blurocketsmate

There's even a ship named after him: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Johnson_(ship) If you sail in SoCal you might have seen her.

No, it was Al Gore, like he told us.

My tiny tsunami experience: When Fukushima hit I was living in a Newport Beach condo overlooking the Lido Isle bridge. There's no current there that I've ever noticed. IIRC, the tide went up and down 3 times at 20-30 min intervals, 1-2' each time. I could see and hear the water rushing around the pylons. I watched some folks floating in inner tubes go swishing under, one way then the other, at a fast walking pace -- 2-3kt? Before it hit, some big party boats were backed out of their slips, to prevent damage. Surge wasn't noticeable, but that weird current sure was.

Besides Sunbrella, Outdura and Tempotest are great too -- more colors, patterns and textures to suit your taste. If you want cheap, check out the Charisma chenille from Bartson (distributor). It comes in dozens of colors and patterns, is comfortable, super-tough, nothing sticks to it, and I've never seen a faded example. It comes from India, and the closer to the source, the cheaper it gets. It's usually all over eBay. Reticulated foam is great for cockpit cushions, but overkill for interiors, unless your boat gets super wet all the time.

I watch MJ and Uma too. I'm amazed at what both have done. Both couples seem too smart to have bothered! Great results though. I'm eager to see MJ's new cat they're now building.

Most people are on some kind of a budget, at every level.

^^^ Indeed they do, but the dedicated units get better reception and have fewer errors. To compensate, phones check their satellite fixes against cell towers. This works but not completely. Phones have been getting better, but I can still see the errors vs. dedicated GPS. Bike computer errors for sure. Maybe that's not fair because they read straight from the wheel, which is dead accurate for speed and distance. But tracks more than 20' off with my phone, vs. dead-on from Garmins and Wahoos? Same thing with iNavX on my phone, vs. the Garmin plotter on my friend's boat. iPhone 8, so a pretty good GPS. Besides tracks, instantaneous speed seems more accurate on the Garmin. I'm curious about this stuff, so run it side by side. I always have. So, I'd use a phone or tablet all the time, but I'd still want a dedicated GPS for backup. Besides reliability, they're more rugged and waterproof. Phones are pretty waterproof too (IP67), but get dropped and crack, and leak, or just fail. Who hasn't had that happen? I looked up the Garmin GPSMAP 78. I was surprised to see it still takes AA batteries. I understand field replaceability, but I'd rather have a lithium battery, like a phone, for longer battery life, and USB power vs. 12V. Most of us are better set up for USB now, with outlets everywhere. And 16h battery life doesn't seem so good vs. a modern phone. But if a phone was all I had, I'd still go sailing! And without much worry.

For value it's hard to beat a tablet w/ waterproof case. Your phone can be a backup for that, with the same software. I like having a handheld Garmin aboard too, w/ paper charts for ultimate backup. If you're away from cell towers, you may need the Garmin for an accurate fix. I haven't used the latest Garmin handhelds. How long does the battery last? It would be interesting to compare all of these for power use. On a small boat with a small power system they can add up significantly.

Can we dance with your dates?

If you're on a tight budget, check your local pawn shop. Ours usually have several trolling motors, for like $75.

^^^ I knew that about Farr but had no idea it was that much -- 40%? With one boat I crewed on, we had to rake the mast forward to get it to balance. After that it was much faster upwind, without all that rudder drag. I always assumed the rake on old schooners was to use mast weight to tension the rig fore-aft, against the jib stays.

Assuming you can do everything to handle your boat OK, it's not about physical ability but judgment. Crossing some of those inlets in FL and GA is not to be trifled with, but no amount of physical ability will make up for going when you shouldn't have. In case you haven't noticed, most cruisers are well advanced in age, and seem to do OK. If you can drive your boat while tossing a line to a dockhand, you're probably OK too.

Excellent - congrats! Beautiful color and everything.

^^^ Somebody had to:

I borrowed a riding sail that was basically a small storm jib, flown backward on one of our twin backstays, sheeted forward to the rail. So it was asymmetric a couple of ways. It worked fine, but we still didn't feel the need to buy one. Stern anchoring does work fine. But small waves slapping under the stern counter all night will drive you nuts, especially with an aft cabin. I've tried bridles a few times and never found them worth the effort. As noted above, they work until the wind drops or conditions otherwise change. Then you're back to square one, likely in the middle of the night. Feel free to try it all anyway, as it may work for you.