Thursday, June 26, 2008
Trader Vic’s – Thursday before Dragon-Con
Trader Vic's transports diners to the Pacific Islands with its exotic interior, Polynesian cuisine, and tropical cocktails. The Mai Tai Bar, decorated with colorful glass buoys suspended from bamboo rafters, offers fruity concoctions and tantalizing tidbits. Delectable meals are served in the dining room adorned with batik prints complimenting the Pacific Island theme.
It is still early in the game and I don’t know exactly who is interested in doing what but I will be calling for a final count on Monday, August 25th. Depending on the number who will be there and the consensus of opinion we will either have dinner in the Dining Room, just order some lighter fare in The Mai Tai Bar or just drink ½ price Mai-Tai’s and listen to the music by Tongohiti.
Check out all the links. It will give you an idea of what Trader Vic’s has to offer!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
My Trip to Boston
So I recently got back from a business trip to Boston. It's about my 8th trip but only the 2nd that I had the opportunity to stay downtown. Not only downtown but at the Omni-Parker Hotel. Not only does the Omni-Parker sit on the Freedom Trail but it is also the birth place of Parker House Dinner Rolls and Boston Creme Pie.
It was definitely a hotel I could get used to staying at on a regular basis. As a Select Member, I received turn-down service, free beverages delivered to my room in the mornings and free in-room Internet. It was AWESOME!!!
The hotel was in an ideal place. I was across the street from King's Chapel and the Old City Hall. Boston Commons, Cheers and Quincy Market were only blocks away. It only took 10 - 15 minutes to Long Wharf - home of the Boston Aquarium or to get to the North End for a fantastic Italian dinner and the best Cannoli's from Mike's.
So, I was able to strike a few things off my MUST-DO list in Boston:
1) Dinner & Cannoli's in the North End
2) Walk part of the Freedom Trail
3) Have a beer at Cheer's
4) Tour the USS Constitution
Here are a couple of pictures from around the hotel and on the Freedom Trail:
One of my favorite things to do was talk walks in the two historic Cemeteries that were within 2 block of the hotel; the King's Chapel Cemetery and Granary Cemetery.
During the conference, the NBA Championship game was played on Tuesday, June 17, 2008. The Boston Celtics won. The celebrating went on all night outside. There were car horns, yelling, swinging and lots of sirens. On Thursday, the 19th, Boston celebrated with a ticker tape parade. It was insanity outside and I didn't brave it but you could see the parade from my hotel room. I really take pictures of anything but the crowd. The players were in DUCK boats and I couldn't see any of them. Here are a few pictures I took from my room that day.
I didn't get go out on a schooner this visit but I did get to go out on the harbour. On Thursday, we had a scavenger hunt and a dinner cruise. Then on Friday, I took the water taxi from Long Wharf to the USS Constitution. It is the cheapest, closest and most direct way there. $3.50 for a round trip. Here are some of the picture I could from the Harbour.
On Friday the conference was over at 2pm and since my flight wasn't until 7:30pm, I stored my luggage at the hotel and headed to the USS Constitution. I spent some time in the Museum and took some pictures until I saw the sign that said "No Photography". So I just wandered thru and enjoyed the rest of the museum and bought my souvenirs; a t-shirt for me and a cap for Darrell. The security to actually get on board was exactly like it is at the airports. You have to empty your pockets and put all bags on a conveyor belt to be xrayed. Then you walk thru the metal detector. The only liquids allowed thru are baby things, medications and water. By the time I got thru security, the guided tours were full til 5:30 so I jumped in the speed line. The speed line only grants you access to the top deck but that was good enough for me! Here are just some of my pictures from the USS Constitution.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Reefing a Sail
1.Reef before you have to—in other words, as soon as it occurs to you.
2.When sailing downwind, reef as if you were going to windward in that same breeze.
3.When in doubt, take in a double reef instead of a single.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Bells & Watches
Sounding of ship's bells is well rooted in the history and tradition of the maritime industry.
Onboard timekeeping has been an integral part of shipboard life since the earliest days of long distance navigation.
The bells used to mark shipboard time are organized into a schedule that reflect the four-hour watch served by the crew. Each watch is identified by its time of day and one watch, called the Dog Watch, was split into two parts to allow taking of an evening meal. The resulting number of uneven watches insured both crews shared the graveyard shift of 0000-0400 equally.
These are watches observed by ship's crew:
Middle Watch - (0000 - 0400)
Morning Watch - (0400 - 0800)
Forenoon Watch - (0800 - 1200)
Afternoon Watch - (1200 - 1600)
First Dog Watch - (1600 - 1800)
Second Dog Watch - (1800 - 2000)
First Watch - (2000 - 2400)
Bells are sounded in a pattern every thirty minutes. The maximum number of bells that can be struck is eight, hence the saying "eight bells and all is well." This is the common schedule of ship's bells that is repeated every four hours:
00:30 - 1 bell
01:00 - 2 bells
01:30 - 2 bells, pause, 1 bell
02:00 - 2 bells, pause, 2 bells
02:30 - 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 1 bell
03:00 - 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 2 bells
03:30 - 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 1 bell
04:00 - 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 2 bells
With the end of the watch, eight bells are sounded and the sailor was relieved. All watches follow the routine schedule except for the two Dog Watches. The first Dog Watch sees only four bells sounded at its end and the Second Dog Watch is finished with eight.
Bells are sounded for other purposes. At New Year's Eve, 16 bells are sounds with 8 given for the old year and 8 sounded to bring in the new year. Bells are sounded rapidly for five seconds during periods of low visibility and fog. Bells ringing for a longer period signals a general ship alarm. Ultimately the passing of a sailor is marked with the ringing of eight bells. Sounding of the ship's bell is a powerful reminder of the traditions rooted in long held maritime tradition.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Wind & Points of Sail
Wind Direction
The direction and speed of wind is always graphically displayed on visual weather forecasts. The wind blows along the isobars, keeping low pressure to the left and high pressure to the right. The most reliable way to check wind direction and speed is to consult an anemometer (wind speed indicator).
The first thing you have to understand about the wind is its direction - the wind is named after the direction from which it blows - so a wind blowing from south to north is a south wind. However, the wind direction is only in very rare cases steady (for example the trade winds in the Atlantic are steady) - so you need to be on the alert and always watch what the wind is doing. You should know what to watch, and you'd better don't neglect the signs the wind gives you. For example - waves are created by it, but only the white ripples on the surface show the wind direction. Other boats at anchor or on mooring can give you clues - they float to point into the wind (unless in a case when there is a very strong current). Light and shallow boats prove to be the most reliable indicators. Beware - the sky is a trap! Do not look at it, because the movement of the high clouds have very little to do with the winds that determine what happens where you are. What you can do in advance is prepare the boat with your own indicators: you can adjust a flag or specially made windvane at the top of the mast. The so called the telltales are simple threads - you should put them on the shrouds as high as possible. People who use cloth sails sew very flashy-coloured threads (like magenta, or red) to the sail.
You will become good at that if you practise offboard - always when you are in the open, think about what is going on in the atmosphere around, and particularly what the behaviour of the wind is.
Points of Sail
Points of sail is a term describing different angles from the wind, on which a boat may sail. Depending on where you are going, and where the wind is blowing from, you will choose the direction. Some points of sail are easier to manage than others, and depending on the boat, they will also work differently for you than the others. Therefore, never assume that if someones boat sails fastest when close-hauled, this will be also the case with your boat.
Before we go to the specifics, remember the following:
- port tack occurs when you have the wind on your port side (left).
- starboard tack occurs when you have the wind on your starboard side (right).
Close Reach - Any sailing direction between the beam reach, and the close-hauled; the wind is still blowing from ahead (forward of abeam).
Beam Reach - Sailing at a 90 degree angle from the wind; the wind is blowing from abeam.
Broad Reach - Any sailing direction (heading) between the beam reach and the run; the wind is blowing more from astern (behind).
Run (sometimes called 'Quartering Run", and "Running by the lee") -
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Points of the Compass
The point between North and NNE was N by E.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Square Rigs
Brigantine - is a vessel with two masts whose foremast is made in three spars and square rigged like that of the full-rigged brig. The mainmast, however, is made in two spars and carries a fore-and-aft mainsail, above which are two or three yards on which are carried a square main-topsail and topgallant sail. 
Brig - is a vessel with two masts (fore and main), both of which are square rigged. The foremast is made in three spars and square-rigged. On the mainmast there is a standing gaff to which is rigged a small fore-and-aft sail. 
Barquentine - is a vessel of at least three masts similar to a bark with fore-and-aft rigging of the mainmast. The foremast is made in three spars in square rigging, but the main- and mizzenmast carry hoist-and-lower mainsails and gaff topsails of the schooner type. 
Barque or Bark - is a three-masted vessel with the foremast and mainmast square rigged and the mizzenmast fore-and-aft rigged. The mizzenmast carries no yards: there is a hoist-and-lower fore-and-aft sail and a gaff topsail. 
Full Rigged Ship - is properly, only a vessel of at least three square rigged masts, each composed of a lower-mast, top-mast, and topgallant mast. Each is outfitted with a yard and a full complement of square sails. 
