The Cape Dory Board

I think I may change my name--temporarily--to "John Vigor", then I can post some correct information, and try to ease the ignominy associated with this otherwise fine poster. Mitchell Bober Sunny Lancaster, (Where facts are PROPerly considered.) VA Dear Mitch: Do you know what ignominy me...

I quote from two authoritative sources: 1. Don Casey, one of the best-known experts on boat care and upgrading boats; and 2. BoatU.S. magazine, June/July 2011 issue: "It may seem counterintuitive, but the drag of a freewheeling prop is significantly more than that of one locked in position beca...

Laura Dekker, 15, sailing single-handed between the Galapagos and the Marquesas, covered 194 nautical miles in 24 hours a couple of days ago. That's an average of more than 8 knots.

John V.

...A backstay halyard would be sweet too, to fly a nice-sized ensign, if I could figure out how to rig it so it doesn't interfere with my rjoac ... Vat iss rjoac pliss? Meester Duncan, ees very complicate. Where ve are coming from, the "j" she is silent, like "p" in bath. Also, ...

Bob, I'm glad your Europa brushes gave you so much pleasure to use. One little tip though: if you clean them with acetone, you should soak them in kerosene or diesel fuel before putting them away in aluminum foil. The oil keeps the hairs soft and pliable, and without it the dried-out hairs will tend...

"Moment to trim 1 inch = 1400 foot pounds" Not sure what that means. John, I believe you measure fore or aft from the center of buoyancy. For example, if you place a 100-pound weight 14 feet aft of the CB, the stern will trim (sink) by 1 inch. And if you place a 200-pound weight 7 feet fo...

"Movement to trim 1 inch = 1400 foot pounds" Not sure what that means. John, I believe you measure fore or aft from the center of buoyancy. For example, if you place a 100-pound weight 14 feet aft of the CB, the stern will trim (sink) by 1 inch. And if you place a 200-pound weight 7 feet ...

Before they can dry out and seal themselves, squirt those little buggers with lemon juice or vinegar and they will throw their little hands up and surrender. They will hurl themselves off and fall in neat rows, ready to be swept up and returned to the water, there to seek refuge on some other poor s...

I, too, have used two smaller sailboats, one on either side, to lower and raise the mast on a C&C 28-footer I once owned. I sandwiched myself between a 20-footer and a 24-footer, lashed up tight so nobody could move, and they both used their main halyards, tied in loops under my spreaders, to wi...

I confess I was suckered by Mitch Bober's post about replacing his teak toe rails with slotted aluminum. What a wicked thing to do, to try to fool us trusting readers. Okay, I know April Fool's Day is supposed to be fun, but there are surely limits beyond which a decent person would not go. I shall ...

You may already have read this news agency report elsewhere, but just in case, I think all Cape Dory owners should be aware of it: Reuters: Oslo, Friday NORWAY is to be the first country to ban full-keel yachts in marinas. But other countries, including Britain and the USA, might not be far behind. ...

btw, when Eric Hiscock first put a (cantanerous) THREE (3!!) horsepower motor in his 38 foot sailboat, he thought he died and went to heaven. --Eric Hiscock's boat wasn't 38 feet long. Wanderer III was 30 feet long. -- The engine wasn't 3 hp. It was 4 hp. -- He didn't think he'd died and gone to he...

Many of us lived without GPS for many years before GPS was born. We survived. I guess we could do it again. Not that I want to, though, so I hope they get this sorted out before the worst happens.

Where is Loran-C when you really need it?

John V.

Larry,

Oh, I get it now. You just want everyone to admire your pretty bottom.

Okaaay . . .

John V.

It seems to me there are reasonable grounds for regarding the present modus operandi of the Somali pirates as terrorism. That being the case, why don't we simply take the pirates into custody and ship them off to Gitmo after sinking their vessels? Alternatively, we could hold the pirates hostage and...