Chine bLog

‘s up? SUP. (as in stand-up paddleboard)

Tim Shaw — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 16:35:15 +0000

The Chine bLog family is back from a tropical vacation to Puerto Rico. While there, I did get my paddle on: I finally explored the stand-up paddleboard (SUP) phenomenon. No photos exist, this by fortune, not by design. There was a strong breeze and the water was choppy. My windsurfing experience served me somewhat from [...]

An update on the restoration of the skipjack ROSIE PARKS

Tim Shaw — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:03:20 +0000

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has a great fleet and will be the better for adding the restored skipjack, ROSIE PARKS. I have blogged about her before and the museum does a nice job of tracking the update in its blog. I checked in on her while I was there. She’s coming along nicely.

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Learning to plank – a great time as a CBMM Apprentice for a Day

Tim Shaw — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 03:05:07 +0000

It happens all too rarely, but I was able to cash in a Christmas gift an spend another great day with Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum‘s Apprentice for a Day program. The current boat is an enhanced reproduction (a reproduction with some more modern updates incorporated) of GHOST, a deadrise bateau from about 1920. She is [...]

Possible faering kit from Chesapeake Light Craft – do it!

Tim Shaw — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 21:40:31 +0000

Chesapeake Light Craft’s John Harris had a great blog post a bit back on two faering designs he developed. The post gives a good overview of these lovely Scandinavian working boats, but the thrust of the piece is that John designed his own faering for stitch-and-glue construction.

At the moment, plans to make a [...]

Ask and yee shall receive – three new Klaus Schmitt designs

Tim Shaw — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 02:51:20 +0000

Klaus Schmitt has responded to our post last night with three more designs he has sketched up. He is definitely in a nice vein – classic workboat-inspired yachts. All look like they would be comfy and pleasant while not looking far removed from hauling a barge or a net. Of the first, Klaus writes: “[The [...]

A new design from Klaus Schmitt

Tim Shaw — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 01:12:42 +0000

We here at Chine bLog are pleased to welcome back sketcher extraordinaire Klause Schmitt. He writes that he has put his work up for show in the last year and hopes to again, so here’s hoping this morsel of design goodness – a tug-inspired classic yacht that echos a couple of his past works we’ve [...]

Iteration on the leeboard bracket for AL DEMANY CHIMAN

Tim Shaw — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 03:47:20 +0000

The leeboard bracket is giving us a tough lesson in the physics of lateral resistance. My first attempts showed flaws in the bracket to clip the board to the single side gunnel. The second attempt, from late summer, is below. I followed the published models and build a bracket that clips to both gunnels.

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The latest from our shop – canoe paddles for the kids

Tim Shaw — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 02:46:02 +0000

Hello, dear readers. Or all two of you that haven’t written off Chine bLog. We have been on a bit of a hiatus here at the editorial HQ of Chine bLog. No excuses, just haven’t gotten to much writing.

We have been in the shop a bit over these few months. As Christmas [...]

The 2012 Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival – skin-on-frame party!

Tim Shaw — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 01:54:21 +0000

[Editors note: we are doing something here we loath, which is to back-post content to fill in a hole in time. Our only excuse is that the content is genuinely form the period in time, but we never got around to sharing it. Enjoy regardless.]

With the season winding down, we made it out to [...]

And now: a row about curragh events

Tim Shaw — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 01:57:21 +0000

I took the afternoon off to get AL DEMANY CHIMAN sailing again – I’m still tinkering with the leeboard and steering – expecting I’d have a peaceful outing in light airs of Pohick Bay, VA. I had that, but I also got a pleasant, unexpected surprise. As I was launching, I glanced out and saw [...]

Under sail again! Further tuning the sailing rig on AL DEMANY CHIMAN

Tim Shaw — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 23:53:36 +0000

It took longer than I had hoped to rebuild the lateen yard so that I could get my skin-on-frame outrigger canoe AL DEMANY CHIMAN under sail again. Recently, though, I finally completed that task and yesterday morning life and the weather gave me an opening to get “the sail canoe” under sail for the second [...]

Humanity’s Vessel: a new project that is as exciting as it is envy-inducing

Tim Shaw — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 23:05:39 +0000

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s. (Exodus 20:17)

So that final phrase is fairly open-ended, but is thy neighbor’s Watson Fellowship covered? Because if it is, we’re screwed. We say this after receiving an email [...]

Achingly beautiful cutter and more Friendship Sloops

Tim Shaw — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 01:04:19 +0000

Double-down on Friendship Sloops – with which we have no problem – because Great Harbor Boatworks posted a nice set from the Southwest Harbor Friendship Sloop Race on its Facebook page (thanks to Thomas Armstrong of 70.8% for the share). The lead-off boat in the photo album is the one below, which is a cutter [...]

Boats we found on vacation at Cuttyhunk Island, MA

Tim Shaw — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 17:01:41 +0000

We here at Chine bLog are just getting back into the grind after a nice vacation at our fave port, Cuttyhunk Island, MA. We got in some good paddles in the skin-on-frame outrigger canoe, AL DEMANY CHIMAN, and, along the way, key our shutter ready for interesting craft that were also there. There were several [...]

Sweet Friendship Sloop photo

Tim Shaw — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 22:24:02 +0000

Here’s another image courtesy of of Facebook, this one on the WoodenBoat Facebook page: two lovely Friendship Sloops, with full sails set, racing (I believe) at one of last year’s Friendship Sloop Society events. Just amazing boats. Ultimate photo credit, I believe, goes to the Friendship Sloop Society, to which I need to pay more [...]

Follow-up: the completed North Shore Sailing Skiff

Tim Shaw — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 17:24:52 +0000

I learned recently, via the Cheaspeake Maritime Museum Facebook stream, the the Apprentice for a Day program completed the North Shore Sailing Skiff I worked on for a day this spring. As expected, she came out quite well. She’s a nice design overall, and I hope I can take a few pulls in her at [...]

Dept. of Pretty Nifty – a true folding kayak

Tim Shaw — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 13:43:23 +0000

I friend of mine sent me a piece recently entitled “Origami Kayak”. I thought “this must be a gimmick, but it will be fun.” I should know better, though: said friend has a good eye. The article talks about Oru, the Folding Kayak, and it is truly a kayak the folds out of a case [...]

Annnnndddd my 2012 boating season is underway at last – AL DEMANY CHIMAN’s keel wet again

Tim Shaw — Mon, 07 May 2012 01:43:47 +0000

We had a nice family paddle at our standby put-in of Mason Neck State Park. Mostly overcast, but warm and calm, good for trying out the rebuilt ama. I’ll have to test it more, but my initial observations are that we working the aft end SEEMS to make her a touch zippier (biased observation noted) [...]

Excellent article on lug rigs by CLC’s John C. Harris

Tim Shaw — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:14:44 +0000

John Harris of Chesapeake Light Craft recently published a nice piece, “Lug Nuts,” on the virtues and characteristics of the lug rig. I’d recommend it for anyone picking a sail for a small boat (or selecting a boat to acquire.

Completion of ama reworking for AL DEMANY CHIMAN

Tim Shaw — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:13:17 +0000

Last weekend I was also able to wrap up work on the refurbished ama for my skin-on-frame outrigger canoe AL DEMANY CHIMAN. I had noted previous progress a bit ago, and I had stalled for a while because life took over. Work crises tamped down a bit and the weather improved, I brought the ama [...]

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Narrowboats A Brief History

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Urge the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to Adopt a Responsible Fish-Farming Policy!

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More evidence that autism is a brain 'connectivity' disorder
Before or after birth, gene linked to mental health has different effects
Strikes me that this is important. There is some anecdotal evidence of parents, esp. fathers (gulp) of ASD kids being "a little off" in different ways. I think there is something here.
Autism: No Proof Yet That Special Diets Help - Healthy Recipes, Nutrition and Cooking Tips to Improve Health or Lose Weight on MedicineNet.com
I think this will be pretty hard to prove conclusively. We have been using the gluten-free/ casein-free diet for a couple years after thinking it was bunk. We have sketchy proof, but some noticeable patterns that suggest that, at least, gluten may trigger difficulties.

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Axioma - Management

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Inside World Music: CD Review: Abaji's Origine Orients

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