When in Doubt – Whack It!
Every project deserves a new tool. It’s part of the guy credo. That tool can be a 20-ton sheet metal press or a new carpenter’s pencil. It doesn’t matter, it’s all about the tool. Given that the definition of cruising …
Category: Learnin’ and Doin’
The Caine Mutiny
Position: 25°14’00.7″N 78°30’17.5″W Humphrey Bogart, as Lieutenant Commander Queeg, sits in the dock. A bead of sweat crosses his upper lip as he stares down his nemesis Lieutenant Barney Greenwald, played by José Ferrer, in the climatic courtroom scenes of …
Monkey Business
Okay – so some folks asked about signing up for Aleta.Life updates. In the old days we’d have mimeographed a bunch of pages and sent them in an envelope with a stamp from some exotic location. The stamp might have …
Winter Has Come to Charleston
Position: 32°47’08.0″N 79°54’23.9″W Locals tell us that they’ve never seen weather like this in more than 20 years. Yeah, Charleston gets a few flakes once in a while, but they never stick around. (Just like those flaky tourists on cruise …
How to Find Aleta
Several people, well at least one, have asked, “How can I track you?” Unlike most things boaty, the answer is simpler than it might be with other endeavors. Knowing where ships are in all weathers and conditions and to avoid …
Aleta Takes a Walk
“Aleta’s gone!”, Carol suddenly cried out. “What do you mean, gone?” “Look – at my Navionics – she’s dragged her anchor and – gone! Oh, my god!” We’d gotten in the habit of turning the Navionics charting app on our …
Trial and Error
What is it about learning? Some get it out of the way quickly, others spend a lifetime figuring things out. The question that’s always rattled around in my mind is who gets bored more easily – the educated or the …
Video: Hampton Roads or Thereabouts
In this video update we awake early and enjoy the sunrise and that special feeling when you raise the anchor before brushing your teeth. We head south to Norfolk, Virginia, and one of the busiest stretches of water in the …