# Passing time on long passages,



## Spontaneity (Aug 10, 2006)

Other than reading, movies, & crawling around the deck at attempt to capture an artistic photo of various boat parts, what is your favorate passtime? (maint., and standard chores don't count)...


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## Cruisingdad (Jul 21, 2006)

Assuming we are not passing it with head stuck over the side...

I enjoy doing some writing, though that is not for everyone. I cannot do this if I am on the patch (absolutely cannot focus). 

I will tell you where we spend a lot of time if there is a nice breeze and the seas are not bad: Leaning into the jib. I works best on about a beam reach... close hauled you are heeling too much. Walk forward (partner watching of course) and grab onto the Jib and kinda hang over. I could stand there for hours staring out into the sea. Is it just me or is there a very slight vacuum where you cannot hear anything but the occasional splash of the wave and a very comfortable silence?? The world is quiet and you feel like you are the only person. Best place on the boat, in my opinion.

At night, lay down in the cockpit and stare off to one side of the bimini. MAN!!! there are countless stars out there once you are away from the land masses. 

Ever sit there and wait for the moon to come up over the horizon? It is huge at sea.

I cannot fish worth a darn, but sometimes I throw over the hook just in case some poor, stupid, blind fish crosses my path. I don't really want to catch anything, just something to do I think. I am not sure my Spiderman Pole with zero-test would take anything anyway. I guess one of these days I will have to get serious and actually try putting some bait on there?!!


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Writing and reading would be the top of my list... followed closely by listening to music.


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## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

Music, reading, and writing are definites. Just started trusting the A/P enough to go forward for more than a minute or two this weekend, and I enjoyed standing at the bow as well. And not to forget, just musing on new projects <G>.


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Playing my accordion where no one can hear me! <grin>


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## eryka (Mar 16, 2006)

getting rid of my tan lines! ;-)


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

camaraderie said:


> Playing my accordion where no one can hear me! <grin>


Thank god for little favors.


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## MikeinLA (Jul 25, 2006)

Looking for Eryka's boat. ;-)


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## eryka (Mar 16, 2006)

You'd be welcome if you bring a good supply of sea stories - conversation is actually my most-favorite way of passing time while sailing. That and looking for the green flash (oops, that was another thread)


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Eryka, I don't think that's why he was looking for your boat...


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## eryka (Mar 16, 2006)

Flattering thought, S-dog, but you guys have never seen me - that's the internet for you - I could weigh 400 lbs, have lots of body hair, and smell bad enough to keep the flies away!

Just trying to save $$ on laundry <G>


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

LOL, Given that description, the reality must be an improvement.


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## ceberon (Jun 23, 2006)

eryka said:


> Flattering thought, S-dog, but you guys have never seen me - that's the internet for you - I could weigh 400 lbs, have lots of body hair, and smell bad enough to keep the flies away!


Don't be silly. All women on sailnet are smoking hot, and all guys have rippling abs with 1% bodyfat.

It is somewhat shocking that we can have a gathering of such amazingly good looking people in one place. It seems unlikely that we would all just happen to be this darn good looking, so I imagine it has something to do with water or wind exposure. Perhaps long term wind and water exposure destroys ugly genes.


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## eryka (Mar 16, 2006)

Interesting theory but I think it has something to do with SailNet itself. Otherwise, how could you explain that not only are we all stunning physical specimens, but our boats never grow barnacles on the hulls, all our gear always works, and all our passages are downwind?


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## capn_dave (Feb 17, 2000)

*Splice lines and sew*

are a couple of things I do besides writing. Is rope work a lost art also? I really like making things out of ropes and doing splices like chain to rode, bell ropes, dock lines. Sewing projects for boat are another way to pass time. Lee cloths, handrail covers sail covers, and the list goes on and on. Time flys with these projects.

Oh I do read alot. Those daggum books got me into rope work and sewing.

As writing goes my latest piece is in Lattitudes and Attitudes, about my sailing bud Harry Heckel. It is in the Floatsum section. October 2006 issue.

Give rope a try it really relaxing and you could even end up with a kewl ships wheel covered with nots, or is it knots.

Fair Winds

Cap'n Dave


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## Canibul (Sep 1, 2006)

When I was working offshore, a lot, I would go on a boat for weeks, or months at a time. In addition to reading, of course, I learned how to make hammocks. I would find a good spot on the boat, and take a good spool of nylon, (cod-end twine sometimes) and custom make a hammock for that spot. I always left them on the boats. A few times I ran across the same boats later, and a couple times I noticed with a smile my hammock still where I made it.

If I could find a good straight green sapling, the right size for a walking stick, I would whittle it into all kinds of designs. Very relaxing, sitting in my hammock whittling. Usually someone would ask me about the walking stick, and I usually ended up giving that away, too. made some nice ones.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Weather forecasting, listening to NMN and Herb occupy many hours. Fishing, cooking, and eating keep us busy also.


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## ughmo2000 (Feb 12, 2003)

Enjoying the peace and quiet of night watches.

But then again I've never sailed with anyone _I'd want_ to watch get rid of their tan lines!


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## pelicanl (Jul 15, 2006)

*try this; it works every time- almost...*

we used to have relatives and some friends try to get us to take them on a 4-5 day cruise with us. Hard to do on a small boat so I would say, "you know we sail naked don't you???" Haven't had many requests since...
pelicanl


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

I wouldn't take anyone on a small sailboat for 4-5 day cruise...which seems to imply that they'd be passengers...if you're on my sailboat for more than a day, you'd better be helping sail it...or you're going to learn how to swim...


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## eryka (Mar 16, 2006)

ughmo2000 said:


> Enjoying the peace and quiet of night watches.
> 
> But then again I've never sailed with anyone _I'd want_ to watch get rid of their tan lines!


How do you get rid of your tan lines at night??


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Strong UV lamps on deck, and a very, very big battery bank.


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## ughmo2000 (Feb 12, 2003)

Eryka, every once in awhile they let me outta my bilge cage during daylight hours...


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## Kernix (Oct 5, 2006)

Reading - yes. Writing - yes - thoughts and song lyrics. Staring off into space - oh yes being that I'm an occasional space cadet and proud of it. Playing my acoustic guitar - hell 'ya. 

Wish you could play darts but somehow I don't think you would ever get a bullseye. 

Photography - love it and that's how I plan on making my money. 

I can see fishing being a good time passer as well as napping in a hammock. What about dropping anchor close to an island - row to shore and have a campire? Bring Horse Shoes?

But I do wish there was some sort of skill eveny like darts - foosball is out - horse shoes on the island? Skimming rocks doesn't work 'cause of the waves. 

Swimming - yes. People-watching - oh yes! Hot Babe watching - you better believe it. Bring pebbles on board - drop a life bouy into the water and practice your aim. How about a B.B gun and a hanging can? 

I could go on and on...
Jim


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

I'm in the middle of reading 'Voyaging the Pacific' by Miles Hordern. It's the tale of a voyage from New Zealand to South America and return in a 28 footer Holman Twister. Good read , by the way. In it he talks about having a dart board set up down below so it appears to be possible. though presumably not in a big blow.


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## Kernix (Oct 5, 2006)

Nice - maybe I'll bring my dartboard then.


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## toastchee (Mar 8, 2006)

Darts on a fiberglass boat? For some reason that really scares me...


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

So, as someone who's never done a long passage, how many books is enough? I think reading would be my primary pastime (while getting rid of the tanlines, of course), and I'm curious how many non-useful, purely for pleasure, unread books get carted along on the average passage.

Mainly because I'm trying to convince my partner to let me bring more than two.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

"how many books is enough?"

How fast do you read<G> All you need are two books, Finnegan's Wake, and The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. You may not *enjoy* them, but you won't finish them both in the same week.<G>


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## Kernix (Oct 5, 2006)

KarlTomasik said:


> Mainly because I'm trying to convince my partner to let me bring more than two.


So you won't be helping? Just along for the ride? Bring 3: Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy - that's not a short read.


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

KarlTomasik said:


> So, as someone who's never done a long passage, how many books is enough? I think reading would be my primary pastime (while getting rid of the tanlines, of course), and I'm curious how many non-useful, purely for pleasure, unread books get carted along on the average passage.
> 
> Mainly because I'm trying to convince my partner to let me bring more than two.


I noted in another thread that one of my favourite authors (Jonathon Raban) bought his last boat because the first thing he noticed about it was sixteen lineal metres of bookshelves. I'm getting ready to rip out a whole bunch of cupboards on the old dear to make way for more books. Funnily enough however, while I am one voracious reader, I find that I read a lot at anchor but not a lot on passage. What I miss most when I am out and about is my daily cryptic crossword fix. Having said that. I'd probably take along half as many books as I am allowing days for the cruise figuring that non fiction (which would account for say twenty five percent of the total ) take a lot longer to read than fiction.
Other than that there would be a few hundred CDs, Scrabble and my Ukelele. I believe Ms TDW has stocked up on earplugs.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Cruisingdad-
" I cannot do this if I am on the patch (absolutely cannot focus). " Scop is good drugs but it does often have that problem. Ask your doctor for an Rx for "Scopace", which is the *oral* form, back on the market now. That gives you an alternative with some control over the dosage. (Or, instead of putting the patch on bare skin, you apply it over a bit of duct tape or waterproof bandaid, so you only get 3/4 of the dose. If you need more or less...you just move it further on/off bare skin.)

Books are great if your hands & eyes can be idle but don't forget audiobooks if you just want to break up long hours at the helm, etc. Most libraries have them available (CD and tape) and with all the new little MP3 players...there are two projects now that make "audiobooks" available for download at little or no cost. They're trying to get the entire Guttenburg Project onto audio for free now, using volunteer readers.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Of course I'll be helping, but I couldn't help but notice that most people say that's their number one leisure occupation on long passages--my question was half answered when I read recently in the Pardeys' Care and Feeding of the Offshore Crew that they took two shopping bags full of unread paperback books for their Pacific crossing. That sounds about right.

Although I think anyone would be just about set with one copy of Finnegan's Wake for the rest of their waking lives. Aside from that, sixteen linear meters of bookshelves sounds like a pretty ideal quality for a boat...


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## sailaway21 (Sep 4, 2006)

*Reading*

Karl,
Just found your blog-looks good!
Spent 20 yrs at sea and love to read. Bring Bowditch, you can read it in small bites, and you'll learn alot of things you should know as well as fun facts to know and tell. Like what causes the green flash.
Bring volumes that you always wanted to read but never buckled down on. Shakespeare comes to mind. I've sailed with guys with no high school diploma who could quote Shakespeare for six months and not repeat a quote! You'll have the time to read and concentrate, in a way you don't on shore. Things like Plato's Republic you can read a few pages of and discuss for a whole day. If space is a consideration, I'd bring War and Peace. I've started it 12 times and never gotten more than a third of the way through. Kept losing track of all the characters with four names. I always figured that would be the one I'd get in the lifeboat with. If I finished it, I'd know we're in really big trouble! Foreign language courses and tapes fit in this category.

Of course you'll want some fun things to read. Avoid books like Louis L"Amour, even if you like westerns. They go too fast for the space they take up. If you find a series, or author, you think you might like bring them all. The Patrick O"Brien series comes to mind. Authors like Michener or James Clavell are good choices as they write long novels and have written quite a few. In novels, chances are that you'll like most of the works of the same novellist, so guys like Tom Clancy or Elmore Leonard are good because they've written about thirty of 'em. The previous post on knot-tieing was good; I hear the Ashley Book of Knots has been re-issued and that's all you'll ever need on knots and fancy-work. Also, the suggestion on carving was good. You can buy a block of briar, pre-drilled with stem, at a Tinder Box or tobacco store and carve your own pipe! If you're artistic, you can get a block of meerschaum the same way. Don't forget a couple of GOOD knives and your whet-stone.
Oh, on "square-knotting", bring a half dozen spools of small stuff and some loose belt buckles. Belts are fairly straight forward to tie, take a while to do, and look really famous when done. Besides, all your leather belts go to pot after getting wet all the time and you'll look really "squared away" with the one you make. Scrimshaw buckles aren't too hard to find. Small stuff should be maybe a 1/32 to 1/16th of an inch in dia.-that's how you get a nice fine pattern.
Take paperbacks, so you won't mind swapping them with people you meet.
Also take the Bible. After you've read Bowditch's description of hurricanes at sea, and looked at your first weather fax with milli-bars in the 890 range, you may find it has a new immediacy to it!
Hope this gives some ideas and, as always, I wish you

Fair winds and following seas,
Guy


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