Spinnaker Drill

The Can Opener and I made it out sailing again on a J80 this past weekend. I put him through demanding short-handed boat handling drills, spinnaker work and a mooring exercise. 

At the start of the chilled morning, I strategically positioned myself upon warm comfy sails lying below decks, a vantage point from which I could still maintain a clear view of the First Mate grunting and sweating in the cockpit.

The relaxing morning snooze was progressing quite well until the Can Opener’s first energetic spinnaker hoist… wherein he popped me like a champagne cork from my comfy spinnaker bag, up through the companionway and spreadeagled into the air above. 

Of course, I landed cat-like on the deck, my handsome fur spectacularly a-poof.

The First Mate apologised profusely – though the hysterical giggling and falling about led me to suspect the sincerity of his professed regret. 

He wasn’t so pleased with himself I can tell you, however, when he noticed the shredded spinnaker cloth immediately thereafter. He who laughs loudest… etc etc. 

Still. Two smoked oysters less for the Can Opener this week by my reckoning…

We will work on continued improvements to speed and agility in the upcoming year.

Have you ever managed your First Mate during spinnaker drills? How’d it go? Any suggestions on First Mate management and motivation? 

These are happily received. I become concerned regarding the Can Opener’s recent reduced deference and respect for his Liege.

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

The Cruising Kitty’s 6th Month Blogoversary!

Whew! We’ve made it through half a year, so… 

Happy 6th Month Blogoversary 

to  

The Cruising Kitty!

This is our 119th post and 6400+ viewers have dropped by to visit so far! More than 2000 in the last month alone.

This cat is on a roll!  

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener) 

Of All God’s Creatures

Of all God’s creatures there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the leash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat.

– Mark Twain Notebook, 1894

Just what I was saying to the Can Opener only last night.

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Quote of the Day

Previously: There’s More Than One Alternate Reality

Jimmy Cornell Speaks

What relevance does wine and cheese have to pilot charts? 

Well, if you’re at a presentation given by Jimmy Cornell on his most recently published work Cornell’s Ocean Atlas: Pilot Charts for All Oceans of the World, it’s a straight line, one-to-one relationship. Slideshow above, wine and cheese table right there below. 

And sure enough, they do go together very well indeed. 

Last night my First Mate and I wended our spritely way to the Cruising Association to listen to Jimmy speak and to test his charts-wine-and-cheese hypothesis. A big paws-up there. 

Here are the highlights of what he covered… 

Old pilot charts compiled a looooong time ago 
The old pilot charts are a wonderful tool for voyage planning – but they are based on data that was compiled by guys with names like Captain Cook and Lieutenant Bligh in the 1700s, 1800s, etc. Some of the data was on the ball… and some of it none too accurate.   

New data now available  
These days new weather, current, temperature and other climate-type info is being compiled by NASA, NOAA (we’d never heard of these guys either) and a bunch of other groups with really long names. They use satellites and giant computers to collect piles of useful data – data that is now in the public domain.

Not only is the data more accurately collected, but it is also more recent – thus reflecting the changing wind strengths, directions, hurricanes seasons etc. Did we mention the changing hurricane seasons? 

The basic premise 
Jimmy and his computer wizard son, Ivan, have created new pilot charts of the world using this new, more accurate, and more recent data and presented it in a useful way for cruisers planning their routes. And they published all this 

in their new Cornell’s Ocean Atlas.

As well, Jimmy pointed out…

The value of pilot charts

• voyage planning
• take advantage of prevailing winds, seasons and weather
• want to be in the right place at the right time

How to plan a route

• Plan your route by working backwards from where and when you would like your final destination to be.
• Take advantage of prevailing winds and favourable currents and you can get there faster than with a straight line route to your destination.
• For example: the Canary Islands via Cape Verde to the Caribbean is faster than sailing a line straight from the Canaries directly to the Caribbean. 
• Further, Cape Verde is also a good point to drop off unwanted crew…

Conclusion

This looks like an important resource. This only surprise is that no one has done this for cruisers earlier.

Ever been surprised at the closeness of an obstruction when using data from the old pilot charts? Or found the depth suddenly and unexpectedly shallow? 

What happened? And what did you do?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Cruising Lectures

Next: Sail Away Presentation

Previously: Chuck Paine Speaks

 

How to Sail Around the World – Book Review

Links below at bottom of post

Book the Captain just finished snoozing on… 

How to Sail Around the World: Advice and Ideas for Voyaging

Under Sail, by Hal Roth 

This is yet another classic in the required reading list. 

Very clearly written, tackling topics in extreme detail.
Hence very dense. It took me forever to get through it. 

It covers all the key topics I’ve seen before in other texts like this. And that’s a good thing because:

• it is good to hear the same topics described in different ways. Each time it all sinks in a little deeper into the old cat-sized genius cranium.
• it gives me hope that the number of cruising topics we need to cover is finite. Sometimes, the more I learn, the more I realise how much we don’t know yet. A bit overwhelming at times. Seeing the same basic topics coming up again and again in cruising how-to books gives me hope.

The key areas this book covers are:

• how to pick a yacht
• sails and sail management
• anchoring
• storm management
• life aboard (food care, dinghies, schooling, foreign paperwork…)

My favourite things in this book

• anchoring
• storm management – analysed with best practices for each level of storm force. Well explained and documented

1 thing I would have wished for? 
Hmm. Maybe a few more illustrative anecdotes. I had to push myself to get through a few sections that were really dense. 

But the excruciating detail is what I liked about it. It was challenging to power through at times though. 

Overall 

I’ll be coming back to this one and reading it again cover to cover. I’ll get more out if it next time after getting more sea miles in to give perspective. 

I bought this book because it’s consistently highly recommended. It did not disappoint. 

A+.

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener) 

Book Reviews

Previously: Maiden Voyage – Reviewed

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More Destination Dreamin’ of Spain

Crewing on the boat delivery from Spain to Greece… looks like it might really come through! 

That gives the Can Opener just a few short months to become bilingual. 

To ensure the deed is well done, I have filled an ipod with Spanish lessons culled from the CD that came with his textbook.  Then I attach this to his head while he is doing my dishes, ironing my cape and polishing my sceptre. 

I expect great results.

Meanwhile we are both so excited, we are doing some more destination dreamin’ of Spain!

 

 

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Destination Dreamin’
Next: La Dolce Vita

Previously: Spain – Destination Dreamin’

Sailing Strength Training

We’re pleased to report the Can Opener has faithfully been making it to the gym 4 times per week. We’re in a good holding pattern with this one. (Yeah, ‘we’ in the royal sense, buddy. I haven’t seen you pushing iron any time lately…)

We’re coming coming up to the 6 month mark in our Get Cruising Now Plan, so time to bump up the intensity and make sure my First Mate’s routine is really tailored to life aboard, targeting the muscles I need him to have. 

What’s in a good sailing strength training routine?
‘Include exercises that improve posture, balance, joint stability, abdominal and back muscles’, says Michael Blackburn, two-time World Champion and Olympian at Sports Training Blog*.

For keelboat sailors specifically, he recommends adding the following to a general workout*: 

• push ups on a Swiss ball (for chest, tricep and shoulder stability)
• bench pulls – lie on bench with a barbell underneath. Pull barbell to bench (for arms, shoulders and back muscles that pull ropes)
• reverse back extension – legs raised (to horizontal) and lowered (for back and hamstrings)
• bent leg raise – on your back on the floor, knees bent. Lift one leg off the floor, then the other (for abdominals)
• 3-way shoulder work – lie face down on a high bench, weights in each hand. Keep arms straight and swing them forward, out to the side, and then behind you – hands reach bench height at top of each rep (for large shoulder muscles that stabilize and move the arms)

Taking it to the next level 
1) The Can Opener’s regular general routine already includes the bent leg raise, 3-way shoulder work and pushups. But we can add a Swiss ball to the pushups. And we’re going to add the bench pulls and reverse back extensions too. 

2) I’ll be upping the Can Opener’s weights over the next few weeks.  

3) And for balance, I’ll be extending his cardio (interval training on treadmill) from 30 minutes to 40 minutes per session. 

That should do it. 

For now.

(I was going to object to the above on a number of principles – in particular, the not-ever-consulting-the-Can-Opener-first principle – but I happened to glance in the shower mirror earlier this morning. After following the Captain Cat regime these last 6 months… I look good! 

More exercise? Bring it on!) 

Any other suggestions for strength training exercises I can add to the Can Opener’s get-ready-to-sail workout routine? The bigger, the better. 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener) 

Life Aboard
Next: Fitness on Boats

Learn to Cruise
Next: Sea Miles

Previously: Why Get an RYA Yachtmaster Certification?

Useful Resources 

*Strength Training for Sailing at Sports Training Blog 

and 
RYA website, Sailing Fitness Section

Veterinary Wilderness/Offshore Course?

Fearful image from Captain Cat’s fevered imagination…

What other training do we need to get before we get cruising long term?…

 

We’ve been reading The Voyager’s Handbook and we’ve hit the medical section…  And Great Bastet! It looks like we’ve got to practically become wilderness doctors before we set sail. 

What’s more disturbing is that it’s recommended my First Mate learn how to give me an intraveneous drip in the event that I become dehydrated – what with all my fur and our destination being the tropics, and seasickness and all. 

Yikes! I do NOT like the sound of thatone bit. 

(It says I should learn buddy – not that it’s a required ‘do‘. On the other hand, knowing this remote possibility just might be in your future may well keep you doling out the smoked oysters a little more fairly than I’ve been seeing these recent past weeks…)    

Hm. Point taken… 

…So where on earth am I going to find an offshore wilderness veterinary/medical care course taught by a doctor/surgeon who also has offshore experience?

It’s hard enough to find one of those for humans.  

Off to troll sailnet for some inspiration…

Any suggestions on offshore wilderness veterinary/medical care courses would be gladly received.

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Update: Got some good answers on back from posting a question about offshore veterinary/medical care courses on Cruisers Forum.

Sailing Forum

What events are on at our beloved Red Tabby Yacht Club for 2012? 

I donned my cape and attractive feathery cap, spruced up the Can Opener and set off to find out. 

Sure enough, the ‘Sailing Forum’ last night was as advertised. A kind of info fair with knowledgeable club division captains touting the year’s upcoming key dates. We listened carefully for cruising events and filled in our calendar.

Mostly the activities divide into racing and cruising, with a sprinkling of motor enthusiasts bubbling around. And a bridge club. Hmm.

Here’s what we’re looking forward to this year…

• cruising rallies – mostly local, one in the Med
• umpteen fleet racing events
• team racing and
• a bunch of tasty-looking suppers cum meet-and-greet new crew events 

They seem to round every gathering off here with a trip to the food trough, and the grub after the sailing forum did not disappoint. 

We even made it home in time to catch a Jackie Chan movie on the late show. A great evening all round.

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

French, Spanish… and then some!

Just ordered even more great books for the sea library!

But these should be the last additions for a while. Lookin’ forward to more good snoozing ahead…

• Spanish for Cruisers: The Boater’s Complete Language Guide for Spanish-Speaking Destinations, by Kathy Parsons
• French for Cruisers: The Boater’s Complete Language Guide for French Waters, by Kathy Parsons
  

and

• Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere, by John Vigor
• Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat: A Guide to Essential Features, Handling, and Gear, by John Vigor

Book reviews coming soon! 

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Book reviews coming soon:

Spanish for Cruisers
French for Cruisers    
Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere

Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat

Languages

Previously: Study Sailing in French… and Spanish?