The Philosophy Behind Sailing Simply and Cheaply

[haiqu]

Originally Posted by charliehows

Over the last 30 years I've never failed to get a kick out of sailing under a harbour bridge (Auckland and Sydney) in rush hour and thinking "i cant believe i'm getting away with this". The feeling of living in a busy city but having stepped sideways into a completely different dimension is great.

Yeah, I call it "being at 90 degrees to reality." It's awesome.

[Gelfling]

Originally Posted by haiqu

Yeah, I call it "being at 90 degrees to reality." It's awesome.

Stear to 90 degrees then? I have been trying to figure out how to get there!

[mbianka]

Originally Posted by callmecrazy

There are other copies for much more reasonable prices.

I have a paper back in excellent condition I'd be happy to sell for $60

Ha! Read that book Sensible Cruising a number of years ago for free! Borrowed it from my local library and then returned it. The ultimate recycle! You all can kiss my green butt!

[mbianka]

Originally Posted by charliehows

Over the last 30 years I've never failed to get a kick out of sailing under a harbour bridge (Auckland and Sydney) in rush hour and thinking "i cant believe i'm getting away with this". The feeling of living in a busy city but having stepped sideways into a completely different dimension is great.

When I sail to New York I sometimes anchor in Little Bay right next the the Throgs Neck Bridge to wait for the favoring current down the East River. It's one of the main traffic thoroughfares between New York City and New England. I do get a kick listening to the traffic reports while staring up at the bridge to see if they are accurate.
When I was a young boy I can remember going on vacations by car with my parents crossing that same bridge and seeing a boat anchored in that same small bay I anchor in now. I wondered why that boat was there, who was on it, where did the come from and where are they going. Today my boat and I may be inspiring those same questions from some other child as they cross over that same bridge. Kind of neat to think about as I have my coffee in the cockpit.

[s/v Beth]

Your a good man Capt. Mike. Most green sensible cruising is by common sense. But if books on them really bring 60 a copy I might just have to write one Ha!

[mbianka]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

Your a good man Capt. Mike. Most green sensible cruising is by common sense. But if books on them really bring 60 a copy I might just have to write one Ha!

Newt:

Well for me being green is also about keeping money in the wallet too when I can. As far as that $60 book for sale. I think that train has already left the station. Thanks to technology the days of making money with out of print books will soon be over. Thanks to E-Book publishing, books will never go out of print. The good news thanks to E readers we can carry a lot more of them on board without sinking the boat. I heard a report that E-books have surpassed sales of print books already.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by mbianka

I heard a report that E-books have surpassed sales of print books already.

Yea.

Have you noticed that the cost of e-books has gone up too? Not near "the deal" they were a couple of years ago.

When it is not actually in print but only "e" what are ya gonna do?

Yer gonna PAY!

[mbianka]

Originally Posted by Therapy

Yea.

Have you noticed that the cost of e-books has gone up too? Not near "the deal" they were a couple of years ago.

When it is not actually in print but only "e" what are ya gonna do?

Yer gonna PAY!

I won't disagree with you about the price of e-books going up as the publishing companies start to get a little greedy. But, screw them! I have more free e-books on my Kindle than ones I paid for. Yes, they are much older books but, I'm finding them delightful reads and many are free or very cheap to download.
THE BIANKA LOG BLOG: ON CAPTAIN MIKE'S KINDLE: Within the Tides by Joesph Conrad
Also publishing houses no longer have the power they once had. Authors can now direct publish e-books very easily and charge much less than books from the major publishing houses.
Another thing is my local library also allows me to download e-books from their collection (and also the county cooperative system) for two week check outs. I can do that from anywhere in the world where I have an Internet connection. These are the new releases too! Love that e-book technology!

[mausgras]

Originally Posted by mbianka

Newt:

Well for me being green is also about keeping money in the wallet too when I can. As far as that $60 book for sale. I think that train has already left the station. Thanks to technology the days of making money with out of print books will soon be over. Thanks to E-Book publishing, books will never go out of print. The good news thanks to E readers we can carry a lot more of them on board without sinking the boat. I heard a report that E-books have surpassed sales of print books already.

Hi mbianka, but of course, don't forget the "bad news" thanks to ePublishing.

It is little understood that when you "buy" an ebook all you are really buying is the right to display it on one of more of your machines that are registered to your account. If another friend or family member wants to read it they have to use your machine. You cannot lend it to anyone else or borrow it from anyone without also giving them your kindle/tablet/computer or whatever.

When the technology changes then your license lapses. Who is game enough to predict what we will be reading our elibrary on in five, ten or twenty years. Under current licenses we will have to repurchase the ebook every time the technology changes. How many people out there are still using a Commodore or an Apple II? (How many even remember these machines)

With real books we were able to borrow from public libraries those we wanted to only read once or make a quick reference. With real books some became collectors items which we passed on to our children. I have precious books that are over a hundred years old that originally belonged to my grandparents. Do you think your Kindle will still be working then??

And finally when we were finished with an entertainment but not collectable book I could sell it at a second hand shop and get some more. As a student I would buy second hand textbooks whenever I could because they were cheaper. You cannot do that with an ebook.

The ebook may not be polluting and green but the old obsolete reader certainly is with all its plastic and heavy metals in its circuit when it is manufactured and finally thrown on the rubbish heap.

Yes, there are some conveniences in the use of ebooks and reader technology. That is why I am steadily building up my own ebook library. But there is a clear and definite downside as well. I suspect the book publishers are rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of ebooks dominating the market.

Copyright laws are the real problem. They have not kept up with the technology. We have to find a new way to reward authors for their intellectual contribution and to protect them against piracy, allow publishers a fair percentage for their distribution and promotion costs and still quarantee the purchaser ownership rights to the product.

So I have to disagree with you if you think ebooks are all that "green" or the next best thing to sliced bread.

[jmcdboater]

Originally Posted by four winds

I have a paperback copy on the shelf next to me. Came with the boat.

Read a few pages and didn't enjoy it.


PM me your address Raku, if you like and I'll mail it to you, no charge.

Greg

That's a very kind gesture, Four Winds. Random acts of kindness make us all happier blokes!

[resilientg]

Another example of doing things cheaply, or the artful scrounge of the master scrounger.

Just bought a katadyn power survivor 35 that didn't work for the sum of $50.

spent 2 hours disassembling the unit and the electric motor, cost me one bit of oil for the gear box and one old chip packet to make a new gasket, small scrap of sand paper to clean the rotor and bushes and i now have a fully functional working water maker.

please disregard my gloating, hahahaha gloat gloat.

oh also got about 70 meters or anchor rode for another $20 too

cheap things are out there, you just gotta find em and be able to fix em

Matthew

[jmcdboater]

Cheap, Cheap, Cheap!! My Dad was the original Scrooge..... I don't remember ever having a Professional come to our house to look or repair anything!! I'm not exaggerating, either. A couple of thoughts...I learned Soooo much from him about home maintenance, talk about saving tons of money! And then the satisfaction that comes from looking at a project you completed on your own! But my Dad actually condemned himself, we lived in an old house(150 yrs) in southeastern Penna ( Amish country!) on the Reading Fault. That is an archeological point of reference, high in radon. Radon is a radioactive gas that emanates from the earth, obviously greatest through faulths. Anyway, he lived 45 years in this home, which had open spots and lots of cracks in the concrete floor, and he spent a LOT of time in the basement, all of which are classic signs of cancer caused by radon. My Dad developed lung cancer (never smoked), which spread to his bones, and he died an awful death, because he spent so much time in the basement. Any way, waste not, want not!

[Inquisitive]

Any thoughts on cheap heating ideas?

[GaryMayo]

Originally Posted by Inquisitive

Any thoughts on cheap heating ideas?

My sailboat had a wood burning stove. Can't get any cheaper than cutting your own firewood. It also burned charcoal. Removed it in favor of a 110 volt freezer refrigerator.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by GaryMayo

My sailboat had a wood burning stove. Can't get any cheaper than cutting your own firewood. It also burned charcoal. Removed it in favor of a 110 volt freezer refrigerator.

Hmm, .. how much firewood can you store on a boat?

I'd say diesel is the simplest, and assuming you already have a diesel engine, it doesn't require carrying a second type of fuel.