It difficult to find any non-custom rigging knives out there that are a good alternative to the Myerchin offerings. Yes, those knives are great, but what if you just want something, well, different?
Ran across this company, Farnol, in a European multihull magazine (we traditional sailors have to stoop to these things when there’s nothing else in the head to read). Well, these Farnol knives are pretty cool. Check out their neat leather “holsters” too.
December 24, 2005
fun bits
December 14, 2005
c…b…c…
Well, that’s it, i’ve finally moved out of Carrot Bay. House-sitting in Towers now. Oh joy of joys, this house comes with a new computer and always-on high-speed internet. Surfed my mind into submission last night, listening to kexp.org. Sometime last night i recalled that i could listen to CBC in the same fashion… and signed on just in time to catch the late-night broadcasts of english-language forgein public radio broadcasts (4-hour time difference here).
Tonight i’ve signed on early enough to catch some regular west-coast CBC afternoon broadcasts. Voices from home… a strange comfort, this.
September 2, 2005
shameless product endorsement
i have to give a shout-out here to Leatherman. i picked up one of their Wave models in Antigua this spring, and the accessory tool kit for it some months later in Vancouver. So, okay, i look and feel a little geekish with this cluster of black nylon sheaths glued to my hip, but damned if i haven’t been finding this tool to be uneeringly handy several times daily, just about since the first hour of ownership. Not a replacement for a decent fixed-blade sheath knife on a boat, but damn damn handy.
May 9, 2005
new shoes
i was bound and determined to find another pair of my beloved Emu shoes on this last trip. No deal… With just a couple hours of “malling” in Annapolis between boat and plane, i had to be flexible. Luckily enough, i found something i like (in clothing, that’s a near-miracle) in one of the first stores i went into, a outdoor gear place. Keen shoes. Or are they sandals? Well, at any rate, they fulfill the basic essential requirements: closed-toes (no chopped or stubbed toes in the shop or on deck), razor-cut soles (for traction on wet rocks/decks), slip-on (for the frequent removal required by working below on boats), and open enough for sockless wear. An oh yes, wide enough for my doublewides. i got myself a pair of the snappy “Newport” model.
i bought them to be boatyard shoes, but Val thought they looked too good for rough use, so she picked up a pair of Crocs for me at West Marine in Fajardo. Not so sure how they’ll stand up, but so cheap (less than $30, ’bout the same as my flipflops). Speaking of which, i finally had to replace my beloved 2nd- (or is that 3rd-?) hand Locals flipflops with some ubiquitous Reef units. What can i say? can’t live in the islands without slippers… in an article on credit abuse in some magazine i saw, there was this spoof on the Mastercard ads: “Sandals: $2; Hawaiian Vacation to purchase sandals: $3500”. The model in the picture was wearing bright pink Locals.
With all this, i’m up to FOUR pairs of shoes! Ack! Then again, perhaps with a few more shoe choices, they might last a little longer for me…
