Below is from SailingAnarchy.com - warning if you go here: forums are nsfw and/or children. I’m actually surprised their mainstream advertisers want to be associated with a site that borders on porn quite a bit of the time. But hey, go where the numbers are I guess.

The Pretenders

2008 saw a recent spate of new sailing websites and services that sent us on a little research trip around the interwebs to check on the ’state of the net,’ and we walked away shaking our heads.  A tiny handful of sites offer something useful or at least creative, but the vast, vast majority of the sailing internet just flat-out blows.  Every site on the World Wide Sailing Web falls into the following categories:

The Wannabes: These sites almost invariably are associated with one or more dying print publications, and their sites are ripoffs of every mainstream news site. They feature massively busy layouts, an overload of poorly written, totally outdated information, and an assault of blinking, flickering ads that moronic companies are suckered into paying thousands of dollars for. They all claim something like “wow, we’re interactive!” despite the fact that the only people interacting are the people on the payroll. Examples: Sail Magazine, Cruising World, Sailing World, Yachting Monthly

The Pretenders:Unable to come up with anything even remotely creative, these sites are unabashed ripoffs of the style and formula that has made SA such a success. They feature an SA-style ‘front page’, but the great stories and original content from a vibrant community are replaced by laughable crap and press releases disguised as real news. These lazy assholes are too arrogant to realize the huge amount of work it takes to publish great content day-in and day-out, and none has the kind of community that can make it happen. Some have even tried their own blatant ripoffs of On-The-Water Anarchy – only to find that all they end up with is the same old boring shit that Gary Jobson has been producing for years. They usually attempt some kind of forum (never realizing that no one wants to watch two guys giving each other verbal handjobs) and classified ads (not understanding that no one can sell a boat when there is no audience.) Examples: SailGroove, XS Racing, Sailmonster, Offshore Rules.

The New Media:Despite their claims of EXTREMEness and interactivity, these sites all do the same thing: They index sailing videos, playing them in some kind of proprietary video player. Some produce their own content, but most rely on a combination of self-produced videos and whatever crap they can take from real producers, slapping their own idiotic logo on it before posting it to their own player. There’s some decent video out there, but if the action is good, chances are the narration or soundtrack blows, or it’s in Norwegian. These sites serve a purpose and we’re not saying they all suck – just most of them. You’ll still get more good videos and links from the SA forums than you will on any of these sites – but we’re working with a few of them, so all is not lost. Examples: Sailingnetworks, T2P, The Sailing Channel, Sailrev.

The Blogosphuck: From the pathetic to the ultra-useful, there are probably thousands of interesting and uninteresting blogs out there full of information, photos, videos, and more. It would take a lifetime to weed through the manure to get to the gems, so save yourself some time and read SA – the forums and front page link all the good ones.

The Biz: These are single-event/organization/industry sites, and they run the gamut from hilarious to worthless. They offer a million different methods to say the same thing: “Come look at what we have for you.” If more web geeks would remember that simple fact, there wouldn’t be so many shitty corporate/organizational sites.

The Ignorant Dead:These sites once were something special. They started with good ideas, produced interesting content and grew, and then squandered everything by resisting change, being cheap as hell, run by dummies, or cashing out. Examples: Sailnet, Scuttlebutt

The Focused:These sites focus on doing one thing, and doing it well. They are usually simple, clear, and have many returning viewers. Example: The Daily Sail, SailX, Predict Wind, Sailflow.

Sailing Anarchy: More good shit than all of the above. Combined.

Have trailer, will sail.

My wife and I bought our boat, Lola, about 3 1/2 years ago. Lola is a 1979 Oday 25, and for a boat of this vintage, she is in great shape. We were looking for a sailboat, on a trailer, that we could take with us to exotic locations. This part was just a bonus, we were actually looking to save the 300 dollars a month slip fee. In our search for the perfect boat, we looked at several. We looked at an Oday 23, several MacGregors and a Catalina 22.

When we went to look at Lola for the first time, she spoke to us. She has near standing headroom,  berths for the 4 of us, and ample storage for all the things that we can’t live without. Prior to buying the boat, our family had been tent campers. So we are quite used to sparse living arrangements. The transition to a “luxurious” sailboat was easy for Kaye, the kids and I.

We keep Lola on her trailer, and are fortunate that our boat yard allows us to keep it in the lot with the mast up. Our boat yard in Apollo Beach, is very convenient, and is very boater friendly in the fact that we can work on our boats on the premises. They allow us to keep her in a slip overnight when we are sailing again the next day, or are just too tired to take her out.

I’m passionate about sailing and lucky that my wife is as passionate or perhaps even more passionate than me. Check back often as I will contribute to the site on an regular basis, and attempt to pass on some nuggets of information that you might be able to use in your trailer sailing experiences.

Discuss trailer sailing and more with RossinTampa in the forums.

After a little research, asking others on the Sailmonster forum, I think this boat is a Cheoy Lee. It has some amazing detail and woodwork and certainly has beautiful lines. I can’t understand how she became so neglected. I also can’t understand my fascination with her. It must be the “ghost ship” abandoned appearance, the mystery of an empty vessel - like divers on an eerie wreck lying on the bottom. It seems whenever I’m out in the bay I can’t resist sailing by her. Like she needs company.

China Cloud has no numbers, no registration sticker and no dignity. Now, the companionway hatches are open, a month or so ago they were not. Since then, there’s been quite a bit of rain. Curious explorers have violated her - left her open to the elements, I’m sure the scavengers will be next. It will be tough to watch her be picked apart, then finally hauled away by whatever state agency is responsible for the disposal. It’s hard to imagine not long ago this boat was somebody’s, or some couple’s pride-and-joy. Maybe a retirement vessel to live a dream of cruising the bahamas, live out the remaining years of a hard-worked life, or a young person’s means to discover far-off horizons.

I guess no boat lasts forever - thousands have come and gone, but you don’t actually see them “go” that often, especially those that you are connected to. That’s the problem with naming a boat or calling it “her”, now she has a life like the rest of us. And like the rest of us, has staked out an existence in this little blue planet. I don’t have the kind of resources it would take to bring China Cloud back from the brink - and even though it’s sad, it inspires me to take care of my own boat. I’ll cherish Mariola just a little bit more, and get started on that brightwork.

UPDATE DEC. 17th: A reader/friend of mine, Ross from Sailmonster read this post and recognized the boat. He knew China Cloud had been in Tierra Verde Marina for quite awhile and contacted them. They gave him the information of the owner, who he then called. The owner had just bought the boat at auction and moved it to Boca Ciega Bay with the intent of fixing it up and making it his dream boat. It is not supposed to be open to the elements and somebody is headed out to make it right. There appears to be hope for this old gal yet. Maybe the owner will contact us with updates on her progress. The Pyratsail crew will do our best to keep an eye on her anytime we’re on the water.

Here’s some video of her from this Sunday. On the second pass we spotted the cooler, thought maybe somebody was aboard. Could have been left by whoever left her open, who knows.

More valuable than a Rolex.

I think some sailors are under the impression that dried beans have to be soaked a day ahead of their use, and that they take a long time to cook, and what sailor wants to fool with that? The good news is that beans don’t have to be soaked overnight, and they can be ready to eat in little more than 15-20 minutes if cooked in a pressure cooker. Or if the beans are to be used as an ingredient in a cooked dish, they can be prepared by simply boiling them in water or broth for 5 minutes or so, covered and allowed to sit for a hour. Now they can be used as called for in the recipe.

But maybe it’s the issue of taste that keeps dried beans so low on the sailor’s shopping list. If beans are not prepared right they can be tough and tasteless. Maybe the answer lies in learning a little bit more about how to turn these hearty and nutritious legumes into palate pleasers. Did you know that pound for pound beans have more energy and nutritional value than just about any other food? And they’re loaded with complex carbohydrates including sugar.

When those cold, nasty ‘northers begin to blow this winter and you’re beating across the Stream in steep seas, a bowl of hot bean soup will be worth more to you than a new Rolex watch. There are few rules to preparing bean dishes, but they must be followed religiously to be successful: (1) never add salt to a bean dish until the cooking is almost done, or the beans will turn out tough; (2) if you boil beans their skins may burst, so it’s better to simmer them over low heat; (3) always keep the beans covered in water while cooking them, and improve the flavor by cooking them in a broth or bouillon water, or with a chunk of salt pork; (4) after cooking, allow the beans to sit for an hour to cool before serving. Finally, there are many different kinds of beans, and it’s important to match up the right kind of bean to the dish you’re preparing. I explain all of that in my cookbook, Gourmet Underway – A Sailor’s Cookbook. In the meantime, try this guaranteed winner the next time you’re bound for Bimini trying to outrun a ‘norther:

White Bean & Escarole Soup
3 cups cooked, drained beans
3 quarts beef broth
1 cup onion, diced
5 slices smoked bacon
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 large head of escarole

Use the quick-soak method to prepare the beans. Cut bacon into 1-inch pieces. Combine all ingredients except the escarole, salt and pepper, in a large skillet and bring to a quick boil then reduce heat and simmer for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cut escarole coarsely and stir into soup to simmer for about 8-10 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, remove bay leaves and adjust seasoning, then serve. Makes about 16 cups.

Note: If you’ve just read this article and have only canned beans on board at the moment, drain their canning liquid in a colander, then rinse them with cold water and drain again. Add the beans to the pot along with the other ingredients except the escarole and seasonings. Reduce the initial cooking time from 35 minutes to about 15-20 minutes, and definitely don’t bring to a boil or the beans will just go mushy. You’ll still have a great meal!

Copyright 2008 Robbie Johnson

About 20 hours and 4 domain names later I got www.SailStudy.com up and running. Boy, just about every domain with the word “sail” in it is taken. Hopefully this one is short, easy and memorable. I admit the wiki thing is a bit foreign to me, but I’m absorbing as much as possible. This is meant to be a resource for everything sailing. If ANYBODY has wiki experience and would like to give it a try, please go for it! It’s all open for editing, you just need to be a registered user to modify the site. Have at it!

More to come as I get this figured out.