Goals for 2013

A few goals I have in mind for 2013

• Add solar panels
• Add wind generator
• Modify the sail setup on my dinghy to use a hanked sail- and allow me to raise or lower the sail (currently the sail is the type that you slip over the mast - not ideal when the wind kicks up hard as it can here on the coast)
• Add a stern anchor

Some other projects that I probably won't get to in 2013 - but are on the list:

• Evaluate wether I should replace the fuel tank [there appears to have been some galvanic corrosion over the years]
• Plumb the deck fitting to fill the water tanks [currently I have to raise the boards in the salon to fill directly there]
• Add a Wind Vane
• Add a SSB Radio
• Evaluate the sump options for setting up a shower in the head
• Evaluate adding a hot-water heater
• Add a water-maker 
• Add a fresh / saltwater hose-down arrangement in the cockpit

Book Review: Sail Like A Champion, by Dennis Conner

I'm not a racer. I probably will never enter a yacht race. Up till now, I have not had much interest in the sport of yacht racing. So, my expectations were fairly low with regards to what I might get out of reading this book.

...I misjudged.

Serendipity played a hand in how this book came into my possession: I picked up a copy at a Friends of the Library sale, where I think I paid the grand sum of $1.00

However, I will say that just one lesson learned, on even just one page of this book (see page-115), would have been worth the full purchase price:
"In heavy winds, the main's leech is loosened by easing the sheet, allowing the sail to twist or sag off, minimizing weather helm"

Think of this book as the tune-up guide to use your sled most efficiently, and how to make it go faster by leveraging every aspect of the boat, its various systems, the wind, weather, and current. :)