who completely reversed the proverb's meaning (and spelling) with his own version: "It's an ill wind that blaws naebody gude".

Stranded on an isolated river in southern New Jersey in early November by a very 'yll' wind indeed, I wondered which version of the proverb would prove true...

Read complete episode: An Yll Wynde (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/11/yll-wynde.html)

Fair Wyndes: John

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Walter_Scott_Waverley_illustration_%28Pettie-Huth%29.jpg/394px-Walter_Scott_Waverley_illustration_%28Pettie-Huth%29.jpg

[John Almberg]

In the end, getting down Delaware Bay was a matter of picking the right weather.

That's a phrase you read a lot in cruising guides: "Pick the right weather to cross ______". Fill in your favorite nasty stretch of open water.

But picking the right weather isn't so easy...

Complete blog post: Home Stretch (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2010/12/home-stretch.html)

Fair winds: John

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[John Almberg]

E.F. Knight's "Sailing" is one of my favorite sailing books. It's the book that John Walker consulted when, as a young lad, he had to sail the Goblin across the North Sea to Holland in a gale (in "We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea"), and it's probably the book Arthur Ransome learned to sail with.

Knight says the science of sailing is "practically infinite", and I agree -- particularly when it comes to weather. After many months of studying weather forecasts, and comparing them with the weather that actually showed up, all I can do is quote the ancient weather proverb: "Believe it when you see it."

Oh, and "Take it with a grain of salt."

Complete blog post: Going For It (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2011/01/going-for-it.html)

Fair Winds: John

[John Almberg]

At last! The final segment of "Cabin Boy's Big Adventure". Don't miss it!

When you reach the southern end of Governor's Island (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governors_Island), you have a choice of either the main channel to the west, or the Buttermilk Channel to the east. I chose the Buttermilk because it took me out of the main traffic and seemed a bit more protected from the northerly breeze.

Governor's Island got it's name when New York was a British colony. The island, being just a mile south of Manhattan, and close to the anchorage for the British fleet, was reserved for the use of the royal governor.

Even back then it was location, location, location...

Read complete blog post: East River Adventure (http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/2011/01/0830-just-passed-under-verrazano-narrow.html)

Fair tides: John

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/95/The_British_fleet_in_the_lower_bay_1876.jpg