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Baron Drexel and Harris - My Mentors, Teachers and Coaches
My life was always about playing ball, mostly baseball as I grew up. Therefore, I was always at the playground on Chancellor Avenue. This was a hotbed for sports activity in the Weequahic section of Newark. From Monday through Saturday there were...
Come Bounce on the Urban Rebounder
As a child, jumping on a trampoline can provide hours of entertaining fun. Being bounced into the air like you weighed nothing at all, then landing with all the grace of an Olympic gymnast, there was nothing that brought more pleasurable enjoyment...
How To Choose The Right Scuba Fins
When it comes to investing in your own pair of scuba fins, you have a plethora of choices from a number of manufacturers who continue to advance the engineering they use to produce the most durable, efficient fins possible. While the original,...
How To Choose The Right Wrestling Shoes
A Quick History Lesson About The Sport of Wrestling
Wrestling is the world's oldest sport. Evidence of wrestling can
be traced all the way back to ancient Egyptian times. The first
Olympic wrestling match was recorded in 708 BC. The...
Scramjets: The Hypersonic Challenge
Almost 60 years ago, the sound barrier was thought impossible to pass. Yet soon after the X-1’s success, programs were already in the works to take us beyond Mach 1 and into supersonic flight (Mach 1- Mach 5). However, to cross the next barrier...
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Simple Things for the "Sailing Life"
Owning a boat has an oxymoronic quality to it. "The simple life" can be pretty complex--I think of it as having a plane, a car, and a house compressed into a very small space. This specialized environment calls for specialized equipment and tactics...sometimes. In spite of what marine retailers would like us to think, there are a number of 'normal' (and inexpensive) items that we can put to very efficient use aboard our boats. For example:
- For easy lighting that won't impair your night vision, stock red cellophane (the kind you get in rolls in a gift wrap store) and rubber bands. Cut squares to fit over flashlights and rubber band them in to place.
- Forget buying purpose-made bag clips. Clothespins can do double duty by securing laundry to the life lines as well as keeping the bag of potato chips (or whatever) closed. And only use rubber covered clothespins--the metal hinges on the wooden ones rust out in about five seconds in a marine environment.
- When the clothes dryer eats a sock, don't throw away its mate. Save those unmatched socks to use as jar and bottle covers aboard the boat. They provide good shock absorbency.
- If you haven't completely switched over to a digital camera, you should have plastic film canisters hanging around. Reuse them for storage aboard the boat--small fittings, pill boxes, herbs/spices, anything small that needs a compact home.
- Have several plastic spray bottles on board. Besides their use for cleaning solutions (e.g., a bleach/water combination for controlling mildew),
they are great 'hand showers'. Douse yourself on hot days to encourage evaporative cooling. And when you're out on the ocean and go over the side for a bath, use a spray bottle to rinse yourself off with fresh water-- works great. Just make sure you keep your cleaning solution bottles separate from your shower bottles!
- If you aren't already doing so, save your old toothbrushes for cleaning and maintenance on the boat. There are loads of tight places above and below decks where a small brush works great. One overlooked spot: Use a toothbrush to clean the inside of anchor chain links.
- You can never have too many zip-locking bags. Keep several sizes available, and use them for more than just food storage. Spare parts, clothes, office equipment, medicines, and lots of other stuff will pack more compactly when transferred to zip locking bags. And reuse the bags: invert, wash, and then hang to dry with those double-duty clothespins.
These are just a few examples of the use of 'non-marine' things that have a place aboard a boat.
(c)Copyright 2004 Kerry S. Mason
About The Author
Kerry Mason is the webmaster for http://www.finesailing.com, The #1 resource on the Internet for sailing, boating and water sports enthusiasts. Be sure to visit his complete archive of articles at... http://www.finesailing.com/articles/index.html
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