My Boat Works

I really enjoyed your discussion at the (Marina Del Rey) Santa Monica-Windjammers Yacht Club! I am very new to boating/sailing but after your training I feel a little more savvy.  You are extremely knowledgeable, and you are a very clear and concise teacher.  Thanks again!

Registering contributors is necessary to help prevent spam, adolescent and insulting behavior in this blog.  I am putting quite a lot of effort into being available and helpful, as well as providing a friendly, open place for universally-available professional boating help.

I am a strong privacy advocate and will not give your information to anyone.  The only communication I will have through your email is letting you know about passwords, problems with posts and possibly a request to opt-in to an email newsletter.  When I change computers I smash my old drive with a sledge hammer to ensure no confidential information will be compromised.

What are the relationships I have with my vendors like?  Snippets of these relations are often quite telling of someone’s character.

What have I made and done for others, for a living and what was the experience like?

Good times with friends (At least in hindsight!), offering their views of me.

Took a friend (Alex) of my sailing buddy, John, out for an idyllic afternoon – The Gennaker set beautifully every time, the sea was flat to calm and we had a refreshing breeze – Genevieve swam powerfully, gracefully and we didn’t stop grinning ’till the BBQ at the dock with our neighbors ended. Genevieve likes her foredeck washed with spray and I spent some of those magical moments standing on the pulpit, leaning on the forestay, just feeling her smooth movement, the wind, the shafts of sunlight dancing deep in the water broken by our passage and the freedom of it all. I looked back to John and Alex’s silly grins and we just laughed with the joy of it all. Alex kept telling us how it couldn’t get any better than this and John and I didn’t have to respond – We all knew it to be so.

How to attach a Norseman fitting to standing rigging – Anyone can attach a fitting to wire rope and it’s a great alternative to roller swaging. Here’s a couple clips on attaching a Norseman fitting to standing rigging.

Are you unsure about how to navigate to the local island or really, truly, confidently anchor securely?  You’ve come to the right place!  Just sign up, log in, ask and I’ll happily walk you through the solution.  You’ll be surprised at how well it turns out and build a sense of understanding and confidence in your seafaring that’s deeply satisfying.  You can post pictures, too!

Do you want to fix or install something on your boat but don’t know how to go about it?  You’ve come to the right place!  Just sign up, log in, ask and I’ll happily walk you through the solution.  You’ll be surprised at how well it turns out and build a sense of ownership and understanding of your boat that’s deeply satisfying.  You can post pictures, too!

I sailed with a friend and his dog. There were eight dolphin nearby – Two followed us for a bit and a third jumped over six feet in the air! Doggie got fresh air, plenty of scritches and strokes and half of my friend’s burrito. We traded stories of introducing friends to nature while the boat just about sailed herself. It’s such a pleasure sailing with someone who has a passion for sailing and nature – Everything was comfortable and natural. Beautiful day!

The croaker bass living beneath my boat got me in trouble with my gal: It was destined and there was nothing I could do about it!

Bucket o’ bolts in payment for a night’s work is held up by small-minded corporate bureaucrats.

We sailed as soon as I could get off work, yesterday, at five – Franz stopped by to get my keys and had the boat ready when I arrived with the wine (La Yunta “Torrontas” from La Rioja, Argentina – Excellent with scallops and swordfish and surprisingly affordable). Lots of fun – Got lots of squeals from the girls and we all barked and clapped at the seals on the bouys. Happy feet dangling over the bow, yummy food and fine company – The company you have with good friends, quite relaxed and soaking up a perfect evening. Starting with a good breeze and excitement and ending ghosting along, not wanting it to end, all of us hoping we could put off starting the motor just a little longer. That’s what sailing’s about – friendships forged in experiencing the wonders of nature.

Learn to sail and boat affordably, find friends with boats and have a blast, too!

Don’t worry – You’re in the right place! I’m changing the look of my blog – Expect more improvements During October!

Internet Explorer older than version 8 has problems with today’s internet standards. If you use it, you will have problems with this site – Please update your browser or choose Firefox, Safari or Chrome browsers. Thanks!

This is the official blog of My Boat works, on www.my-boat-works.com.  It’s a forum for boaters to get answers  to all those questions no one seems to know the answers to, from how to learn to sail without spending a dime and having a great time doing so, to how to mount a radar.  I expect tall tales and hilarious stunts to be here with great advice, so use your common sense and don’t do anything dangerous or dumb – You’ll just get laughed at, hurt or both.

Sailing is a very hazardous recreation, with very real and common risks of injury, death and loss of property due to fire, explosion, crushing, drowning, sinking, medical emergencies in remote places that become life-threatening where they otherwise would not and many other dangers.  Almost everything in this blog assumes you’re a sober, responsible, astute and common-sense adult.   If you’re nervous about something – Don’t do it!  Always remember we’re only able to enjoy our sport on Mother Nature’s sufferance.  Take care of your boat, get lessons, educate yourself and boat conservatively and wisely and you’ll be able to truly relax and have a ton of fun!

Anyone is free to read this blog but you’ll need to sign up to participate.  Remember to keep it PG-Rated: This is meant for adults but let’s not offend anyone.  Posts must be approved.  Feel free to ask any boating-related questions but remember this is mainly for ocean-going boats of all types and sizes.  One last note: We’re here to support each other in a friendly, Corinthian spirit and I will enforce that.

By proceeding, you certify that you are a responsible adult, are aware of the inherent dangers, the inherent unpredictability and impossibility of controlling our interactions with nature, of boating and the sea and agree to completely hold harmless and indemnify My Boat Works , Jerr Dunlap and anyone or any entity even remotely associated with either for anything in any way associated with this blog. You also agree and respect the ownership and copyright of all materials here as property of Jerr Dunlap and My Boat Works. Excerpts may be taken with reference and whole articles may be given with permission only and appropriate reference.

Enjoy!