Captain Richard Burton

Boca Chica sunset

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:17:42 -0800

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Testing

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 04:59:50 -0800

Trying to figure out why my post via Posterous are post two or three times on FB. Sent by RiBurton's IPhone

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Good morning world

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 04:51:20 -0800

My backyard.

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Roughing It?

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:53:01 -0800

Living in a boat doesn't mean you have to rough it.

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John Ellsworth gives advice on enjoyable singlehandling

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 07:37:56 -0800

John Ellsworth gives advice on enjoyable singlehandling
and setting up your boat for going it alone.
Are you dependent upon another person in order to sail? How many times have you wanted to go out and enjoy your boat but couldn't get crew? You probably ended up not doing what you enjoy most.

Although you can learn much from having skillful hands on board, being dependent on them curtails your experience and development as a sailor. If you learn to sail alone, you'll come a long way in your knowledge of boathandling and the sea. Here are some tips on getting started. They include ways of making it easier to pick up a mooring, set and weigh anchor, tie up at a dock, and cast off. In addition, we'll discuss heaving-to, so you can prepare your lines and fenders before entering a harbor. And if you don't have headsail roller-furling, you'll find out how to install an alternative—a jib downhaul that can be handled from the cockpit.

Much of your success in getting under way or securing your boat depends on the strength and direction of wind and current and the boat's maneuverability. Whether you are planning to moor, anchor, or dock, you can increase your success by heading your boat into the stronger of the two elements -wind or current.

Mooring. Having a crewmember to go forward and retrieve the line makes mooring easy. When you are alone, however, retrieving the mooring pennant takes agility and timing, especially if it's blowing.

Before you approach, run a line from your cockpit along the deck, through the bow chock, and back aft along the rail, outside of the rigging and stanchions. Place a large snapshackle on the outboard end. Approach the mooring upwind, then maneuver your boat so that the buoy is alongside and upwind of the cockpit. Grab the pennant with your boathook and shackle your line to it. Let it ride free as you haul it in from the other end. (If the wind is strong, you can use a winch.) In moments the bow will be at the mooring buoy and you can go forward to cleat the mooring pennant.

If you have a permanent mooring, attach a mast buoy (pickup buoy) to the mooring pennant. This flexible pole will guide you to the mooring location, and when you come alongside, you won't need a boathook to grab the line.

Anchoring. Whether you are alone or with crew, it's advisable to mark your anchor rode in fathoms or feet. You can buy yellow PVC ribbon markers through a marine mail-order house or your local chandlery. They show lengths from 30 to 150 feet at 20-foot intervals. You can also whip colored twine at intervals using your own code.

Set and weigh anchor from the cockpit. The procedure works best if you have a bowroller and an anchor with a short but sufficient length of chain.

Lowering the anchor. Before entering the harbor, lead enough anchor rode aft to give you about 6-to-1 scope, plus twice the length of your boat and the length of the chain. Flake the rode in the cockpit and make sure it will run out freely. Then bring the anchor from its place on the bow, along with its chain and line, outboard of the stanchions and rigging; place it in or about the cockpit. Make the inboard rode fast. You are now ready to lower the anchor and set it from the cockpit.

After entering the anchorage area, scout and find your spot and head into the wind as usual. When the bow is over your chosen spot, reverse your engine and, as you get sternway, lower the anchor hand over hand. While backing down, pay out the rode-hold it above the flaked line and let it out with a turn on a winch. Just before the line has completely unflaked, make it fast by taking more turns on the winch and cleating it. Now back down firmly to set the hook.

Weighing anchor. With your setup still the same (anchor line running back to the cockpit), pull in the anchor rode as you motor toward the anchor. When the line is vertical, make it fast. The boat's forward motion should break the anchor free. If not, use the winch as a windlass. Once the anchor is up, recover it by hauling the anchor line until it stows itself in the bow roller. When clear of the anchorage you can go forward and secure the tackle.

Your tackle configuration and some experimenting will determine what techniques are best for you. If you decide to sail alone frequently and anchor often, you may decide on permanent aft stowage for the anchor, perhaps on the sternrail. It can then be used in the routine we have outlined or as a stem anchor in coordination with a bow anchor when conditions warrant.

Leaving and approaching the dock. When getting under way or approaching a dock, be mindful of wind and current and head into whichever is stronger, if possible. Remember, your bow or stern can be blown down by a strong wind, so take time to study the conditions, make your plans, and set your lines accordingly.

The key to an easy departure from a dock is a slip line passed around a bollard
The key to an easy departure is slip lines. A slip line is fastened to a cleat on deck, then passed around a bollard, piling, or cleat on the dock and returned to the boat. You can then handle your lines from on board. Set up the slip line (usually to windward) while the other docklines are in place. The onboard end can be led to a winch; a few turns will do. Remove the other docklines. Maneuver your craft away from the slip or dock, controlling it with the slip line, then release it and draw it inboard in a free and easy motion. Don't snap or yank the line; it might snag ashore. Once the boat is free of the dock, retrieve the line quickly so it won't foul the propeller. Keep a line about twice the length of the boat on board, in case you need to slip a spring line. Make sure the ends are tightly whipped to ensure a snag-free pull. The routine for docking varies according to the wind and current situation, but the principle remains the same: Prepare ahead.

If you don't already know, call the dockmaster to determine on which side you'll be docking. Before entering the docking area, attach fenders.

Secure a stern line and a bow line. Lead the bow line aft through the chock, outside the rigging and lifelines, and over the top lifeline to the cockpit. Coil the remainder of the line and divide it to ease heaving. Do the same with the stern line. Now fasten a snatch block amidships. Run a line from an appropriate winch through the block to the deck underneath the bow line. Coil the amidships line so that it will be at hand.

Now you are prepared for two possibilities. If there is someone dockside, you can toss the appropriate line; if no one is available, nudge your craft alongside, step off with agility, and secure the amidships line to hold the boat. Once fast, you can tend the other lines. For greater convenience, if you are sure no one will be dockside, lead your bow and stern lines amidships, rather than into the cockpit. Then it is just a matter of reaching from the dock once the amidships line is fast.

Whatever you do, you will be more successful if you plan and prepare ahead and take your time. Visualize yourself performing each task and the entire operation.

Heaving-to. Before entering port you may need the time to secure loose gear, check the harbor entrance, call the dockmaster, and prepare fenders and lines. You can make these chores easier by heaving-to, or slowing the boat and leaving the helm while the boat drifts to leeward under control (Fig. 1).

Figure 1: If the sails and tiller are set properly, heaving-to is a continuous process of bearing away and heading up while drifting to leeward under control.
In light or moderate winds, back the headsail, ease the mainsail, and lash the tiller to leeward. The boat will cycle between bearing away and heading up, freeing you from the helm to attend to your chores.

Naturally, longer-keeled boats heave-to with greater ease. If your boat has a fin keel or centerboard, it may take some experimenting to set sails and tiller just right. A centerboard adds another variable to balancing the boat. Try your luck positioning it at different depths. Before heavingto, make sure you have ample searoom to leeward.

Jib downhaul. The more you singlehand, the more you'll want to make things easy for yourself. A jib downhaul is a less-costly alternative to roller-furling. Once installed, it allows you to douse the headsail without going to the foredeck (Fig. 2).

Figure 2: A jib downhaul makes it easy to drop the headsail without going on the foredeck.
Attach a small snatch block in the vicinity of the tack plate. Then tie a 3/16-inch line through the eye of the headsail-halyard shackle and thread it down the luff of the sail through the hanks and snatch block and lead it aft to a cleat near the jib-halyard cleat—either at the mast or near the cockpit. (You may need to install some fairleads if you are leading it to the cockpit.) To douse the sail, just free the halyard and pull the downhaul.

A jib downhaul allows you to douse the headsail without going to the foredeck
If you decide to use this device, stow the headsail in a bag off the deck, so that you don't have to thread the downhaul every time you go sailing. Detach the sheets (or stow them in the bag), and keep all else fast. It's quick work to remove the sailbag and lead the sheets before leaving, then raise the sail when you are under way.

Using these techniques, you'll be able to get under way, set sail, prepare to enter harbor, and secure your craft with great ease. Practice on calm days, and visualize the procedures before you start them. Experiment and modify as you see fit. These procedures will contribute to your confidence in handling your boat by yourself, you'll spend more time on the water and become a more self-reliant sailor.

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Our old Torpedo Sop

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:12:53 -0800

I worked in this building about 45 years ago. How time flies.

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South Beach, Key West

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:29:59 -0800

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The Key West Christmas Parade

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 11:37:45 -0800

See the full gallery on Posterous

I attended the Key West Small Town Christmas parade last night. Couldn't help to some extent comparing it with the Georgetown Christmas Parade which I was involved with for a couple of years. Knowing the difficulty we had organizing, funding and implementing that parade I was deeply impressed with what they did here, not to take anything away from Georgetown.

Surprisingly The population of Key West & Georgetown are very similar at about 26,900 permanent residents on Key West. Georgetown, including the outlying areas, is close considering the total county population is around 60,000. This is where the comarision ends because needless to say Key West has a lot more experience putting together parades.

One of the neat things I felt added to this parade was that it was held in the evening giving benefit to Christmas lights. Also it seemed as though the city itself took a lot more ownership of the parade. I remember that in Gtown we had to do everything and the city was more of a reluctant participant. Anyway, here are a few pictures.

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The S/V Geisha's new homeport

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 08:36:27 -0800

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Getting pretty well settled in at our new dockage at The Naval Air Station Boca Chica marina in Key West. Here are some photos. So far the weather has been just beautiful. As I recall from 40 years ago, this is really the best of the seasons here.

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Great sunset tonight.

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 16:03:57 -0700

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Druming for the soul

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:50:00 -0700

With the Rev Marshal Wright on Cocoa Beach celebrating the rising of the full moon.

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For Everyone......#occupywallstreet #OWS

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 15:12:00 -0700

For everyone who had an employer based 401K or an IRA that is worth less than what you put into it, that money did not just disappear, it went into someone else's pocket. For everyone who got a mortgage on a home or a condo and it is worth less now than you paid for it, don't plan on getting it back, but the banks will get all their money with the original interest rates. For all those who paid for college with a loan, you still owe that money but good luck on getting a job when the multi-national corporations have outsourced their jobs to India, China and Mexico. For everyone who wants to start a small business because they can't find a job, good luck because the banks will not make you a loan because they had rather speculate on currencies and derivatives because they can.

Herman Cain says that if you are don't have a job and are not wealthy then it is your fault while in this country 20% of the people own 85% of the wealth, leaving only 15% of the wealth for the bottom 80%. There is something inherently wrong with that and the people, the real people of this country are finally waking up to the fact that politicians on both sides, but mainly on the Republican side are doing nothing but perpetuating a system that will have the wealthy living behind guarded gated communities and hiring the police and military to keep down the poor because there will be no middle class.

In the 50's, 60's and 70's we had a viable middle class. If you worked hard, got an education, got a job with a viable company you could expect to work for 40 years and retire with Social Security and maybe a package from your company. There was company loyalty to the employees and employees to the company. There were company picnics, softball teams, and Christmas parties. Sometimes there were layoffs but usually it came with separation packages that could help you out to find another job. Now those loyalties are no longer there. Companies hire staffing agencies to place temporary workers when needed so they don't have to pay those extra benefits. No longer do companies support internal retirement plans, now you either throw your money into a 401K controlled by the company or maybe a "mutual fund" in an IRA. Again you have no control and you are told that yeah, over 20 years this fund has grown 20 or 30 percent. The pundits on CNBC tell you as the market is sliding down the backside of a roller coaster that "just stay the course" things will get better. Well things are not getting better and it is not because the Obama administration has spent too much. Its because we have pandered to wealthy in this country. They pay less in taxes than they did in the 50's 60's and 70's yet they are not creating jobs for Americans they are hoarding wealth and then sending overseas to avoid any taxes. This is greed and greed has been the demise of many cultures throughout history, as Marie Antoinette said, let them eat cake. Look what happened to her.

So what is to be done? The Government of the United States is presently paralyzed with partisanship. Where Democrats see white, Republicans see black. A government cannot operate like that. Something has to give otherwise the system will destroy itself. Currently the protest on Wall Street seem to be spreading throughout the nation and indeed around the world, because it is not just an American problem. We are truly a global community. No longer can Americans hide behind two oceans for protection, either from military or economic threats. Maybe this is the beginning of something really big and the first acts are yet to be played out. Definitely food for thought. Whatever, I am with the people on Wall Street, in mind and spirit if not in body. Hopefully the movement will not be corrupted but I foresee that happening all too easily.

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Eric Cantor is upset about the "Mobs" on #occupywallstreet

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:27:41 -0700

Eric Cantor told an audience at the Values Voters Summit that he was “increasingly concerned” about the “growing mobs” on Wall Street. Interesting that the Tea Partiers are "Patriots" and the the demonstrators on Wall Street and growing around the country are "mobs". I think he is on his way to being on the "wrong side of history". This is getting bigger than the powers that be realize.

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Why did I feel repulsed by the Tea Party but I identify with #occupywallstreet.

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:05:40 -0700

The Tea Party seemed from the beginning to be an angry mob. It
sprouted up before the 2008 elections with people wearing guns at
rallies, racists signs depicting O as a monkey and generally to me had
a racists tone to the movement. More of "I don't like the N.. in the
White House" then legitimate complaints about Government. To me this
has continued and still permeates the movement. So here comes the
Occupy Wall Street movement. Again people are angry but there is a
difference. They are not targeting individual politicians as much as
politicians and business in general. To me both have fail our
country. Politicians are bought and paid for by corporate interests
and these corporate interests do not have the welfare of America in
mind because they are now multi-national corporations. So essentially
our Government is not being run by the people through elected
representatives but by multi-national corporations through huge
donations to the politicians re-election funds. It makes no
difference whether they are Dems or Repubs, the person who wins the
elections wins 95% of the time is the person who got the most money.
If I give large donations to a politician and I am a Corporation I
expect a payback. This is essentially legalized bribery. So where
does this lead. We have banks who took huge bailouts after they
poisoned the economy by packaging and selling off worthless mortgages
which they knew were bad. So they took all that money, got well and
the real people paid the price with mortgages that were worth more
than the properties they represented. In the process shut down the
economy by hoarding the money, not sharing any of the relief with the
real people and then tacking on fee after fee to the real people to
use their own money. So this is why I am pissed and if I were still
in NYC I would be in Wall Street in a heart beat.

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#Obama says #Perry denies climate change while his state burns.

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 06:16:06 -0700

In California, Obama swiped his potential challenger Rick Perry, labeling him a “governor whose state is on fire, denying climate change.”. Now that is getting it on. What everyone was thniking but not saying and he comes out and says it. We might just have a fight after all.

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