Boat Hair - KJ's First Hair Cut

When should a child get their first hair cut? I believe the answer depends on the child. In the case of crew member KJ, she was 4 years 8 months old. It was KJ's decision to cut her hair and Bill agreed.

Bill and I believe that we should teach our girls about how to make decisions, as soon as they can comprehend the concept. KJ and her Dad have been getting close to making a decision on when she should get her first hair cut, for the past year. But we knew that her hair would be cut before we started our adventure. Very long hair gets really tangled in the wind and on a sailboat there is usually wind (we hope ;)).

The decision to cut her hair came after our long 4th of July weekend, at the boat. KJ's hair was really tangled and a bear to brush. So many tears :(. A couple of days later, KJ told me she wanted her hair cut and Bill gave me the go-a-head.

One pony tail and a couple of snipes from the scissors and KJ's hair is 9" shorter, but still well below her shoulders. With the baby hair gone, her hair looks and feel healthier and is a lot easier to brush. KJ love her shorter hair.

Tupperware

In the cruising world, one major nemesis is trash. Most of the books and blogs that I have read on cruising suggest taking food out of its original container and store it in some kind of reusable storage. This not only cuts down on the amount of plastic and paper trash, but also helps keep various insects off the boat.

Based on recommendations from cruiser forums, blogs, and books the best solution for us is Tupperware. Continuous usage of an item requires it to be reliable and durable. Testimonials from the above mentioned references, all highly recommend Tupperware over any other brand of storage.

With the solution in hand, we started pricing new Tupperware and developed a case of sticker shock. New, just a couple of pieces can run upwards of $50. Based on our storage plan, we were going to need a lot, but we weren't willing to drop $500 or more on new Tupperware. We decided to try ebay.

While searching on ebay, I could not believe how many results came up for Tupperware, over 30,000. That's a lot of Tupperware! After looking at a lot of listings, we bid on a few and won a listing that had over 70 pieces of vintage(used) Tupperware for a total of $50.82 (included shipping).

The Tupperware was in great shape and I was amazed at how much each container could hold. We have filled and labeled all of the various pieces of Tupperware. They now reside on Ariel.

Ground Tackle Acquisition - Chain, Rode, Claw

With all of the modifications and upgrades that we have made to our Gemini 3200, we thought it was time to upgrade some of our most important equipment, ground tackle.

When we purchased our boat back in June 2009, it came with 2 fair sets of anchor, chain, and rode. Our future plans call for us spending most of our time at anchor; therefore, additional chain and rode are a necessity.

The upgrades to our ground tackle include: 100 feet of 5/16 BBB chain with 150 feet of 1/2 nylon rode, 60 feet of 5/16 BBB chain with 150 feet of 1/2 nylon rode, stainless steel anchor shackles, and 33 pound claw anchor.

You know, insurance companies are always reminding people to re-evaluate their insurance as it relates to changes in their lives. We believe that ground tackle is the most valuable insurance you can have on a boat. With the additions to our ground tackle equipment, we believe that we are more than adequately insured ;).

New Wraps for Lines and Shore Cord

Have you ever thought, I need something to keep "X" from coming uncoiled? On our Gemini 3200, the "X" is numerous.

I've been thinking for some time on how to keep things from coming uncoiled that would not cost a lot, if any, money.

The idea of the wrap came from a marine chandlery that we call "Tiffany's," because of their prices. I was browsing through their catalog when I came across wraps priced from $1.99 to $6.49, depending on material. The wrap looked so simple, I decided to make them.

Using webbing, velcro, and Beulah, I made two wraps in less than 5 minutes for less than $.25 each. The wraps are a piece of 12" long webbing with 2" of velcro. Just sew the loop part of the velcro on one side of the webbing, at the end, and the hook part of the velcro on the other side, at the opposite end. That's it. (Note: Make sure to sear the ends of the webbing or cut it using a hot knife, because it likes to ravel.)

Cleaning Boat Grill

Above picture is after the cleaning. I wish I had taken a before picture.

Before you think about throwing a grill away, try cleaning it with Easy Off Oven Cleaner (in the yellow canister). You will be amazed at what it can do, I know it amazed me.

Preparing for our adventure, we knew that we wanted the ability to grill. Not only because we like to grill, but it gives us a backup to our stove and not cooking in the galley will help keep the boat cooler, when it is hot.

We acquired a Magma grill when we purchased our Gemini 3200 , a year ago June, but we never used it. The reason we never used it was it looked terrible on the inside and it would not stay lit. We were considering throwing it away, but we thought that we should try to clean it.

I cleaned it using Easy Off Oven Clean, in the yellow canister. Basically, I sprayed (coated) the inside of the grill with Easy Off, closed the lid, and allowed it so sit in the sun for 4 hours. When I came back and rinsed the grill, I was amazed. The grill almost looked brand new and now appears to be working. I guess it just needed a really good cleaning.

I'm so glad that we tried to clean the grill before throwing it way. The $3.54 cost of a canister of Easy Off saved us from purchasing a new marine grill with prices starting around $150.

Tip: I would not use the Easy Off near anything that is painted. It took the green paint off the propane canister.