Reminder to Self

[cap-couillon]

Picked up a whole box of free goodies the other day, and one of them I hadn't seen in a while. Nested in amongst the other treasures was a 1934 copy of Capt Slocum's Sailing Alone Around the World.

I can't imagine that there is a member of SailFar that has not read this book, but for me it has served as a great (and timely) reminder of how (and why) it's done.  Been wondering how on earth I am going to get off the dock and head out in 2 or 3 weeks when I am no where near ready. Then I read this passage early on in the book.

"For a boat to take along, I made shift to cut a castaway dory in two
athwartships, boarding up the end where it was cut. This half-dory I
could hoist in and out by the nose easily enough, by hooking the
throat-halyards into a strop fitted for the purpose. A whole dory
would be heavy and awkward to handle alone. Manifestly there was not
room on deck for more than the half of a boat, which, after all, was
better than no boat at all, and was large enough for one man. I
perceived, moreover, that the newly arranged craft would answer for a
washing-machine when placed athwartships, and also for a bath-tub.
Indeed, for the former office my razeed dory gained such a reputation
on the voyage that my washerwoman at Samoa would not take no for an
answer. She could see with one eye that it was a new invention which
beat any Yankee notion ever brought by missionaries to the islands,
and she had to have it.

The want of a chronometer for the voyage was all that now worried me.
In our newfangled notions of navigation it is supposed that a mariner
cannot find his way without one; and I had myself drifted into this
way of thinking. My old chronometer, a good one, had been long in
disuse. It would cost fifteen dollars to clean and rate it. Fifteen
dollars! For sufficient reasons I left that timepiece at home, where
the Dutchman left his anchor. I had the great lantern, and a lady in
Boston sent me the price of a large two-burner cabin lamp, which
lighted the cabin at night, and by some small contriving served for a
stove through the day. Being thus refitted I was once more ready for sea,
and on May 7 again made sail."

"At Briar's Island I overhauled the _Spray_ once more and tried her
seams, but found that even the test of the sou'west rip had started
nothing. Bad weather and much head wind prevailing outside, I was in
no hurry to round Cape Sable. I made a short excursion with some
friends to St. Mary's Bay, an old cruising-ground, and back to the
island. Then I sailed, putting into Yarmouth the following day on
account of fog and head wind. I spent some days pleasantly enough in
Yarmouth, took in some butter for the voyage, also a barrel of
potatoes, filled six barrels of water, and stowed all under deck. At
Yarmouth, too, I got my famous tin clock, the only timepiece I carried
on the whole voyage. The price of it was a dollar and a half, but on
account of the face being smashed the merchant let me have it for a
dollar"

For me, it's time to leave these latitudes before the nor'easters blow. What I don't have. I will acquire elsewhere, or do without.

If you haven't read it, or if you need a refresher on sailing simple, the book is available for free at
Project Gutenberg for download, or to read online.

[Frank]

That IS a classic....right down to "thumb tacks" on deck as security.

[CharlieJ]

I have that book, only it's bound into a "trilogy" of cruising tales called "Great Voyages in Small Boats". Published in 1976.

Books included are

John Guzzwell, "Trekka Round the World" Trekka was a 20.5 foot self built boat.  Book published 1963.

Vito Dumas, "Alone through the Roaring Forties" Aboard Lehg II. Dumas was an Argentinian sailor. Book published in 1960.

And of course-

Josh Slocum, "Sailing Alone Around the World" Aboard Spray, originally published 1899.

I admire them, but i don't want to EMULATE them :D I'll stick to one and two day offshore passages and coastal cruising, thank you