Phyllis and I will be taking two to three weeks off from publishing new articles.
First because we are going recreational vehicle (camper) camping with my daughter and her family. Very exciting since it’s the first time we have seen them since before the start of the pandemic.
And then, while we are away, the replacement mast for our new-to-us J/109 is supposed to get delivered, so as soon as we return from camping we will dive into commissioning the boat to get at least a couple of weeks sailing before laying up for the winter.
Also, this is our first vacation from publishing in over two years, so about time to take a break to recharge the creativity, if nothing else.
Coming Soon
And, talking of which, we have lots of interesting stuff perking for when we get fully back to work in November, including:
- I think, after much thought, I’m finally ready to tackle the difficult subject of docking in current. No, I can’t make that fraught task easy, but I can, I think, make it easier.
- Lots more stuff arising from the work we have been and will be doing on the new AAC test boat (AKA J/109) to turn her into a fast cruiser, including a complete redesign of the 12-volt electrical system.
- A report on a great tool, together with a source of clear and succinct information, to keep our boats safe from stray current and galvanic corrosion—often (and mostly incorrectly) known as electrolysis. This will be particularly useful to those of us “blessed” by the marine industry with a saildrive.
- A good solution, thanks to a smart member, to the rusty Spade anchor problem.
- Colin will, all going well, be visiting the Boréal yard in France to sail the new 47 Mk2 boat and will be reporting on that.
- Andy Schell is writing an article for us, too. I have seen a first draft and it’s great with a lot of good lessons shared, but I will leave the subject as a surprise.
- More on things we learned selling one boat and buying another, including how little the marine industry cares about owners (with a few shining exceptions), and what we can do to protect ourselves from the worst of the resulting depredations.
We have never done the RV thing before, and I’m not at all sure it will be “our thing” (this trip is about safe-in-Covid family-fun) but if we learn anything useful we will share that, too, since many cruisers are also RVers, either mixed with cruising or after.
We also have a whole slew of incremental improvements to the site planned for the winter, to further enhance the redesign work we did over the last two winters, including the tricky task of increasing the visibility of the Adventure 40 at AAC without distracting from our core mission or slowing the site down.
Support and Comments Still Happening
During this period I will be available in the comments, but sporadically, and it may take a little longer to get support from us if you have a problem with your membership but, rest assured, you will get an answer.
Enjoy your holiday, John and Phyllis! It’s well deseved!
Future article: how the RV industry/products/design is/are better or worse than their marine counterparts… 🙂
Enjoy your well deserved break!
Hi Jamie,
Yes, might do that or at least something like it. One thing I will say for RVs after three days: they are way easier to anchor.
If you thought the marine industry was bad, try the RV industry!
Seriously…. 90-95% of the RVs in North America come from Elkhart County, Indiana. The entire supply chain for the whole industry is concentrated in that one city. They’re all chasing the same low-wage labour pool and can’t afford to bring in good people from elsewhere. With the surge in RV sales the last few years, I’ve been told by a few industry insiders that *everyone* has cut their quality standards and inspections to the bone, for the sake of meeting demand, and that 2019-2021 (and probably beyond) RVs are almost universally riddled with assembly defects. RV dealers are complaining that their ethics are stretched trying to fix up and move factory-fresh vehicles, and when you consider the expected ethical framework of an RV dealer, that’ll make the scope of the problem clear!
That said, we have met a number of folks in our travels who sail for half the year, and then go RVing in the other half, with their at-home business compressed into the transition months. It seems to suit them well.
Sounds like a wonderful time. Enjoy.
Ralph
Have a great time with your family!
“Docking in current (with wind and cramped spacing)”, I can’t wait for that page to drop! I actually searched for it 2 weeks ago and came up short on the site. The wind sections helped immensely (a real big help, thank you) so we’ll just have to fake it till we read the article on how to handle tide.
Hi Carl,
I have it about half written, so should happen relatively soon.
Just as w/boating be sure to understand the parameters of your auto routing apps. Waze and similar services assume a normal car without regard to height clearances and weight limits that may be important for your RV.
Hi all,
I spend 3-4 months a year on a small (25 foot) RV towing a small car that allows us to get to trail heads. RVs are wonderful in that they allow you to be close (or in) wonderful places and have your own pillow at night and your own mug of tea in the morning. And the US and CA have a tremendous amount to offer to those willing to travel.
As Matt correctly reported, all are built to price and most are not built to standards that would even come close to a boat that one would want to go offshore in. I had to forgo having a “home” I was proud to own when I bought an RV, something I enjoy with my boat.
That said, most do the job, and most do it fairly well.
And it is far more relaxing when you get your feet under you. There is not, what I call, the low grade, but relentless risk assessment and attendant anxiety that comes with wandering widely by boat. As said, anchoring is easy and if things really get ornery, pull over on the side of the road.
Having a home that moves is a blessing when you are commissioning your boat. We have yet to have a land base, but lived aboard our RV for 2 months while putting Alchemy back together after her truck trip from Newfoundland to the mid-west and dealing with issues from having a boat and her systems sitting outside for almost 2 years.
My best to all and 3 cheers for a nomadic life, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy