Trolling for sailboats the other week lead to an interesting find; an Allmand 35 listed for $7500. In the last Sailboat Sunday post we discussed an arbitrary and invisible line called “thirty feet”. Every once in a while, something will pop up for less than $10K (our fictional budget) that is over 30 feet in …
Author Archives: Travis A. Chapman
Commentary: Volkscruiser Discusses Philosophy
Bob runs a handful of sailing-related blogs, one of which is Volkscruiser. Earlier in February he posted a short article about some cruising philosophy titled: Volkscruiser: the question you need to ask yourself… In general, and at this time, I don’t intend to go into a lot of the philosophy one might have going into …
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Sailboat Sunday: American Galaxy 32
Once again, life keeps holding me back from getting a good post it! And once again, like the Columbia 29 I profiled, this particular vessel came up again on Annapolis Craigslist. So fate suggests we should talk about it. Any introductory book on cruising/sailing will have some discussion about hull form. It’s one of the …
Serenity or the Millennium Falcon: Choosing My First Sailboat
What did Malcolm Reynolds of the hit TV series Firefly and Han Solo have in common? Well, I’d venture to say they both loved their ships. And that is a very important part of owning your floating home; if you don’t love her, she’ll be worth less than that dollar menu hamburger. After all, love …
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Sailboat Saturday: Columbia 29
While I’ve been delayed in writing this, the post on Craigslist continued to be available. Perusing the internets for a fun sailboat to highlight I found this ad for a Columbia 29. The basic specifications: $1500 o.b.o. 1964 Columbia Sailboat Model C-29 1997 15 hp Honda Outboard – runs great Presently on the hard Includes …
Sailboat Saturday: The Watkins 27
In an effort to become more consistent with posting, I’ve wanted to get into a rhythm with a basic post format. One that stuck in my head was to write about the most enjoyable time waster I know; trolling Craigslist for new sailboats! I can’t explain the pleasure that exists in researching all of the …
One Year in Djibouti: What the Desert Taught Me About Living Aboard
That big dreams are hard to chase, but everything worth doing is going to be hard work. And that’s an understatement. In July 2013 I departed my typical East Coast lifestyle for a one-year deployment to Djibouti, Africa, with the U.S. Navy Reserves. Initially I had high hopes for compartmentalizing my life; work hard at …
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Freecycling: Should I Even Consider A Project Boat?
Bob over at BoatBits has a short note this week that struck a chord with me. Every boat I’ve owned was used. My most recent one, a Balboa 23, was “free.” The thought process for me was rather simple. 1) The Balboa, while free, would have some initial expense. This came in the form of …
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Consumerism and Sailing: An Almost Impossible Match
Today’s thought comes from viewing a great video over at Doryman (and here), who links over from Annie Leonard’s site. The discussion is on consumerism, and it got my creative juices going. Not that I have an “audience”, but I suppose I have a platform. If you find yourself with twenty minutes, grab a snack, a coffee, …
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The Zen of Arrival: Sailing for Mindfulness
One important concept in the practice of Zen (a school of Buddhism) is “mindfulness”. This state of being can be described as an increased awareness of the activity at hand and the world around oneself. So often in life we bustle through an activity without really thinking about what, exactly, it is we are accomplishing. That’s not always …
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The Young Liveaboard 