Measure Twice, Cut Once!

Measure Twice, Cut Once!

... an American friend of ours says that the British always measure twice and cut once and Americans measure once and cut twice. He meant that the American government and industry research and development organisations had more resources at their disposal and as a result could become complacent and wasteful, whereas the British, with relatively modest means, were better stewards of their resources (frugal you might say) and as a result could be more innovative. It is an attractive theory, but there are more Apples in the US economy than from British stock. But perhaps that is not just about our nations' engineers, but something to do with investors, financial regulation, business culture and access to large markets.

What has this got to do with a sailing blog you might ask? Well, this weekend Froo Gal's co-skippers took advantage of the spring sunshine to tackle a few of the per-season jobs on the boat. We secured a bracket, cut, whipped and attached a line for the snubber and reattached a bungee cord to the anchor locker lid, replacing the attachments that had corroded through. And we 'invented' a new job. We noticed that the bungee cord attaching the bottom of the cockpit tent was beginning to perish. It did not need replacing immediately, but the sun was shining and it would be a pleasant and quick task to perform in the sunshine. We removed one of the loops, measured it once, did a quick count of the number of loops and set off for the marine chandlers. We bought 4m of bungee, had a leisurely lunch and returned to complete the work. We ran out of bungee about half way through, doubling the time it took to complete the job, by requiring a second trip to the chandlers. Whilst this only lost us half an hour and cost us no extra on this occasion, it served as useful reminder to measure twice and cut once, rather than being ill prepared and making work for ourselves and others. In doing so we can be more frugal boat owners.

We now just have to replace the prop, fit the mainsail battens, route the reefing lines and we will be ready to sail. Let's hope we have ordered the right replacement prop (we did check in two independent places)!

Sailing Films

Sailing Films 

Image courtesy of Idea go at
FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The weather has been so awful recently, we have end up sitting by the fire watching films. We like sailing films, but there aren't enough.  Here is a list of our top 10.

1. All is lost
Well whilst we enjoyed it, it seems that many sailing don't.  Here is a list of things you need to ignore to enjoy the film.

2. Master and Commander: The far side of the World
A film that we watch again and again. What's not to like? Russel Crowe, history, sailing, wildlife, battling the French, this film has it all.

3. Dead Calm
The classic sailing thriller.

4. Captain Phillips
Although not based around sail, it is as relevant to sailors today as it is to merchant shipping. The threat is all tool realistic.

5. Waterworld
Mad max on water -- great fun.

6. White Squall
A sailing film for sailors. 

7. Captain Ron
A comedy for sailors. 

8. Swallows and Amazons
A classic for kids of all ages. Read the books too. Your kids will love the stories, especially if you read the books to them. 

9.  Castaway
We watched this for the first time a week ago nearly 10 years after its release). Fortunately it is a pretty timeless film. Granted the sailing element is limited, but -- you have to admit it -- every sailor thinks, "what if I get shipwrecked on a desert island?"

Image courtesy of George Stojkovic at
FreeDigitalPhotos.net

10. The Perfect Storm
A stark reminder that the ocean is the last real wilderness on earth, that is readily accessible.


Here is a pretty comprehensive review of nautical films.




Films we now want to see:
1. Wind
2. Turning Tide
3. Knife in the Water
4. Riddle of the Sands
5. Between Home

Please share your thoughts on sailing films and tell us your favourites.