Archive for May, 2008

May 04 2008

Do You Remember “Dove”?

Published by under Lapworth L-24 Gladiator

Lapworth L-24 Gladiator

In 1964, a 16-year old boy set sail to circumnavigate the world by himself on a boat named “Dove.” The boat was a Lapworth L-24 Gladiator–basically a full-keep version of a Cal 25. There are a few of them still around, and I bought one.

The 16-year old made it around the world, although after he rounded Cape Horn, he decided he needed a bigger boat. I certainly don’t blame him (although he had already accomplished a MAJOR task of rounding the horn). All-in-all, it took him over 3 years to complete his trip.

This Gladiator is certainly not the boat I am going to take on the journey, but I will always have a soft spot for it. It was my first boat, and I bought it on the day of my 35th birthday.

Here is a picture of me, on my birthday, making the purchase.

The boat came with a blown spinnaker, worn sails, a nice spinnaker pole, the mast halyard stuck at the masthead, a nice sailing dinghy, a working 5hp motor, and quite a bit of miscellaneous junk.

This boat was to be my textbook for learning how to fix a sailboat. It would need just about everything repaired, checked or replaced.

It is the perfect place to begin.

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May 03 2008

Are You Ready for an Adventure?

Published by under The Adventure

I am.

I have been ready for an adventure since the day I was old enough to take one. This adventure, however, sailing around the world, might be the biggest adventure of all. The pages that follow are the deconstructed pieces of my process to prepare for sailing around the world.

  • There will be mental preparation: reading, learning, and absorbing information that i will need on this trip.
  • There will be physical preparation of doing the sailing, repairing boats, and building a set of tools.
  • And, there will be the acquisition of skills: celestial navigation, navigation, boat handling, and weather interpretation.

This IS the adventure of a lifetime. Come join me on my trip . . . .

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