West Marine is (not?) my friend

Last week, I received a Friend Request on the Facebook from West Marine.  Awww... West Marine?  FBFs with me?  Yay!

Unfortunately, my new "friend" went behind my back and this past Saturday told the staff at our local West Marine store, at 2827 Festival Lane, Dublin OH, that effective immediately their store hours would be cut back to Tues-Sun, 10 AM - 5 PM. 

Let's pause a moment to reflect on the likelihood that the majority of boat owners -- many of whom, like me, work for a living -- will ever be able to shop at the West Marine between the hours of 10 AM and 5 PM.

Okay, shall we continue?  Yeah.... NO.  It's just not possible, at least for me, and I can't imagine how such a decision could be conducive to the short-term or long-term success of West Marine's Dublin store.  My complaints have nothing to do with losing the ability to buy marine goodies at excellent prices, because I can often find a lower price on what I need at some of the other internet marine retailers.  My complaint is about no longer having a place to fondle marine goodies, stroll the aisles of eye-candy and fun toys, get helpful advice from the friendly staff members, and engage in 'community' with fellow Central Ohio boaters.

I try not to be 'that guy' -- the one who whines and complains and lives in a state of helplessness.  If you feel as I do about the loss of realistic shopping hours at your local West Marine, please consider joining me in taking the following actions:

1. Call West Marine's corporate office at 831-728-2700 to let them know that you will no longer be able to shop at their store with their new hours of operation and propose an alternative that would resolve the issue.  (For me, having the store open from 11 AM - 6 PM would do the trick.)
2. Instead of using the 'Ship to Store' feature when ordering from the West Marine web site, identify the item number(s) you wish to buy and call your local store to place the order.  You still benefit by not paying for shipping, and the store benefits by getting credit for the sale.  A more profitable store is more likely to receive favorable attention from the corporate office!
3. In this age of social networking and its place as a critical part of corporate marketing strategy, turn a Facebook Friend into a Facebook Frenemy by posting your concerns on West Marine's Wall.  You can even un-Friend them if it makes you feel better.

Local West Marine store, I love you.  The sailing off-season will be difficult enough, but having to endure it without you seems unbearable.  I miss you already.

Kaye, thank you for staying a few minutes late this evening so that I could pick up some marine-grade duplex wire and a buss bar for my re-wiring project.  I hated to impose upon you, and I appreciate how gracious and helpful you were (and always are.)  I hope to see you and your staff many more times this Winter as I dream and scheme and shop in preparation for sailing season 2011.

not green... purple, maybe, but definitely not green

BoatUS recently put the call out for entries in their annual Environmental Leadership Award.  I like our sailing association, sail-only marina facility, and reservoir; I like to write; and I like to win things; and therefore the first thought that crossed my mind was finding a worthy reason to write a nomination/proposal for our association or one of our members.  Fortunately, I paused the think on this a bit before sending a message via our YahooGroup to ask for ideas.  I think we Alum Creek sailors are commendably good stewards of our natural resources, but I can't really think of anything we (definitely including ME in that "we") are doing that falls into any of the following categories (from the BoatUS site):

"Nominees must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Made a significant positive impact on the environment.
• Contributed towards solving an environmentally challenging aspect of boating or boat maintenance, either for boaters or marinas.
• Helped others understand the importance of clean boating.
• Enthusiastically promoted clean boating and engaged others in their efforts."

Photo Credit:  Tony Evans

As part of the ongoing development of our facilities, we have cleaned up the area... primarily with a chain saw, though!!!  Humor me a little here, but I'm pretty sure that is not quite what the fine folks at BoatUS were thinking about when they created this Award program.  I am not saying that I don't appreciate -- or even don't fully support, for that matter -- all that has been done to create the area our club members and the general public (since it is on public land) all enjoy so much.  It's a wonderful place where I've had many fun times and from which I've embarked on many memorable sails.

I guess I'm just disappointed with myself that I cannot think of a single idea of something I could do, personally, that would make a meaningful positive impact and would be (a) reasonable and feasible, and (b) noteworthy enough to submit as a possibly award-winning activity.  (The award part is the lowest priority part of the formula here, but as I said before I like to write and I like to win.)  I'm not so much a militant environmentalist or whatnot, but I am a big fan of God's creation and like to treat it with respect and keep it clean.

I'm going to give this some more thought.  I'm sure some ideas will come to mind and I'll be sure to post them here.  Any suggestions, internet?  (Oh?  Stop killing so many bugs, perhaps?  Yeah, that idea is not under consideration because it fails to meet the "meaningful positive impact" criteria.  According to Jeeves, there are 37,500+ species of spiders in the world, and even if there were only two of each, Noah's Ark-style, I am only killing a small fraction of 1% of those every sailing season.  Nice try, though!)

And okay, I should probably just go ahead and 'fess up here.  I received this BoatUS announcement at roughly the same time as I heard that the club is planning to clear another portion of land, "so that we can see all the way across the peninsula to the lake," and I guess I'm feeling a little sensitive and yes, a little annoyed, about all the tree-killing.  There, I said it.

anchor light? check! steaming light? check!

... constant, vague sense of confusion? Check!

I stand amazed. My brother-in-law Terry is super-skilled at wiring projects.... and is also a master of 'how to do things efficiently and with high quality.' Terry offered to install the electrical system in the new boat. We delayed launch day long enough to wire the masthead anchor light and the steaming light. (I remembered to attach the new Windex before we raised the mast too -- woohoo!)

So here's the brainteaser: After drilling holes at the masthead, mid-mast, and at the base of the mast, we organized our supplies:

• 30' wire for anchor light
• 20' wire for steaming light
• 25' conduit to surround and protect the wires within the mast
• 25' fish tape

It would have taken me - conservatively - about 30 minutes with pencil and paper to figure out the sequence of events needed to fish the conduit up through the hole in the base of the mast (or down the open mast "cap")... then fish the two wires (one at masthead and one through a hole at mid-mast (and in the conduit at the same place)... and then end up with everything in the right position to connect the lights to the wires. Terry, on the other hand, paused for perhaps 10 seconds (at most) and then jumped right in with the hole-drilling and "fishing!!"

If it was up to me, I would probably still be up at the boat lot with fish-tape in one hand and conduit in the other and a completely puzzled look on my face. I guess we all have our own individual gifts. Basic problem-solving apparently is not one of my gifts, but I guess you probably already knew that.

Also, my bro-in-law ROCKS! Next up on the electrical to-do list: stereo and speakers!

sailboat hull / smokey eye

Yes, I'm still basking in the afterglow of my painting project. And yes, I am still regretting not yet taking photos of the finished paint job to show you. I think I've come up with the next best thing, though...

If my boat was the classic "smokey eye," she would look like this:

Pretty fabulous, eh?

hull = painted!

I don't have photos, so you must take my word for it:

My new boat is now dark blue!

The second coat didn't provide quite enough coverage, but the third coat perfected the finish. (Where 'perfected' = 'good e-freaking-nough!') My sister Jessi did the rolling and I did the tipping. As is typically my style, I attempted to make up for my lack of skills and experience by purchasing the best equipment I could find. For the painting project, I purchased four badger (or were they China bristle? potayto-potahto, I guess...) brushes. This provided us with a fresh new brush for tipping for each coat. (Jessi and I both did the tipping on the first coat, while Terry did the rolling.)

We let the paint cure while we had lunch at the nearby Cheshire Market and Bait Shop, and then we excitedly removed the painter's tape to reveal the boot stripe. There were many 'oohs' and 'aahs,' but mainly there were heartfelt expressions of gratitude and relief that the hull painting was finally finished. By completing this project, I have proven that - without a doubt - anyone can paint a sailboat.

We are now only 14 days from launch!

second verse, same as the first

Two coats down, one (knock on teak) to go. There is nothing especially noteworthy to report here. Perhaps a photo (a low-quality blackberry snapshot, unfortunately) will tell the story... a story with an ending that could only be better if the second coat had provided sufficient coverage to make a third coat unnecessary.

a "thank-you" note

Dear Pre-Kote,

You gave my sailboat a smooth, monochromatic finish, and you are so safe and easy to apply. For these things, you have my gratitude.

I'm sure you didn't mean to run out when the boat was 92% covered. Don't worry. It wasn't really that big of a deal. Thanks again!

Love,

Christy

killing me softly with a sanding sponge

The "tagline" for Marine-Tex is...

Handles like putty.

Hardens like steel.

Sands like wood.

A more accurate tagline would be...

Handles like scary-#ss

weapons-grade uranium.

Hardens like steel.

Sands like steel too.

My Marine-Tex experience can be best described with a mathematical theorem:

Every minute saved by applying Marine Tex in a slapdash manner results in thirty-four additonal minutes (per patch) of sanding the Marine Tex.

I hope I never have the occasion to hold a sanding sponge in my hand ever again! (Yes, I see you, teak trim. Stop looking at me that way.) The sanding was an excruciating process. I'm so grateful to my sister Jessi and her husband Terry and stepdaughter Hope for their help. They are the most fun and most talented crew ever! We definitely made the best of a hatefully awful situation (aka all the sanding), and we took a break to enjoy the most excellent pizza in the world at the Cheshire Market. I love that place.

After about sixteen person-hours of wet-sanding, the hull was finally ready to receive a coat of Interlux Pre-Kote Primer. (Heh heh - this should be a sponsored series of blog posts. Hey Interlux, are you reading this? No? Okay - didn't think so. But if you do, please know that I adore your products. Also, you are really quite attractive, Interlux. Are you married? Seeing anyone?)

the eagle has landed

My new (old) boat has (had) an eagle on the transom. It is (was) a very sharp and salty-looking accent. I decided that I wish to have my boat name and home port decals displayed prominently on the transom, so I (reluctantly) removed the eagle from the transom. I will find a special place for it either on or inside the boat, or at home. It's a lovely piece. I love it!... just not on my transom, I guess.

marine-tex, weapons-grade variety

The next step in the topsides-painting project is finished. I had one false start, where I drove (40 minutes) to the boat lot, read the Marine-Tex instructions and warnings, put on nitrile gloves, paced back and forth several times, and then got in my car and drove back home. Seek prompt medical attention if it comes into contact with your skin? Seriously?!?!

I tried again a couple nights ago, and fortunately my friend Commodore Kathy drove up to visit me. Her presence made me feel less afraid of the mixing and usage of the dangerous substances that were packaged in the innocuous little red, white, and blue box.

Wearing long pants, a long-sleeved t-shirt, (hello, summer weather!) and of course the nitrile gloves, I carefully and quickly mixed up the first batch of resin (or whatever the white stuff is called) with the catalyst gel. I applied it with a putty knife, and I worked as quickly as possible so that (1) the marine-tex wouldn't harden before I was finished applying it, and (2) because I felt like the fewer minutes I spent handling the stuff, the better. Less time handling dangerous things = better chance of coming through the experience relatively unscathed.

Since I was working as quickly as I could, my application of the marine-tex to all the dings and chips of varying sizes was fairly slapdash. This would turn out to be a very bad idea...

the point at which decal adhesive, razor blades, and dangerous inhalants intersect

I just finished a full weekend of difficult and dangerous work preparing my new boat for painting. Here's the overall hull-painting plan:

1. Remove registration numbers and pin stripes.
2. Wash hull.
3. Prepare the chips for patching.
4. Marine-Tex the chips.
5. Sand.
6. Mask off the parts not to be painted.
7. Sand.
8. Pray that one coat of Interlux Pre-Kote will be sufficient.
9. Apply one coat of Interlux Pre-Kote.
10. Sand.
11. Apply first coat of Brightside paint.
12. Sand.
13. Apply final coat of Brightside paint.
    

I completed step 1 this past weekend and am so thrilled that it's done! Let me explain why it was such a big deal...

One of my quirks is my hatred of stickers, decals, and their accompanying adhesives. If I buy something that has a price tag or label on the item itself (rather than on the packaging), I simply cannot rest - or use the item - until the sticker itself and all trace of adhesive is gone. This might be the strongest of my quirks. I was not at all excited about the prospect of removing registration stickers, various permits and the like, as well as the pinstripes from the hull, but I knew that when the work was done I would be so blissfully happy and relieved.

I tried removing part of the pinstripes with a paint scraper/putty knife a few evenings before and decided that I would need something more serious. I reluctantly picked up a few razor blade scraper tools. I am terribly afraid of scary, sharp objects. Serial flailers and sharp objects don't mix well. The final ingredient in this ordeal was, of course, dangerous chemicals... those that can be fatal if inhaled and that sort of thing. I brought with me a quart of Interlux 202 Fiberglass Solvent Wash, two small tins of Goof-Off, and another larger can of some other random paint/adhesive remover. (Yes, some people have a well-stocked wine rack. I have a well-stocked selection of adhesive removers.)

I started with the registration numbers. There were very few of them that came up with just one swipe of the weaponry. Usually the clear layer came off in pieces, leaving the seriously-adhered gray-ish bottom layer that required all-out violence to remove. To keep things interesting, when I became frustrated with one side of the bow, I moved to the other side. I'm not sure why I thought this would be more interesting, as they were of course the same exact registration numbers on the other side. It actually wasn't so bad. The whole process had a sort of meditative quality about it.

Work in progress

After I removed the registration and permit decals, as well as [cough] bits and pieces of the previous paintjob [cough], I moved on to the pinstripes. First, let's have a little fun with the math:

LOA: 23' 6"
# of pinstripes: 5
# of sides on a boat: 2
---------------------------------------------
total length of pinstripes to be removed: 235 feet (or, the distance between one football goal line and the 20 yard line at the other end of the field.)

235 feet of pinstripes and the commensurate adhesive.... plus razor blades... plus toxic inhalants. This is the mathematical equation that equals torture, people.

Full-On Horror: a still life

Amazingly, I survived with all of my digits and the majority of my brain cells intact. The decals and the adhesive (and the aforementioned existing paintjob) didn't fare quite as well. It took tons of scrubbing and cleaning with the chemicals to get all of the adhesive goo removed from the hull, but I did it!

Done!

Oh yeah, and my manicure didn't fare very well either.

This manicure brought to you by the fine folks at Interlux....
and also the super-cool people at Lilly Industries, makers of Goo-Gone.

...and now for something completely different...

I sold Central Air.

She is now owned by a lovely couple in Arkansas, and I hope they have as many beautiful and memorable days and nights on the lake with her as I did.

My new (old!) boat was delivered shortly before my surgery, so I'm just now getting down to business on a few pre-launch projects. I can't wait to sail her! She is such a very special boat. You'll see.

I've chosen a new, non-Central-Air name for her, as she arrived in a nameless state. I intend to move to a new blog when I splash her and do the big 'reveal.' Until then, you can follow all the struggling and flailing action here as I complete my pre-launch projects!

tow vehicle decision - part three

Closure is a beautiful thing, and I am here to both obtain it and provide it in this post -- a closure double-play! Using the evaluation criteria from my last post on this topic, I will arrive at the best decision for my 2009 tow vehicle needs by using a method I like to call ''help-I'm-going-all-neurotic-and-overthinking-stuff-again,' or HIGANOSA for those who prefer made-up acronym-type words.

At first, I tried to assign a score to each combination of option and criterium without assigning a weighting to the criteria just to keep it simple, but then I realized that I would definitely need to assign relative weightings to each criterium. For example, it wouldn't be appropriate to give equal importance to potential for disaster and scalable, since (1) I seem to leave a trail of disasters in my wake everywhere I go and then I go all helpless, vulnerable female and I hate it when I do that, and (2) I'm not planning to buy a bigger boat anytime soon.... unless I marry a sailor or otherwise 'marry up' or something. Therefore, I assigned a weighting of 10 to potential for disaster and a 4 to scalable.

Based on this method -- or "methodology," if you're one of those people who prefer to use meaningless, annoying execu-speak [and I'm whistling innocently as I type this] -- I came up with the following:

Each score indicates the attractiveness of the option for each criteria. (I initially screwed this up completely, and I just spent the past 20 minutes still reeling from utter confusion.) For example, for Cost, continue to mooch off friends gets a 9 (because it's mostly free) while buy a honda pilot gets a 0 (because the car payment would feel more like a mortgage payment.)

So after all this flailing and obsessing, here's how things shook out:




I guess I'll be mooching off my friends at the club for one more year! I'll bring the coffee, donuts, and adult-type beverages to express my gratitude for their cheerful generosity! Renting a truck (as suggested by my friend J.P. Clowes, the sailor who taught me humility at my first regatta in 2006 when he crossed the finish line in his Daysailer II before I rounded the first mark in my Capri 18) was a close second. I'm a little surprised that buy a pilot came in 3rd, ahead of buy a beater truck. I'm not sure if the scalability and dependability of the Pilot is really sufficient to support buying a $35,000 vehicle. My checkbook most certainly doth NOT runneth over. As an aside, I recently spent a lot of time at my Honda dealership having my CR-V (178k miles and still running like a dream!) checked out. Just to kill time and have fun with the sales-boys, I went outside to gape at the Pilots, and then I went inside to ask some questions about the towing capacity and stuff like that. All three of the sales-boys were falling all over each other to give me their business cards and brochures and stuff. Good times. Have I mentioned that I like boys? I like boys a lot. Anyway, one of the boys came to see me in the service department waiting room and gave me more of his Pilot pitch and a second business card. I told him that in all honesty I would have a difficult time justifying the purchase of a vehicle that seats seven for just me and my dog. Sales boys have an answer for every objection (because that's their job and all), and his answer to this was that my dog could have the option of sitting in a different seat every time we went for a ride. I told him I would talk it over with my dog, and if she would willing to get a job and help with the payments, I would consider trading in my CR-V right away. Otherwise, I intend to drive the CR-V until the day it dies -- at least another 100k miles or so. Judy Jetson was not open to considering the whole job concept. She was all 'What? Go to work instead of just napping all day? You've got to be kidding me!' Yeah, Mommy knows, bubula.... Mommy knows.

Judy 'take that job and shove it' Jetson

... Anyway, so there it is. The mooching begins sometime after Launch Day, which is April 1st! I hope that you have enjoyed this Journey of Discovery with me. Okay - if you need me, I'll be upstairs cataloging my handbags by 'cubic inches of storage space.'

a guessing game

What is this?

A) a new hose for my overworked basement dehumidifier

B) Colonics! The Home Game

C) something else entirely (supply your own guess)

Please leave a comment here on Blogger with your guess. He or she who leaves the most interesting comment will be featured in a future blog post.

blocks! Harken! with cam cleats, even!

Okay, someone had better take away my debit card, because it's getting out of control here. I recently received repayment on the interest-free loan I generously -- and inadvertently -- made to the federal government during 2008, and I thought 'Hey, it would benefit me, Central Air, *and* the economy if I was to spend a nice chunk of this money on some new boat toys.'

There are several things I've wanted to do to make it easier for me to singlehand or have first-time crew aboard, but -- no surprise -- I never seem to get to those projects during the season. One such project is leading the main halyard (starboard side of mast) and jiffy reefing line (port side of mast) back to the cockpit for easier handling. I always instruct my crew to stand on the companionway steps to raise and lower the main, but they inevitably seem to want to climb up on the cabin top and flail around, putting themselves at risk of going for a swim.... and freaking out the skipper in the process.

A fellow C-18 sailor, Moe, from the Catalina 18 YahooGroup, suggested that the simplest way to lead the lines back to the cockpit is to install a Harken 140 Big Bullet pivoting block with 150 cam cleat at the base of the mast. Wow - what a simple and elegant solution!

I am going to have a seriously tricked-out sailboat for the upcoming season! And I'll again get to satisfy my lust for drilling holes in stuff.

the boomkicker, a favorite of mast-dancers everywhere

I just placed my order at pyacht.com, as recommended by my friend Gordo, for a real honest-to-goodness boomkicker. I had an awkward, low-end boomkicker last season, and I never managed to get it adjusted to my satisfaction.

Aside from the joy of not having to flail around to hook and unhook the topping lift this season, the delight I will experience from this purchase includes (1) drilling holes in the boom, and (2) dancing. (Yeah... ummm... let's just leave it at that.)

tow vehicle decision - part two

Okay, now that I've let the anticipation grow over the past few weeks, I'm back to work through my all-important tow vehicle decision right here in front of the world. You, dear readers, have the opportunity to witness the obsessive-compulsive, overly-analytic, spreadsheet-oriented process that I employ for such decisions as...

Which stereo system should I buy, based on the optimal combination of price, features, sound quality, and fewest unsightly wires to conceal?

...as well as...

Coffee?... or tea?? (okay, just kidding about that one.)

The corporate types and 'Six Sigma Practitioners' refer to this decision-making tool as a Pugh Matrix, but I like to refer to it as the 'help-I'm-going-all-neurotic-and-overthinking-stuff-again' or the HIGANOSA Method. (Acronyms -- all the cool kids are using them.)

To start with, I'll determine the criteria against which I will test each of my tow vehicle options. Here's what I'm thinking so far:

The best solution will have:

• minimum cost
• scalable solution (as in, 'will be capable of towing my next boat when I catch 'two-foot-itis'' and trade up to a Catalina 22, 25, or maybe even a 30-footer like my mentor Edward, an experienced blue water racer and intergalactically-syndicated sailing columnist)
• dependable long-term solution (will suffice for more than just 1-2 seasons)
• minimum chance of degradation of personal dignity
• supports regional trailer-sailing

I think that's about it. In some upcoming riveting posts, I'll brainstorm my list of options and assign each option a 'score' for each criterium. At the end of all this HIGANOSA-ing, I will have (a) finally written a few blog posts this year, and (b) more fully exposed the depths of my quirkyness to the internets, and (c) have a solid decision on what to do about towing Central Air this season. Believe me, you won't want to miss a minute of this.

tooting my own blog-horn

My BFF The Tillerman's final group writing project of 2008 involves having each participant select his/her favorite 2008 post from his/her own blog. Although I'm fairly sure that every word that passes through my lips or from the clickity-clack of my fingertips is pure genius, it was quite easy for me to select one particular post as my favorite.

But first, some statistics:

# of posts in 2005: 6
# of posts in 2006: 19
# of posts in 2007: 30
# of posts in 2008: 33 (including this one)

This is a pretty pathetic number of posts, especially compared to some of my favorite fellow sailing bloggers ever. Seeking to better understand this data, in true execu-droid style I performed a complex analysis of the figures and arrived at the following conclusions:

1. My enjoyment of the sport increased dramatically when I upgraded from my 14-foot dinghy to my fabulous Capri 18 'yot.' There were many more stories to tell in 2007 - my first full season of sailing Central Air '2.'
2. Although my enjoyment of the sport -- and my skill level, as I finally graduated to the level of 'novice' -- increased even more in 2008, I was too busy having great adventures and making lovely memories (and storing more precious snapshots in my mind than even the flickr could contain), and that didn't leave much time to blog.

The post that best represents this season of adventure and lovely memories is 'Hooray for Team La Vita.' This post is simply the best because it provides a snapshot of this season that includes all the components of a perfect sail: great company, a stiff breeze, and a crew that just 'clicks.'

Viva Team La Vita!

My Sailing Bucket List

My pal the super-fly, New England-based Laser-sailor known as The Tillerman is sponsoring a writing project again this month. This month's assignment -- Your Sailing Bucket List -- really sparks my enthusiasm because, although I've never before written it down, I've had one of those in my head that pre-dates even my first sailing lesson. Maybe everyone does. It grows and changes every season, but there are a couple attributes of my list that never seem to vary. You'll see...

1. O, for pity's sake, achieve my 2008 Sailing Goal! (involves cute boy)



2. Honeymoon in Bermuda and sail a dinghy across the Great Sound. (involves Bermuda, cute boy)

My beloved Bermuda




3. Sail my Capri 18 on Lake Erie. (ideally with [brave] cute boy.)



4. Spend a summer cruising the North Channel and Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. (with cute boy)

Lake Huron




5. Work my way through the ASA program and receive my Bareboat Charter certification.




6. Charter a fine-looking yacht in the BVIs (w/ cute boy(s))
7. Sail from Newport to Bermuda. (with plenty of mal-de-mer protection... Bermuda... and the requisite you-know-what/who.)



The bucket (.. also doubles as an unfortunate form of mal-de-mer protection.)

Apparently, my girlish enthusiasm for the sport of sailing is exceeded only by my girlish enthusiasm for members of the opposite sex.

I *heart* SnapIts!

Let me tell you about my SnapIts. I just love my SnapIts. There is no other drinkholder for me!

When I first scored my Capri 18, Central Air, I did what all new boat owners do: I went on a shopping spree. Being somewhat naïve -- somewhat more naïve than I am now -- I purchased a couple of the suction-cup style cupholders. Live and learn, I guess. After several extremely unsatisfying experiences, many that involved spilled drinks and the need to 'lick and stick' the cupholders to the cockpit sides - GAG! - I threw those sad little cupholders into the yard sale bin. After that, I considered buying the gimballed-style stainless steel cupholders that hang from the lifelines. The problem with those, according to several sailing buddies, is that they have a tendency to fall overboard... and sink. Even employing an elaborate fastening strategy involving a "scrunchy," they still fell overboard... and sank.

Enter SnapIts!! I can't remember where I first happened upon this little wonder, but it was serendipity indeed. The SnapIt... get this... snaps onto the stanchion... and it does NOT fall overboard... nor does it sink... nor does it spill drinks! (Sailors, however, have been known to spill drinks just fine on their own, thank you very much.)

My boat is fully tricked-out with Snapits. Hydration is important, right? My cockpit holds 6ish or so people, and I have SnapIt capacity for 6 drinks, of course. (When you're not paying attention to where you're going and are about the run aground, the last thing you need is a crew member scrambling to find a place to put his drink when the skippers calls "Ready about!"... and then spilling it down his shorts and belly-aching about his wet crotch for the remainder of the afternoon. [giggle])

Of my six SnapIts, I have two 'Racing SnapIts' - one each on the port and starboard stern pulpits. I have a 'Convertible SnapIt' that serves as either a single or double drinkholder on the port amidships stanchion. I also have a 'Double SnapIt' on the starboard amidships stanchion.

Lest you believe that something that just 'snaps' onto a stanchion can't really be that secure, let me assure you that the fine folks that make SnapIts already thought of that. Each SnapIt (except for the Racing SnapIt) comes with a little 'wraparound' piece that screws onto the Snapit to keep it perfectly secure.

Please note that I am not on the payroll of the company that makes SnapIts, nor do I receive kickbacks or free SnapIts for plugging their products (although I would welcome that, of course.) I just happen to be a satisfied sailor who (1) can write 1,000 words on the most inane subject matter, and (2) thinks that SnapIts are the best sailing innovation ever!