Sailing Vessel Froo Gal

10 January 2015

Choosing Boat Graphics

Readers of this blog will know that we have some simple graphics already. We need to have some graphics (decals) made for the boat with at least the boat name -- Froo Gal -- and the Small Ships Register (SSR) number.

We could something simple like the logo on the right, which is our current preference. Alternatively we could push the boat out (if you'll expose the pun) and add some form of pictorial graphic. Searching the web for inspiration from copyright (and/or royalty) free images, here is our top 5 of our initial findings, working on the theme of froo (bling) gal (girl). Please let us know what you think.

1. The original Froo Gal (one of many similar options from http://www.graphics99.com)

Betty Boop, Cartoons, English | Forward this Picture

2. Froo (The Cat Lord of the Universe) Girl (from Tumblr here)

3. The Original It Girl (Marylin Monroe)
marilyn monroe cartoon drawings

4. Marylin Logo (here)

Marilips

See here for other Marylin lips graphics.

5. Simple diamond logo (from here)

Ridiculous (and more serious) ways to make money more slowly than the minimum wage (or better),... whilst afloat

We on Froo Gal love to dream up ways to make a 'living' whilst dropping out of the rat race taking off around the World (or at least round Britain, as that keeps the tax simpler). Here are some of out more ridiculous ideas:

1. Gold Panning Recreational gold panning can be fun, but it has to rate as one of the slowest ways of making money in the UK. It Sounds like a perfect activity for the Froo Gal crew. The British Geological Survey reported in 1999 on UK gold deposits. The report provides some hints at where to look. In practice Helmsdale seems to be your best bet for recreational panning in the UK, as it is encouraged by the landowner (for tourism). This seems certainly the slowest way to generate income in the UK.

2. Writing and publishing poetry Well why not? Who has not dreamed of writing poetry? Whether to make money or express unrequited love, we suspect everyone has had the odd (sometimes very odd) flight of fancy when it comes to poetry. However, with each generation, poetry seems to be a little more removed from the grasp of the ordinary man or woman. Ignoring its modern equivalent -- song writing -- for a moment, poetry seems to be the preserve of the rich, eccentric or mad. Yet, the ocean, sky, sunsets; people, rhythm, passion; and exhilaration, despair and hope of sailing are well placed to inspire poetry. So who knows...? This could become a passion, but history shows that sales are generally slow during your lifetime. Substantial income after you pass away (in tragic circumstances at sea) is neither guaranteed nor helpful for the cash-strapped cruiser.

3. Selling your photographs as stock photos As with all the ideas in this post, we assume that none of these are your previous profession. If they are, then you are well place to live a life on the high seas. Reader of this web log will already know that we know that sunsets are easy to capture whilst afloat. iPhones and DSLR cameras make capturing the moment pretty simple. Having an eye for a photograph has been replaced by the opportunity to take thousands of photographs to be stored and reviewed at leisure on inexpensive storage media or on line. The new skills is being able to chose the right image from the vast array of your own picture and those available to you on line, if you are writing a blog, etc. Similarly, photography into an income stream requires a similar eye. Making it efficient, in this competitive World is an added challenge. In our experience, editors don't want to have to edit the material sent to them.

4. Write a novel and e-publish We all have a novel in us, or so goes the adage. Our worry is that these are usually, at least partially, based on ones own experiences. Escaping the rat race is one thing, but drawing the World's attention to your life does not seem the right thing to do contiguously. Similarly, writing about your sailing experience is now commonplace, but hardly a recipe for a best seller. Our novels might have to be completely ficticious!

5. Complete on-line surveys, polls, etc. We are sure there are many things you can do on line to earn 'rewards.' This seems to be the nearly the dullest of them all. If you have any experience to the contrary we would love to hear from you.

6. Tutor Now this is more important and rewarding than other in our list so far. Passing on basic education, laced with your experience and wisdom is both important and can be rewarding. If you have more specific skills to share, perhaps you might the next generation in ways that stretch their imagination well beyond that of their immediate family. In our view this is really important. Most of us live quite narrow lives. We don't mean that in a pejorative way. Rather, well before Adam Smith observed that our race specialises in our occupation and contribution to society, individuals in each generation have become more reliant of their neighbours and society as they have become more 'niche' in their own contribution (on average).

7. Baby-sit To us, this is the less well paid version of tutoring (above). When we we spend time with friend's children, we teach them mathematics, talk about history, ask open questions, and encourage them to question the World. Children today are twice as smart as we remember being, yet the challenges that they face are manyfold that our generation face(d). Yes this could be seen as low-entry-level employment, but the responsibility is second-to-none.

8. Beach-comb This seems romantic, impractical, and in extremis unethical. Take care what you take from the beach. Many made items that wash up are surely fair game. Items that you can eat might be acceptable, but the collection of purely cosmetic items (shells and the like) could never be acceptable to the cruising visitor -- take only photographs, leave only footprints!

9. Recycle Collect aluminium cans, scrap metal, and even rotting seaweed if you can make better use of it. The former should not be on the beach or the streets and the latter is better used on your garden or compost bin. Driftwood in your BBQ is not worse than burning charcoal briquettes.

10. Enter competitions Anyone can do this. A laptop, tablet, smart-phone or internet cafe and a postal address is all you need.
11. Write away for free samples It is amazing what you can get for free.

12. Gigs on Fivrr (is there a UK version?) Do a small job for a small amount of money. You may not make minimum wage, but it could be an easy way to gain the freedom and flexibility you are seeking as a sailor/live-aboard/cruiser.

13. Be an extra Working as a film extra could be a fun part-time, ad hoc occupation. It seems to us to be a relatively low skill option, but watch that travel costs don't out-weigh any income you generate.

14. Freelance There are a variety of general to highly specialized skills you can utilize as a freelance worker, one line. Google to find sites and get ideas if you don't currently have skills and experience that make the options obvious to you.

15. Pet sitting (or dog walk) Sit pets for friends or work for an agency. This can be done from a marina. You might need a bicycle to get to clients houses.

16. Day trading Don't lose your shirt (or your boat)!

17. Mystery Shopping A great job if you like shopping and low skilled. See this example FAQs to learn more.

18. Grow your own food Are you limited to you boat (herbs are popular) or could you get a council allotment as a live-aboard?

19. Brew your own beer or wine This seems popular with long-distance cruisers. Do you homework to see what works best afloat.

20. Skill swap/barter Cruisers (your neighbours) will have skills you need and (perhaps) vice-versa.

21. Paint, click or write and sell your work on-line Art, photographs and e-books can all be sold on-line. You'll need to consider how to store any physical work and fulfill orders.

22. Work on others' boats Working on boats can often be low skilled, but hard work. Labour rates in marinas can be very expensive. If you are time rich, why not tap into this by working for others?

22. Street performer If you can play the guitar, mine, do magic or sing, this could be a very easy option.

23. Stand-up comedy Yacht clubs, bars and comedy clubs may welcome your humour. If your cruising area is large enough this could be a viable form of employment whilst afloat. Alternatively, telling a few jokes could earn you a meal or a few beers on a more ad hoc basis.

24. Tour guide Marinas are often near tourist areas. Why not learn about the attractions and then share your knowledge with others for money or perhaps as a volunteer?

25. Fitness instructor Perhaps all you need as a beach? Lead a class, for fun or token contributions!

26. Telecommuter This could be the fastest way to live aboard your boat -- a proper job you can do from your boat, car and laptop.

27. Fast food worker. You can learn to sell or cook Big Macs and find work almost anywhere.

28. International yachting jobs (Skipper, engineers, chef, steward, etc.)
With some additional qualifications you could make a great tax free living aboard someone else's luxury yacht.

29. Hair dressing The skill to cut and style hair has a world market. Selling or bartering these skills or just keeping your crew trimmed could be a very useful asset to any long-term cruiser or live-aboard.

30. Sell, water, snacks, etc. If you are moored or anchored near a popular beach or tourist area you could make a little money selling from a cooler box full of ice. Just make sure that you are not breaking any law.

31. Teach Why not pass on your knowledge by teaching at a local adult education college or tutoring neighbours kids. Recent years have seen a growth in tutoring agencies -- hourly rates can be quite high.

32. Virtual assistant This is another great way where your laptop and wifi Internet connection. Managing diaries and emails, booking travel, and keeping busy execs organised in the rat race from the oasis of your boat could be a great compromise to get you out of the rat race.

33. Diesel mechanic and marine electrician With the right experience and skills you could be a valuable addition to a marina or the cruising community.

34. Politics , charities, and pressure groups Canvassing, leafleting and market research jobs can easily be done on an ad hoc basis. Volunteering is particularly easy, especially for a cause close to your heart.

35. Short-term contract work Why not take a seasonal approach to you cruising? Take a 3-6 month contact during the winter and sail in the UK over the summer or work in the UK over the summer and sail somewhere hot abroad in the UK winter... I heard the South Pacific beckoning.

36. Interim management Working on short-term assignments that that suit you and provide some variety could be a useful solution whilst afloat., but are you going to store all those business suits and shirts? Like any short-term contact work, interim management might be best done from your house, allowing you to sail for part of the year.

37. Call centre or telemarketing Any job that just requires your phone, a laptop and Internet connection like these must be high on the list of options for an live-aboard sailor.

38. Journalism Like any form of writing, it is likely that freelance journalism can be undertaken from anywhere. Be aware that this is a very competitive and relatively low paid market.

39. Volunteering (not to make money) Whether it is litter-picking, politics, community work or other charitable work, volunteering is both valuable to society and beneficial to you. You make friends, make a contribution, feel good about yourself, and (perhaps) learn some skills.

40.On-line selling Could you establish an ebay shop? Or is selling off your pre-cruising possession a practical and money generating alternative to putting your land-life into storage?

A few points to consider:

41. Employment vs. income generation Why are you doing it? What is your motivation? We currently write in the hope that people read our work. We also like to 'think out load' and trade views, ideas, and advice. We like the idea of supplementing our income whilst cruising in our early retirement (some years off now), simply because it is a challenge and keeps options open. It it were easy, we might feel differently about it.

42. Keep it legal Make sure that you are allowed to work in the country of your cruising. A work permit or visa that allows you to work may be hard to come by unless you are under 30.

43. Pay the tax owed Dropping out of the rat race is no excuse for dodging your civic, social, societal, and legal responsibilities. Generally there are many ways to enjoy cruising and avoid any ambiguity with the law. Make sure your visa is valid. Check out the tax implications of your stay and hence don't overstay your welcome. Cruising in the EU (European Union) should be straight forward as there is freedom of movement, employment, etc. But some local 'by-laws' have recently challenged the legal rights of sailors, for example spending time in Spain. It seems that this group has been singled out (with the assumption of their affluence) for special treatment with respect to taxation. Your boat could be impounded if you spend too long in the country (whereas you boat can spend as much time as you like), unless you register and pay the requisite taxes. We don't know all the subtle rules -- it would pay for you to understand the details if you plan to spend any appreciable time in Spain, Greece or a growing number of EU countries that are struggling economically.

44. Don't forget why you are sailing Aren't you sailing to see the World and drop out of the rat race? If so, are you working because your starting budget is insufficient or is money not really your motivation? Or did you run out of money too soon? Whatever the answer, you'll need to decide whether working and sailing are compatible for you.

45. Don't forget to help out your neighbour (for free) The oceans, seas, and even coastal/inshore sailing are wild. To survive you will draw on your seamanship and the skills and help of both other sailors and marine professionals. Be sure to help others when they need it.

Understand the difference between cost, price and value!

Gadgets & Products Review

Happy New Year! It is now the week of the London Boat Show. We went last year and were disappointed by it compared to other shows, so we have skipped it this tear (2015). Over the years that the Froo Gal crew has been sailing -- with friends, chartering, racing, and in boat ownership -- we have bought and tried numerous sailing gadgets and products. Here are some of our top tips. We should just add that we are not promoting these items and some may no longer be for sale, as they will have been updated, superseded or otherwise been taken off the market. They may give you some Christmas present ideas for the sailors in your life.

1. Hand held GPS We have a a Garmin 12XL hand-held GPS unit bought in the early days of GPS in the early 2000s. It is still going strong. It tells you where you are, reliably. Another example of a quality, long-life product. It was not expensive. At first we found that it had a fairly limited battery life, but turn off the unnecessary key-click sounds, use Duracell batteries and an external (cigarette-type) power lead and it is a great device. It has helped us through early morning fog (on budget charter boats) and acted as a great back-up to chart-plotters on many cruises. We have a second (slightly more modern) Garmin eTrex hand-held GPS unit, which we bought for a family member who never used it (and thus we 'inherited' it -- he is not dead). It has a map function, but we don't use that afloat. Our only slight grib is that it has a slight different (arguably worst) user interface to the 12XL -- an unnecessary innovation, which all product developers seem unable to avoid. We would be much more loyal to brands and products if their innovation concentrated on price, quality (longevity), performance, durability, and avoided any unnecessary change in user interface. We keep one in our grab bag and the other as a backup to the chart plotter handy for the chart table.

2. Strhal Wine Glasses Polycarbonate plastic that looks and almost feels like glass. These will add a touch of class to any yacht inventory, in addition to the safety benefit over glass. In keeping with our usual theme, they should also last much longer than cheaper plastics and should therefore net a real saving. Moreover, this investment makes us just a little more likely to stay for a drink or two on board rather than heading for the pub, restaurant or yacht club -- another way of a saving a few quid in style. See the Strhal website for details.

3. Hammock This is a must-have accessory for any sailor. A large string hammock hung between the mast and the forestay creates an instant place of sanctuary for any skipper or crew member needing to find some personal space or 'chill' time. You can find something suitable for 5GBP and upowards from ebay, etc. This would make a great present for any sailor. Every one should have a hammock in their kit bag

4. Folding cockpit cushions This is the first luxury on the list. But some of the Froo Gal crew swear by them., so they make this list. The type -- ComfortSEAT -- that one of the skippers bought last year is particularly luxurious. It is hinged and instantly creates the need to sit around reading a book or watching the World go by. These make a good present for the boat owner who has everything.

5.Cordless drills set Every red blooded DIY enthusiast needs a cordless drill. The imperative of ownership for a boat owner is double, as ready access to a 220/240V or 110/115V supply can be sporadic when cursing. Price (and inversely proportionally, weight) is usually a matter of the battery technology. You also need to consider the drive voltage and resultant torque and accompanying tool set.

6. Mooring Gadget When short handed a mooring 'helper' can be valuable. There are many types. Here are a selection: EasyMoor, MoorFast, Mooring Mast, Line-a-Sure, Landing Loop, and Hook&Moor.

More to come...

Understand the difference between cost, price and value!

13 December 2014

A few more money saving tips

In the last week or so, we have used a few money saving tips. None will make you rich on their own, but they all add up, and there are some additional benefits:

1. Tea bags I caught one crew member making three (yes, that is right three, not two) cups of tea from one tea bag. Two of the crew like very weak tea, so it is not a crazy way of saving. (We also compost tea bags to reduce our landfill burden)... every little helps.

2. Emergency cuff links The astute reader will know that this is now a recurring theme. One member of our crew found himself hurriedly getting dressed for a (free) Christmas party at our local yacht club, when he found that he had no cuff links with which to fasten his shirt cuffs. This was easily resolved by a couple of short stands of nylon cord tied with reef knots. (We only managed a hurried red and blue, as the spool of green could not be located at short notice... pity).

3. Walk a stop or two One of our crew (who by his own admission is currently a little over weight) forgot his annual rail pass on the way to work. As long as he does not do it more than once or twice a year, this has minimal financial impact for the main journey, but on this occasion a few tube journeys would also need to be considered. They could add up to quite a considerable cost and would either be difficult to claim back from the train company (a different franchise from the tube) or time consuming to secure. The frugal and healthy option for this member of the Froo Gal crew was to walk a few stops rather than pay unnecessary costs. The health benefit was a bonus. A hour less in the office was a cost (perhaps), but did he really owe that to his employer?

Great sunsets are easy afloat
Copyright (c) SV Froo Gal 2014, All Rights Reserved

4. Take in the views It is rare for the crew of Froo Gal to stop and enjoy the view (life is so hectic), but we are determined to do it more often. We have a real tension in the crew. One of the skippers hates it when others take too much time to photograph or video what the crew is doing. He says, "enjoy it, live in the moment." But this causes us some difficultly. Now that we are sharing some of our experiences in this Blog, we have to take time to both look around and capture it on 'film.' Getting out and about, drinking in the views that nature provides has the added advantage of being free. Whether looking for beauty or art in an urban environment, catching a great sunset or a glimpse of wildlife it is all worthwhile. (An that skipper is becoming an (annoying) convert).

5. Quality pays The above photo was taken with our 9 year old Nikon D70s. In our view it is still a great premium amateur camera. Most of the other original Froo Gal pictures shown in this blog, so far, have been taken with an iPhone 4.0. It does a great job, especially when you were not thinking about the potential need to take a shot. They are both good examples of where paying a premium for a well engineered product pays in the long run. And we keep using them until they are unable to do they job required.

6. iPlayer Why pay for Netflix, Amazon Prime or a DVD (and yes we still like to own something on a piece of hardware) when there is great original drama, comedy, and documentary on the BBC that you can watch at your leisure on BBC iPlayer? In the UK you get this as part of your TV licence, which you are legally required to buy if you have a TV in your home (or boat). Other British channels offer similar players, but they are a little less flexible. For example they don't allow free downloads to a smart phone.

Winter sun
Copyright (c) SV Froo Gal 2014
All Rights Reserved

7. Composting We compost uncooked vegetable waste (potato and other vegetable peelings), tea bags, and garden waste -- grass clippings, leaves, etc. As a result we rarely if ever need to buy compost for pot plants and the garden. We'd be interested if anyone has any tips for life afloat. Is composting on a live-aboard, globe-trotting cruising yacht in any way practical or useful? (We grew a basil plant once on a three week trip, so our experience is limited).

8. Free vitamin D Even in the winter the sun shines brightly (from time to time in the UK). Grab it while you can. 30 minutes during your lunch break or an hour or two at the week end can do wonders for your vitamin D levels, health, happiness and well-being. A crisp and cold winter day can be a joy for a sail or a walk.

Understand the difference between cost, price and value!

2 December 2014

Saving Approaches that we don't (always) use

We like to save money and keep costs down. More savings = more time on the water. But we are by no means excessive or extreme. Here are a few approaches that we have not tried (and probably won't). Why? Well, we are time-poor and aren't obsessive.

Extreme Couponing

Just turn on your Freeview TV and tune to TLC and you'll soon come across the

reality TV show Extreme Couponing. The show demonstrates that (in the US) if you are patient you can find discount coupons and shop sales that add up to massive discount and free products. The stars of the show regularly buy hundreds of dollars worth of non-perishable supermarket goods for a few tens of dollars or less. A quick search shows that the boat owner can save money with coupons. For example coupons.com found discount codes for West Marine. It is a US based retailer, but they ship overseas and might have that hard to find item that you need. voucherselector.co.uk looks like a useful resource. For example I found a discount codes for lastminute.com a land yachting taster session and 37% off a London Boat show dinner cruise for two -- travel and entertainment stacked discounts (I could get hooked). How about getting a free burrito at any London Chipotle restaurant from 4-6pm on Sat 6th or Sat 13th of December just for wearing a Christmas jumper, says www.hotukdeals.com. I also found a free download of Photomatix Essentials 4 (worth about 45USD) and Fusion VFX 7.5 (previously costing ~1000USD) -- they should come in handing for tinkering with photos and videos for the blog. The above graphic was edited with it. We used the YouTube video editor to loop it -- a bit clunky, but not bad for 30 minutes work. The O2 Priority ap might be worth checking out too for savings an freebies.

Cash back credit cards
At any one time one of the major credit card companies is doing a great cash back deal. While we have used some of these, but don't change cards to keep with the best. Google compares UK cards here. Be sure you can always pay off your bill before using these cards as the interest charges will wipe out the small percentage of cash back very quickly. Moneysavingexpert.com sets out its 'golden rules' for cash back credit cards.

Comparison sites
Whether changing utility suppliers, seeking the lowest cost mortgage, buying a car or renewing insurance, comparison sites can do some of the work for you. Comparethemarket.com is perhaps the most promoted site in the Uk, but there are plenty of others. And don't forget to compare the prices with the vendors who don't use the compare sites!

Free Stuff and Great Discounts
Moneysavingexpert.com lists all sort of deals. Here are some examples that could be useful for a cost conscious sailing crew:

Free St. John Ambulance first aid ap

Free Spotify for any device free music for the price of your wifi.

Easybus -- full fare travel does not get much cheaper.

Regatta web outlet -- Polo shirts and fleeces from 5.00GBP.

More to come...

Understand the difference between cost, price and value!

30 November 2014

Wish List -- Money Saving Gadgets and Other Ideas

The Froo Gal crew have lots of great ideas for adding functionality, improving safety, or enhancing their sailing experience without breaking the budget. Some require more research. Your experience and advice would be most welcome; please post your ideas!

Image courtesy of Getideaka
at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

1. 12V Bar-top Ice-maker
Ice is both an essential and a luxury whilst sailing. When the temperatures heat up, yacht refrigerators may struggle to cope without a regular top up of ice. And ice cubs for your G&T on board will save you buying drinks from the yacht club or pub -- impress your guests and save money!

A few years ago 12V units seemed to be readily available on the market. Now I only see the odd second-hand one on eBay. Customer reviews of the mains (240V) units are rather mixed. I wonder if there was a quality or performance issue with the 12V units. Alternatively, perhaps there was insufficient demand for the 12V units. Does any reader have an experience to share?

A thread on BoaterEd suggests that an inverter and an AC unit is a practical alternative. This could work for Froo Gal as we use shore power much of the time (which of course would not need the inverter). Without shore power it is likely that we would have to run the engine and we'd need to check that her electrical system could handle the peak current.

2. DIY Bowsprit vs. Spinnaker Pole & Gear
We need to add a cruising chute (or asymmetric spinnaker) to Froo Gal's sails' inventory. Why? You might ask. Well, frugal sailors want to get from A to B under sail, efficiently. For light-airs sailing, this seems to us a practical addition to the cruising inventory. However, we need to consider not only the cost of the sail, which can be substantial, but the cost of the gear that would allow us to fly it. There are a few options:

a) Bowsprit kit
A simple retail option (with simple self-build installation instructions or a boat yard installation) could be the simplest way to fly a cruising chute. But there are other issues to consider. Kits require the installation of through deck fittings. We have recently looks at 20-30 year old boats. Several have had problems with water ingress into the deck laminate cores. There is nothing worse than water rotting your balsa deck's core. After comparing some options Allspars seems to be a good option. Their site makes sizing and selection of equipment look very easy.

b) DIY bowsprit
Sail Magazine has a useful article on this topic. It compares a DIY project with retail kits -- Seldan, Sparcraft, etc. Finding the key parts seems a little more difficult in the UK than the US, but a little research yielded some fast results for the aluminium tube: www.sailingschoolandrigging.com

c) A thing that hangs off the fore stay
Adding an ATN Tacker is perhaps the least expensive option. Model B would suit Froo Gal. It retails at 165USD. The sailing forums seem to like it. Have a look at this video and tell us what you think!

d) Spinnaker gear
Looking into the numbers, we could save a few pounds (GBPs) by crafting and installing a DIY bowsprit option over a bowsprit kit. An expendable option is typically most frugal as no one wants to pay of for the extra LOA (length overall) when in the marina. And flying a cruising chute from a spinnaker pole is not too tricky and opens up other options. More importantly, adding spinnaker gear is less invasive when it come to the structure of the boat. There would be (we hope) no need to add any new through-deck fittings, which are (of course) paths for deck problems. Also adding spinnaker gear adds the option of flying a full spinnaker or 'blooper' -- something that the bowsprit options does not give you. The alternative argument is that rigging the spinnaker gear is more involve than a bowsprit option. More research is required. Any thoughts or advice would be gratefully received!

3. Sewing Machine
This is our perhaps less considered thought. We have a sailors palm and sewing kit and it has proved invaluable. We have recently paid for repairs to our main sail. Does it necessarily follow that we would use a sewing machine to save money on professional sewing repairs? More thought is required. Brian at SV Delos has a clear view on this, but then he and his crew spends months on end in the pacific, remotely located for sail lofts. His vessel (Delos) is used in a way that demands running repairs in a way that Froogal is unlikely to see. But the frugal sailor needs to consider the potential and likely benefits.

4. GPS Dongle
Our iPad does not have 3G or GPS. We can tether it to an iPhone to give it 3G functionality to help out with navigation functionality, but this is an extra challenge for batteries and battery charging (perhaps the subject of a later post).

5. Rope cutter
You will have seen from our recent lift and scrub experience that Froo Gal's prop was damaged when a line got wrapped around it. The scoring caused it to corrode right through in several places. A rope cutter might have saved this damage. Moreover, we were lucky that the incident did not cause more damage. A rope cutter could be a good investment. What are your experiences?

6. Cockpit Light/Lantern
Froo Gal has a smart cockpit awing. It really maximizes the space that the crew can use -- the cockpit becomes an extension of the living space whilst she is moored. But we have yet to sort out a light and now we are approaching the depths of winter it would be really useful. When chartering we have seen that the usual solution is to run a cable from a cigarette lighter 12V socket out to light in the cockpit. Alternative could include a battery or solar powered unit with a magnetic fitting to attach to the canvas or a incandescent paraffin lamp or oil lamp. Whilst the latter two can create a rather nice ambiance, they are not the safest or most frugal options. A citronella candle can be useful on summer evening, but none of these are a serious solution for anything beyond a long weekend or a charter holiday. ybw.com has a thread on the subject, which we need to read an digest. An LED light with some clever way to avoid trailing cables seems the best advice. Ideas on a post card, please! Finally, why is this a money saving issue, a part from avoid necessary costs. Well, it is about making the boat a usable, pleasant place to be. Make it a place you not only want to spend time, but a place you prefer to spend time, then you will sit and have a coffee in the cockpit rather than heading to the cafe and sit with friends for dinner rather than heading to the pub or yacht club.

7. Cruising chute / Asymmetric Spinnaker
The obvious options are cruising spec., racing/performance spec., or second hand. But we say this with little research. Sails are the second most 'consumable' (major maintenance) item on a boat after the engine, so some diligent research is required. There seems to be a fair bit of competition in the UK market place for such sails; whilst we are not expecting miracles, perhaps we can hope that shopping around would find us a cost reduction or perhaps a bargain.

Sizing a cruising chute is a bit of a mystery to us. We want something for light airs, but don't want something that is mad to handle or needs 'changing down' as soon as we find a breeze. Like most serious purchases the hardest questions is, what do we need/want? Once we have answered that question the rest is 'just money.'

9. Grab Bag Consumables
We shopped around for consumables and extras for our grab bag. It seems that the most expensive part of life raft ownership is the consumables - fares, rations, water. etc. For light coastal sailing you might consider stretching the professional service interval for your life raft by buying such items. Shop around on line and you can find some real bargains. You also may need to grab these items and take to your dingy in some circumstances. Technology can also help you out. We bought an Odeo laser flare odeoflare.co.uk). It out-performs traditional hand-held safety flares in two important ways: first, once activated it lasts for hours rather than minutes; second, its service life is much longer, meaning you realise a real cost saving. It also helps reduce your inflammable inventory and helps save space. We added some extra for our grab bag: hand held GPS, cheap mobile (cell) phone, SOLAS No.2 safety card -- distress signals, floating knife, foil blankets, heaving line, glow sticks, binoculars, LED torch (flashlight) with SOS Morse code function, and a SOLAS Cat C first aid kit.

Understand the difference between cost, price and value!

29 November 2014

Savings on the water: iPad Navigation & Pilotage

The Froo Gal crew has found a few ways to save money whilst on the water -- cruising in the UK:

1. Electronic Charts

Navionics provides a low cost set of electronics charts that make an excellent back-up for your paper charts. For cruisers like us who rarely venture out of the Solent and then not far from the south coast of England 23.99GBP -- for the UK & Holland chart set -- is money well spent to cut down on the frequency of chart updates for our Raymarine plotter. Add the Admiralty Leisure small craft folio (SC 56000 The Solent and Approaches) and you navigation needs are met for a very modest budget.

This year we paid a bit extra to buy the route planning plug in. We'll perhaps comment on this, once we have had a chance to use it.

Not only does the iPad offer a neat navigation backup solution whilst on a passage, it is a perfect planning tool whilst on land. Whether in the yacht club or at home we find this app convenient. Lugging paper charts around or buying duplicates are not attractive alternatives.

2. Electronic Almanac

We saved time and money by getting the Reeds Almanac for the iPad. Again, as we sail in a relatively small area, the ability to buy the region you need can represent quite a saving over buying a paper Almanac. Interactive features such as tidal heights, tidal streams and weather really add value and save time whilst afloat. We keep an old paper version and small booklets of tide times and heights for local harbours on the boat as a back up.

3. Hardware

What about the marine environment? You may well ask. iPads are fragile at the best of times and the marine environment can hardly be described as benign. Waterproofing was our priority. We bought a LifeEdge waterproof case at the Southampton Boat show in the summer. Since then the price has come down quite a bit. The shocks and knocks on a boat and the practicality of using the iPad in the cockpit are our next considerations. We have just ordered a LifeEdge surface mount kit and a Scanstruct Rokk adjustable mount kit. We will use these to fix the iPad to the helm pedestal rail, near the other instruments. It should make an easy way to mount our iPad in the right place whilst being easily removable.

hudl2 8.3" 16GB Wi-Fi Tablet - Dreamy White

Recently we have also been experimenting with a low cost hudl (Android) tablet, purchased from Tesco. At £129GBP the the cost of replacing one is much more bearable than an iPad. Navionics have just released an Android version of their charts. We'll let you know how we get on with this frugal alternative.4. Free Pilotage Information
Sites like visitmyharbour.com and noonsite.com provide a wealth of pilotage data. It can sometime be stated more frankly than could be stated in an almanac on pilot book. These sites are more often than not sailing community forum. Make a contribution to the sites, share your experience and browse their ads -- help keep the sites free to use and up to date.

5.Weather Online
There are an overwhelming number of weather sites on line. We tend to use windfinder.com for short term forecasts and UGrib and passageweather.com for longer-term forecasts. Both of the latter use freely available grib files, which are the output of sophisticated weather models to plot wind speed and direction, pressure, and wave height and direction. Both can easily be used to create animations of the forecasts over several days. UGrib requires a downloaded application then grib files, used on a PC at home. passageweather.com is used from a browser, so is much more convenient aboard and can be used on a range of tablets, PCs and smartphones.

Understand the difference between cost, price and valu