Well after 8 years I finally came up with a t-shirt concept. I don’t know about you but personally I think it’s the coolest sailing t-shirt ever!
The Chinese character for wind is featured on the back right shoulder, I.E. keep 
the wind at your back, and the Chinese Character for courage rests over your heart with the slogan “Sail far and live slowly” printed beneath. The objective being, if you dream about sailing far and living slowly you will keep the wind at your back and courage in your heart.
I’ve never released a t-shirt because I’m not so into “commercializing” things, but my hopes are that if you are of a similar mindset and dreams the shirt will act as an active reminder to keep your aspirations and objectives alive, as well as being a 
really cool t-shirt with good karma. Splendid was commissioned and built in Hong Kong (1973), hence the Chinese symbols that will also be painted on Splendid’s hull.
I’ve priced the T’s so I make $10 a shirt; the prices for the shirts are $22.00. The shirts are all cotton, good quality, silk screened, and only available in black. Might be a good idea for stocking stuffers this year?
If you are interested to buy one please visit the store
Aside from launching a t-shirt I’ve really been busting my ass on this battery box. It was…, as usual…, a lot more work than I had thought. I built it strong enough to take a knock down or roll and built a tray to catch any acid so it won’t end up in the bilge if a battery ruptures.
I had to experiment a bit with epoxy & 
hardeners. I had about 3 gallons of epoxy that the hardened went bad on. The resin is fine. After some testing I got it to where it works perfect with the hardener I can get here. The only real difference is I’m mixing 4:1, as opposed to 5:1.
As you can see from my catch I’m back to shooting fish every day. I ate my first lionfish (poisonous spines), you can see him on the right side. Lionfish have become a big problem in the Caribbean as they are not indigenous and incredibly invasive, they are killing all the other reef fish. If you’re interested in Lionfish hunting, facts, or recipes, please check out http://www.lionfishhunter.com
I also couldn’t pass up buying a used Yamaha 9.9 enduro outboard for parts ($60). The magnets on this motor gave way and chewed everything up in the flywheel. I actually found a guy parting one out in the states and if I can swing it will buy all the parts I need to fix this one ($200). If I fix it I’d probably sell it as I could get $900.00 – $1000.
A friend came over the other night. I mentioned how long painting is taking and he reminded me I wasn’t painting but doing a 100% refit in a remote location, with very little money, no help, during rainy season, and that I was doing everything the “right” way. It made me feel better. If I look at it that way I’m flying through the work! It’s true. Ever piece of hardware, chain plate, or through deck fitting I come across in my painting area gets removed, over drilled, filled with epoxy, and re-bedded. It’s far from just painting. The price of my refit far exceeds the purchase price of the boat. I could not imagine how much it would cost to hire people to do this task for me.
Oh, when she is done I’ll be sailing far !!!
So a really interesting cruising boat rowed into the anchorage yesterday, yes rowed. Not with a sculling oar, I’ve seen plenty of small boats use a sculling oar from the stern. This is a 21’ “cruising” & rowing boat. They built the cabin onto it and sailed it here from Florida. They are on their way to Colombia and beyond. After they rowed in and dropped the anchor they pulled up the masts and stored them. They have a few projects to do and I offered them the use of any of my 
tools. As I’ve said 100 times, it’s not about the cost of the boat. Personally I wouldn’t cross an ocean in such a boat but coastal cruising like they are doing, why not?
Check out this little boat kit ($3,331.00) from Chesapeake Light craft. :
http://www.clcboats.com/shop/boats/wooden-sailboat-kits/pocketship-sailing-pocket-cruiser-kit.html
I think building a small boat like this would be an inexpensive, good, fun way to get into sailing. When I can afford it I’m going to build the Chesapeake light craft passage maker take apart and use it as my primary dink.
I’ve also come to a conclusion on boat countertops. What is light (not marble), durable, attractive, and relatively cost effective? stainless steel. The only drawback to stainless counter tops is it scratches. Well the more I thought about it I decided to do stainless counters (at a later date) regardless of the fact it scratches. Well it finally dawned on me, why not jewel (engine turn) the stainless? No more worrying about minor scratching and I think it looks awesome! I’m going to learn how to do this and master it! It’s good to have mad skills.
If you’re interested in engine turning you can learn more at:
http://www.workingpsychology.com/diversions/jeweling.html
Well that’s it for today guys.
Time to hunt lionfish and attend to Splendid’s refit.
Sail far and live slowly.
– alex