Lonely

Mercedes was the second-last boat left in West Basin Marina today when we moved her over to Anchor's Way Marina, where there are still a lot of boats in the slips!

Rides for TriState Races

Hello, we're trying to coordinate rides for the TriState both to Chicago and home from Michigan City.  Please post here if you can offer or need a ride to Chicago.  

Also please feel free to follow up.  We're using this as a ride board for everyone.

If you aren't comfortable posting or have trouble please email Karen from Mercedes at kfittyk@yahoo.com

Good luck and sail safe!!

USSailing August 2017 newsletter

USSailing is the primary governing body for sailboat racing in the US.  The organization now publishes a newsletter with sailing news and educational content.  This August 2017 USSailing Newsletter issue has a short video on sailboat race management by my friend Hank Stuart from Rochester Yacht Club, and other interesting features.  

Mac Race Rides

Hello, we're trying to coordinate rides for the Mac Race.  Please post here if you can offer or need a ride to Chicago or home from the island. 

Also please feel free to follow up.  We're using this as a ride board for everyone.

If you aren't comfortable posting or have trouble please email Karen Kelly at kfittyk@yahoo.com

Good luck and sail safe!!

Tripp Cupp

Tripp Cupp had some ups and downs.  We had a great start along with the J35 Hat Trick.  Then after the start all the other boats started pulling away.  Our boat speed wasn't good at the beginning of the race.  Chris, Doug, and Brett reported the rudder felt like it had a vibration as if something was stuck on it.

As the race went on winds picked up and boat speed increased to 6-7 knots hitting 8 knots here and there.

About 6 miles out of Milwaukee the wind died and the flies swarmed.  We let the sails flog for awhile with boat speed of less than a knot.  We decided to take the sails down and wait 20 minutes to see if the wind filled in.  Oddly we picked up a knot of boat speed by taking down the sails.  Finally the wind filled in and we were able to finish the race.

Pictures of the wait outside Milwaukee:

South Haven Invitational Regatta

What a nice afternoon of racing in the South Haven Invitational Regatta on Saturday, June 3!  The wind died right after the first start of the first race, but it filled in again later, in time to conduct 2 races.  Only 3 boats in our division, but we were right with them in close crossings and mark roundings in both races.  With a difference of only a couple of minutes from the leader's corrected finish time, we were third in our section.  But, very proud that our corrected time earned us third place overall in the spinnaker boats fleet!  Great job, team!!        

America's Cup!

America's Cup racing starts today in Bermuda with the Louis Vuitton World Series, for Oracle Team USA and the five other contenders who had enough money to participate in a Cup campaign this go around! The Cup is being contested this year in 15-meter (about 45 ft.) foiling catamarans, reputedly as fast or faster than the 72-ft. cats used in the last America's Cup in 2013.

{link to super-cool America's Cup catamaran used to be here!}

We got to get us one of these!!! With computer-controlled hydraulic rigid wings, lifting canting daggerboard foils, fin rudders, and carbon fiber and titanium everything, these boats are so freaky fast and generate so much apparent wind forward that they never experience downwind point of sail. Sailing purists say these things are more aircraft than sailboat.

Here's a guide to the TV coverage for the sailing, on NBC Sports Network...
https://www.americascup.com/en/where-to-watch.html

Enjoy and dream!

Sailing imagery from a higher vantage point!

Our crew mate Nate Lammers sent some pictures and video of what he's been doing on the Great Lakes, piloting a 1000+ ft. freighter.  Wow!  

 Foggy day on Lake Huron.

 Unloading coal in Monroe, Michigan.

 Approaching the Ambassador Bridge on the Detroit River.

 Sunny afternoon on Lake Superior.

Unloading coal in Toledo, Ohio.

Coming under the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron.

Some sailing imagery

Thanks to Kim and Todd, some nice sailing images and video...

An impressive thunderstorm front off to the north on our way in to port.

A short video of Mercedes upwind in 14 knots of breeze
with a venerable aged kevlar/mylar tri-radial #3
and a ripped-up delaminated twice-retired pentex 3DL mainsail
-- sailing at 7 knots!

St. Joe River Yacht Club racing

An organizational meeting for the St. Joseph River Yacht Club racing program was held yesterday.  The meeting was chaired by race committee lead Jim Schrager and fleet vice commodore Louie Trembly.  They introduced the on-the-water race committee for this year: Vickie Frees, Skip Heavener, Jim Scholz, and Sue Veersma.  Ken Zimmerman has retired from active duty on the race committee and received a lot of applause in thanks for many years of service.  

The racing schedule was announced, with one change from the preliminary one - the May 17 race will be a shakedown race instead of scored as race #1.  To allow this, one race was removed from the end of the summer.  The Mercedes master schedule (first link under the Schedule tab) is up to date.

Unfortunately, key SJRYC events that count in the club scoring, like the Rhumbline Regatta and PHRF race to Michigan City, are in conflict with the significant Lake Michigan races - the National Offshore One Design (NOOD) regatta and the Verve Cup, both hosted by Chicago Yacht Club.  One of the stated goals of SJRYC racing is to prepare sailors for events at higher levels, but they disincent skippers from participating. 

Course marks are going to be set today, in the same locations as last year.  When we are on the water, we will go find them and check the accuracy of their GPS position.

Happy racing, mates!

Sail numbers

Here are the sail numbers for Mercedes, Kim!

Ready to sail

Finally, ready to go!  

Brought all the safety gear and some sails on board.  With Dave's help, removed some pre-bend from the mast and did a static tune of the rig.  Last step tonight was taping up all the exposed cotter pins and rings.  

Mercedes is as ready to sail as I can make her!

The weather forecast shows generally fair skies, warmer temperatures, and lighter winds upcoming.  Bring it!

Launched

Mercedes was launched yesterday!  She's happy to be back in the water.  Safely tied up in her slip at West Basin Marina now.  This marina is well protected and picturesque, and does not have the river current of Anchor's Way Marina!  

Karen and I really appreciate the help by Kim, Dave, and Brett in sorting out dock lines, cleaning, stowing gear, and rigging yesterday!

Look for your sailing gear!  Plan is to go sailing this weekend.

Awesome Crew:-)

Pirate meeting.

Beer can racing!

Thanks to Scuttlebutt Sailing News, Spinsheet magazine, and Brett (who forwarded it - many thanks!), here are some reasons for joining in the comradery and casual competition of weeknight beer can racing (think St. Joe River Yacht Club Wednesday nights):

• You've been cooped up in stale air since November, which has made you pasty and cranky.
• Sailing is great for balance, so you can probably get a doctor's note to call it physical therapy.
• It's a great excuse to leave work early.
• You're driving your spouse crazy talking about sailing while doing nothing but obsess about winning Musto gear and staring at sailing videos on your phone.
• You haven't seen your friends since you drank all those Painkillers at the sailboat show and need to catch up on gossip.

All this fun starts on May 17!

Origin of the name

Mercedes isn't named after a car!  Mercedes is the name of the fiancee of Edmond Dantes in Alexandre Dumas's classic novel "The Count of Monte Cristo."  One of Karen's and my favorite books, it's a powerful story of loyalty, commitment, vengeance, perseverance, and forgiveness.  It's the source of her nickname - Mercedes (and mine - Cristo), and inspired the name of the sailboat.  

Some notable quotations from the book:

• "One's work may be finished someday, but one's education never."
• "Moral wounds have this peculiarity - they may be hidden, but they never close, always painful, always ready to bleed when touched, they remain fresh and open in the heart."
• Abbe Faria: "Here is your final lesson - do not commit the crime for which you now serve the sentence. God said, Vengeance is mine."
  Edmond Dantes: "I don't believe in God."
  Abbe Faria: "It doesn't matter. He believes in you."
• Fernand Mondego: "What happened to your mercy?"
  Edmond Dantes: "I'm a count, not a saint."

Re-christened

Thanks to Nate, Ted, and Sayer for the skilled hard work they contributed, the topsides are compounded, polished, and waxed!  And, the boat has her new name applied, and a hailing port, and registration numbers.  The hull is so smooth and shiny, the boat looks fast just standing still!  Great job!!

Compounding/polishing is fun

Gotta get moving if the boat's gonna launch!  Nate and I tackled compounding/polishing the topsides of the hull today.  We did a good job, and the gelcoat looks beautiful.  At least one side of the boat does!  That's how much we got done in 4 hours.  Need more fresh volunteers to work on the rest of the hull.  Your participation has benefits - you won't need to go to the gym later for your upper body workout!    

Thanks for your help, Nate!  I really appreciate it.

Seminar on sail control at Macatawa Bay YC

I'm planning to attend this seminar at Macatawa Bay Yacht Club in Holland this Wednesday, April 12.  If anyone is interested in coming along, let me know.  Info and preregistration below...

SAIL CONTROL FOR MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE - April 12, 2017, 6:30 PM, Quantum Sails Seminar Series at Macatawa Bay Yacht Club, 2157 S. Shore Dr., Macatawa, MI.  Farley Fontenot is known for both his racing and cruising expertise.  Join him and the Quantum team at Macatawa Bay Yacht Club for a detailed presentation on sail control that will benefit you no matter your favorite type of sailing.  No cost, preregistration required, seats are limited: http://tinyurl.com/17QuantumMBYC.

Work of art

It took some doing, but the Martec prop is finally off the prop shaft and the new Flexofold prop is on.  Flexofold is a Danish company that makes great marine propellers with just about the lowest drag characteristics under sail, and among the best in motoring performance in forward and reverse.  The blades are geared together, so one blade cannot drop down unexpectedly and create a lot of drag.  This one is the correct size for the engine and transmission and won't overdrive and cavitate like the other one tended to do.  And this propeller is a work of art.  It's beautiful!

   

Gill gear on sale

Gill North America is advertising a clearance sale with really low prices on lots of good gear (or as they say in England - "kit").  Up through midnight tonight (Monday, March 27), prices are 25% off current discounts of up to 80%.  Use discount code CLEARANCE25 in checkout.  Here's a link to the clearance section of their website...
https://gillna.com/c-88-clearance-rack.aspx

         

Now that's hiking!

This photo appeared in a recent email ad from North Sails, who builds sails for the lovely, historic J-Class megayachts.  Seems to me that the draft in the mainsail may be a little too far aft.  Could it be because the boat is heeled a tad too much on account of not enough crew - only 29 - on the high side rail hiking?!  ;)

  

Safety at Sea training course

Karen and I attended the USSailing Safety at Sea one-day training course yesterday at Columbia Yacht Club (held in the rail deck, where it was freezing!).  Generally very good content and good presentations.  A few takeaways of many...  

• We sat next to a female minister from Chicago who, it turns out, purchased, refurbished, and is racing "Flagrante Delicto," the J/29 that Karen helped race in South Haven years ago.  Christened "Wahoo" now.  Small world syndrome!
• A glamorous sailing-themed Chivas Regal ad set the stage about crew overboard. 
• Interesting video testing the GaleForce drogue that is capable of steering a sailboat (very well, actually) if the rudder is disabled or lost.  I placed an order for a similar, highly-rated, but much less expensive drogue to have on board.
• Great presentation by the commander of the U.S. Coast Guard station at Calumet Harbor.  We should feel fortunate that the coast guard is committed to our safety when we get in trouble anywhere in U.S. waters.  Check out the iPhone/Android app United States Coast Guard for supporting information, to file a float plan, request services, etc.
• Extremely useful meteorology information introduced by Matt Gallagher, offering a lot of resources at www.wxchicago.com.  
• More extremely useful information presented about medical emergencies at sea.  One tip to maintain privacy of medical information but have it available when needed - write down your individual pertinent medical information like allergies, conditions, prescriptions and place it in a sealed envelope to be stored on board in one location and returned at the end of the (medically uneventful) voyage.  We should do this.
• Interesting demos of PFDs, tethers, DSC distress calls, flares, whistles, spot lights, liferaft.

North U. racing rules & tactics seminar

Karen, Brad German, and I attended the North U. seminar on racing rules & tactics at DePaul University on Saturday, March 4.  Dave Dellenbaugh was the presenter and did an excellent job.  Dave's experience includes tactician aboard America's Cup campaigns, president of US Sailing rules committee, and coach for the U.S. sailing team at the Rio 2016 Olympics.  The new 2017-2020 rules were described, and lots of practical situations where and how the rules apply were shown on whiteboard and in video.  This brought the rules to life in a way that is relevant to common sailing situations.  Great stuff!  

LMSuRF March e-Newsmagazine

Here is the March issue of the Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation e-Newsmagazine.  

There is a good article about St. Joseph River Yacht Club racing by Jim Schrager, starting on page 10.  He outlines how and why the racing program has grown in the past few years.  Nice job and nice photos!

Also, read a couple of interesting articles about performance-based sailboat rating systems, starting on page 23.  Rating systems are a necessary evil that are applied to try to assure fairness in racing in mixed fleets of boats.

Race to Mackinac

Look out - here comes trouble.  Mercedes is registered in the Chicago Yacht Club 109th Race to Mackinac!  Should be fun!

Rope Clutches!

New rope clutches are on deck!  Because of Nate's help, we got 6 Spinlock XTS clutches, 2 Spinlock XXX jammers, and 3 Harken 150 cam cleats all fit and bedded.  It will be a big improvement to how the running rigging is organized and led aft to the cockpit.  Thanks, Nate!

LMSuRF February e-Newsmagazine

The February e-Newsmagazine from Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation (LMSuRF) has just been published.  Coverage of Area III which includes St. Joseph River YC starts on page 16.  Lots of discussion about building the popularity of sailboat racing on Lake Michigan.  Take a look!  

Where to shop

When shopping for sailing gear, there is quite a bit of variance in products and prices among the primary sources, and it pays to comparison shop.  The only retail store that is close to St. Joseph is Wolf's Marine in Benton Harbor.  The store is a real eclectic experience, and if they have what you need, the prices are good.  Torresen Marine still operates a small retail store in Muskegon, but TOAD Marine Supply (in the Detroit area) bought the rights to their online business.  They have great inventory of marine engine parts and supplies.  West Marine used to have a store in Benton Harbor (where the Anchor's Way office is), but now, the closest West Marine outlets are in Michigan City and Holland.  Be careful - their prices can be high, except maybe for their own name-branded products, rebranded from various manufacturers.

Among the competing online sources, Defender Marine almost always has the best prices, and amazingly efficient order processing and shipping.  Annapolis Performance Sailing has great selection.  Mauri Pro has great selection too, but it's hard to find your way around the website, and prices tend to be high unless you hit a sale.  They bought out Layline - which had been probably the best site for line and rigging.  Other online marine stores include Performance Yacht Systems, P2 Marine, and West Marine. 

Links to the online stores of all these outfitters are at the right under "Marine Outfitters".

SJRYC preliminary calendar

I just received the preliminary calendar of St. Joseph River YC racing events.  It's linked in the Schedule page and reflected in the master schedule for Mercedes sailing/racing, which is the top link on that page.  You can rely on the current version of that document for the latest and greatest lake-wide sailing schedule info for Mercedes.

The winter is just about halfway over!  On the other hand, the winter boat projects do not seem to be halfway completed!  :)  

Personal safety gear

I'd like to adopt the requirements for personal safety gear on board Mercedes that the race committee specifies for the Race to Mackinac.  We may not need to wear every bit of gear for every race or cruise, but it's important to be prepared.  Here's a summary of what the requirements are:

1. Life jacket - Over the shoulders PFD with at least 33.7 lbs. buoyancy (inflatable), or inherently buoyant (non-inflatable) offshore life jacket with at least 22 lbs. buoyancy, both meeting U.S. Coast Guard or ISO specifications.  It should contain marine grade retro-reflective patches; have crotch or leg straps, whistle, and waterproof light; and be marked with your name.  Note that the inflating type does not need to be water immersion auto-inflating.
2. Safety harness - Integral built-in to the PFD or compatible with it (that is, wearing one doesn't interfere with the other). 
3. Safety tether - Not longer than 2 m. (6' 7"), minimum 4500 lbs. tensile strength, with snap hook on one end and quick release shackle on the other end that is releasable under load.
4. Knife - Must have a fixed blade or, if retractable, the blade can be opened with one hand. 

I know it's a bit of an investment to buy this gear if you don't have it, but it's for safety of your life, and pretty easy to justify that way!  I have recommendations for easy-to-use and comfortable products that comply with these specs (I've tried a lot of different brands) and where to shop for the best prices.  Let me know!

What do you want to be?

Forgive me, but I came across this while browsing for sailing videos and thought it was so cute! ;)

Strictly Sail 2017

Well, it was a lot more big fat motor boats and RVs than "strictly sail"ing, but the show was pretty good.  We got the most out of the seminars, and especially one on knot tying of all kinds, one from a meteorologist on interpreting weather, one from a Quantum sailmaker on tactics, one from Crowley mechanics on diesel engine maintenance.  These definitely made the show worthwhile.

Here are some highlights of our experience at the show:

• Karen and I attended the Level 35 meeting.  Mostly J/35 drivers, with one other Thomas 35 skipper.  We talked about extremely low participation in regattas last year, a crew and skipper list, and prospects for a level fleet for the Chicago/Mac this year.
• Seminar on rigging was interesting, but I didn't learn an awful lot.
• Seminar on Chicago/Mac safety regulations was good.  The regs were just posted and there are a few changes: only 2 parachute flares instead of 4 (these are really pricey!), no second anchor required, no spec for reefing the main or carrying a main trysail.  That's about it - very few changes from 2016.  I had a debate with the presenters about what constitutes a quick release safety tether.  I believe that a quick release on the harness connection is dangerous for unintended release, but this is what is required.     
• Seminar on tactics by Andy Camarda, a young Quantum Sails sailmaker in Chicago, was outstanding.  I have pages of notes based on Andy's practical and valuable experience to share with you.  Great stuff.  
• Seminar on diesel engine maintenance by two "down home good ol' boys" at Crowleys taught me some things about the Yanmar 3-cylinder diesel engine in Mercedes.  Working on these engines is pretty easy, though access is hard!
• The various vendors' product offerings were pretty lame.  "Show special" prices were actually higher than Defender and APS charges online.  Buyer beware.  I am looking for a few more necessary equipment items, but I'll go back to Defender for most of them. 

LMSuRF January 2017 newsletter

The January issue of the Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation eNewsmagazine has been published.  Lots of information about Lake Michigan sailing in it.  The current newsletter is not available anywhere from the LMSuRF website for some reason, but, from the website, you can subscribe to receive a link to the monthly newsletter by email.  We are in the area of Lake Michigan that they designate Area III, but I see some discussion underway about reorganization of the area. 
    

A little philosophy

If you will allow, I want to share some thoughts on sailing and racing.  Jerry Maguire got into a lot of trouble with his ethical high-road "mission statement" in the movie.  But I'll take the risk; I think it's worth it!

I believe in honor, integrity, and respect in every aspect of work, sport, friendship, and love.  I say this so you know you can count on me to uphold personal ethics with you and with competitors in sailboat racing.  Another area without compromise is my responsibility for crewmate personal safety.  Consciousness about and promoting safety must always be the highest priority on board, no matter what the action or how much adrenaline is involved!  After those two preconditions, the other desiderata apply: experience fun, enjoy camaraderie, sail well and fast, compete to win, keep the "stick" up, avoid losing expensive stuff overboard, sample excellent adult beverages, witness stunning sunsets and sunrises, visit exotic ports :)

I was proud to campaign my CS-30 "Aria" in Lake Ontario for 9 racing seasons.  We started out modestly.  But after 3 years of equipment upgrades to reach boat speed potential, learning tactics, and cross-training a steady crew who absolutely loved to sail, "Aria" came to be a consistent, regular winner.  Her name is engraved on many of the trophies at Genesee Yacht Club, Rochester Yacht Club, and other yacht clubs around the lake.  On race nights, we were often the first out to the course to study the conditions, and, after the race, enjoying all the extra sailing time we could and a gourmet 3-course dinner aboard, we were always the last to pull in! 

I miss that feeling of pride in collaborative accomplishment, and I'd love to recapture it sailing our Thomas 35 "Mercedes"!  How to get there?  To me, sailboat racing achievement and success depends on three elements: boat speed, strategy and tactics, and teamwork. 

Boat speed is affected by shape of the hull, faired foils, smooth clean bottom, rigging, equipment and its condition, sails and sail trim, accurate instruments, weight on board and its placement, and lots of other small things that add up.  I am very pleased with the Thomas 35 so far.  She's a thoroughbred, and born to race.  I commit to the outfitting and preparation that it takes to make the boat as fast as she can be, right out of the gate.  We will have no excuses for boat speed necessary to sail to her rating! 

Strategy and tactics involves being in the right place and time, knowing the race course and planning, knowing and applying the racing rules, keenly observing and acting on conditions in the environment, exploiting the competition's weaknesses, and focusing on our goals.  We all have a role in this, and I have a lot of confidence in our mastering this element.

Finally, there is teamwork in sailboat racing, and this is the true differentiator, in my opinion.  A competent, efficient, confident crew is a powerful tactical weapon.  It involves dedication to learning (my lifelong goal!), knowing how to execute the maneuvers, practice, proactive recognition for what the other crewmates need to do their job (and help you do yours), adaptive creative troubleshooting to recover from the inevitable surprises, more practice, and, truly important - commitment to reliably show up and participate.

So... thanks for reading this far!  What now?  At this point in my life, I'm pretty sure I don't have the patience to mature a 3-year skill growth campaign before realizing success racing "Mercedes".  My goal is to find a way to be competitive at the highest level before the time the first season wraps up.  With some shared dedication, commitment, focus, and effort, we can do this!  Let's go for a ride! 

Chris

Ethics notwithstanding, show me the money! :)

Offshore Safety at Sea Seminar curriculum

A published copy of the curriculum for the Offshore Safety at Sea Seminar, sponsored by U.S. Sailing, seems to be hard to find, but these are the topics they outline for the professionally-taught 8-hour course.  Good information for anyone to know when sailing offshore...

TOPICS:  Personal safety gear, Person overboard, Emergency communications, Search and rescue, Heavy weather, Storm sails, Crew health, Hypothermia, Jury rigging and repair, Fire precautions, Lending assistance, Life rafts, Signals.

The two-day Offshore Safety at Sea Seminar adds 6 hours of hands-on skills training in a swimming pool.  There was an online offering of the one-day course, but it is not available at this time.

If you register for this seminar when it's offered this winter/spring at Strictly Sail, Chicago Yacht Club, Columbia Yacht Club, Muskegon Yacht Club, or elsewhere, make sure you select the Offshore seminar, not the Coastal seminar.  Here's a list and registration info for all the scheduled 2017 seminars.   

Nautical knots

I don't know if you have an obsession about good knots, like I do (though I truly hope you are not afflicted!).  There is generally only one knot that is the best application for each various purpose around a sailboat, and I like to know what it is!

I see lists touting the "best 3 knots", or "essential 5 knots", or "top 10 knots".  I compiled my own list of most useful knots, and it ended up at 16 somehow, although the cleat hitch and flemish flake are not really knots.  Note: I added 2 more, so it's up to 18 now!  Nother note: Added 2 more, to make 20!

Here is my list of favorites, along with their best applications for sailing...

1. Bowline - Non-slip loop for person overboard retrieval; lots of other uses 
2. Round turn and 2 half hitches - Dock line to piling, securely; fender line to lifeline 
3. Clove hitch - Dock line to piling, temporarily; fender line to lifeline 
4. Half hitch slip knot - Stow mainsail to boom with nylon sail ties  
5. Reef knot - Secure loose sailcloth of mainsail after reef 
6. Rolling hitch - Take tension off a loaded line, e.g., to clear winch override 
7. Figure 8 stopper - Prevent line from pulling through block or clutch, easy untie 
8. Triple overhand stopper - Prevent line from pulling through block or clutch, semi-permanently 
9. Halyard hitch - Line to shackle, semi-permanently 
10. Scaffold knot - Line to shackle, instead of eye splice, especially with thimble 
11. Sheet bend - Attach 2 dissimilar lines together, temporarily 
12. Constrictor knot - Field bind loose end of a line instead of whipping; replace broken hose clamp 
13. Anchor hitch - Rode or lanyard to fixed object, e.g., anchor or bucket handle 
14. Ossel hitch - Attach webbing to fixed object, e.g., lee cloth strap to hand rail 
15. Cleat hitch - Dock line to cleat 
16. Flemish flake - Dress end of dockline neatly
17. Double fisherman's knot - Connect 2 ends of line for a secure loop
18. Prusik knot - Bind a line to another line or shroud, e.g. attach flag to backstay
19. Perfection loop - Secure, non-slip loop in shock elastics, e.g., bungee cord
20. Overhand loop - Secure, non-slip loop in webbing

If you want to check out these and other knots, a good place to start is the School of Sailing, Sailing Knots page.  There is a good iTunes App named "Knots 3D" by Nynix LLC, with animation.  The definitive book on knots is the "Ashley Book of Knots", written by Clifford Ashley in 1944, and you can learn 3900 knots there!  I have a decent small book - "Guide to Knots" by Geoffrey Budworth - if you want to borrow it.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, sailing friends!  Looking forward to a good year!

Is anyone thinking of attending Strictly Sail in Chicago?  It runs between Wednesday, Jan. 11 and Sunday, Jan. 15.  I'm thinking of signing up for the safety at sea seminar on Saturday, the 14th, and maybe do the show on Sunday.