Flotsam and Jetsam
Odds and ends and letters...
Reader Daniel Patterson on the recent Ballasting article: “Seems odd to post an article about ballast without any mention of a very versatile (if not terribly heavy) option: water! Used to great success in lots of boats, including one bearing the name of this magazine.”
Reader Jim smith on our Install a Drain Plug article: “I love hearing all the nautical ideas that come from Small Craft Advisor, and I agree with almost everything the wise sailors send me. However, when it comes to drilling a hole in my hull, I do take exception. I have found that a 1-inch hole in the bottom of my boat takes a long time to drain the water. I much prefer a cut up Clorox bottle or my manual pump because it is faster. I won’t even go into the number of times I have launched my boat and forgot to install the drain plug.”
Reader John Larkin added yet another way to move a small boat to those discussed on our article Moving Your Boat Around By Hand. “I figured out a super simple way to get my boats across a gravelly yard and up a set of wooden stairs that had me stumped. I just got some old carpet from the floor supply place and cut it into three pieces about three feet by 10 ft long. I lay those down in a row and drag the boat along them till I get to the end and then take the last one and pull it around to the front and start over again. Cost is exactly $0 and it works really well.”
Author and regular contributor, Ida Little took us up on our request for a photo of a recent cruising spot. She writes: “It’s been a great summer for sailing up here.
This photo shows Bill and myself sailing with Wings Neck Light in the background.”
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I was a young newlywed when my wife and I bought a brand new Alberg Typhoon. It was one of the sweetest sailing boats I've ever owned. Whenever I see photos like Ida Little's, I cannot help smiling at the memory.
At age 77, I'm still out on Narragansett Bay on my Chesapeake Light Craft Peeler Skiff as often as I can.