The Cape Dory Board

Shockles are secured to dock lines either by means of clove hitches or by means of proprietary Dyneema "Line Grabbers" at each end. I'm suspicious that clove hitches, bent around the very tight radius of the carabiners, would significantly weaken the line, so the line grabbers seem to have...

What do the sages have to say about shock absorbers, "Shockles" and such?

The sharp sound of a bell is said to penetrate fog like nothing else can. True? I dunno. But very yachty!

Check the cover where the mast penetrates it. My tailored cover leaks a bit there, despite tight wraps and tape. Over time quite a bit of water can sneak in!

A little background on the Coney Island Creek submarine, please! Every anchorage should have a sunken submarine, but alas, mine doesn't.

Kenneth Grahame summed up the boating life pretty well, didn't he. Nobody has done it better, or more economically, I think!

We sailors think of ourselves as hardy, independent, self-sufficient. And, mostly, we are. But ask yourself: do you ever visit a dock for fuel or a pump out? Or a block of ice? Do you ever need a tow?

Well there's some positive thinking! I'll just run that by the DNR (Maryland Dept of Natural Resources (marine police))!

In 2016 Yankee remained on the hard all year while I recovered from a bad car crash that had left me something less than an "able-bodied" sailor. Boat US insurance adjusted my rates to reflect reduced exposure. I'm afraid I'll be going there again this year, for quite a different reason. M...

I fervently hope you're right, Carl! But friends of ours in the world of academic medicine here in Philly think otherwise and strongly advise hunkering down for quite a while. One thing we DIY boat owners can do is to donate any supplies we have of N95 masks to our nearest hospitals. The systemic sh...

Another vote for Off Center Harbor! Though Yankee's a plastic boat, I often think she has the soul of a traditional wooden craft, without many of the headaches -- particularly when I'm working on her teak. OCH articulates many of the values I think most Cape Dorians hold dear and that's what counts!...

Yankee's also still on the hard with her snug winter cover zipped up tight. As the implications of the pandemic become clear, with any near-term improvements less and less likely, I'm reluctantly considering skipping the 2020 sailing season altogether. Not a happy thought. Though day sailing and cru...

Needs lots more twine.

Recommend "Shipshape Canvas" in Duluth. Good quality, reasonable pricing (compared to east coast vendors).

The load on those bolts is petty large and it needs to be transferred into the deck or the hull or whatever it is we're looking at. The way to do that - the only safe way, I think - is to build up a pad of fiberglass or marine plywood / epoxy that's firmly bonded to the substrate and that's at right...