Noah D., Author at Sail Element

A perfect sailboat… [Part 1]

By Noah

A house is a deeply personal thing. And a car, really, but for different reasons. So the purchasing of a boat that is intended to be a home mixes the two: lifestyle and personality.

I think one way to deal with it is to ask impossible questions: What will you miss about a house when you move away or have to sell it? Would it be the yard? The porch? The kitchen? I guess, perhaps, someone somewhere might miss a glorious bathroom with an enormous tub and heated towel rack and comfy toilet seats.

And when it comes to thinking about what you’ll miss, then think about the other stuff that you always complain about. Is the shower like bathing in an upright casket? Does the countertops (or lack thereof) drive you to distraction? Is it drafty, moldy, or in a bad part of town?

Now overlay the good with the bad.

Can you deal with wildly fluctuating hot water when it is in such a sexy neighborhood? Or is that porch as great as you think it is when you can only open one pizza box at a time on the countertop? All things in life require a certain degree of flexibility. That flexibility is reached by maintaining an ability to compromise. Still, dealing with idiosyncrasies and enduring hardship are two different things.

Larger live-aboard boats and sailboats compound these little idiosyncrasies and roll them up in a nice compact tube that can be taken almost anywhere in the world. Still, add those idiosyncrasies up too much and you might start seeing them as hardships (which is one step away from misery).

The only thing that makes the peculiarity of living aboard sailboats different from other land-based is that most of their parts and structures are similar. In a similar way that cars all have seats, steering wheels, and windows, a sailboat–though at first visually similar–are as different as a Ferrari is from an Aston Martin: to the discerning driver, they are not even in the same category of car. Flipping through SailBoatData.com floorplans, there doesn’t seem to be much variation: some 2-cabin, some 3-cabin, etc, and some the kitchen is there and the bathroom is there, or vice versa.

It is the nuance in design that makes such a difference. Some sailboats are like Aston Martin’s: sexy, fast, front-engine grand touring cars meant for sleek style and an all-around package. Some sailboats are like Ferrari’s: ridiculously powerful, high-performance, mid-engine super-cars that are designed to make a personal statement. And some sailboats are BMW’s: much cheaper than Ferrari’s and Aston Martin’s, but extremely reliable, ubiquitous, and safe (although relatively conservative).

Details are everything.

Here, in no particular order, are a few of those things that we take notice of browsing through the seemingly-endless numbers of boats on Yachtworld.com and proprietary broker sites.

An adequate master stateroom.

For the first month after Lynn followed me to London, we lived in an extremely small flat with only a single bed. We are in no hurry to return to that. Not only did it have practically no storage, there was nowhere to sit and had one window that looked out onto a solid wall. Woe to us, right?

This is our opportunity to chose something that is seriously livable. Somewhere to put clothes and such is great (I mean, we live in a city) but also just somewhere for Lynn to sit to get ready in the morning would be an improvement over anything we’ve experienced since living in London.

We’ve found that some larger production boats designed for ocean passages tend to possess this sort of larger aft stateroom or larger-than-V-berth forward stateroom. Those hidey-hole berths in the back are great while actually sailing, but they are a bit of a pain to live day after day. We’d like to sit up and read at night, not slide into it like a catacomb.

Decent climate control.

Living well north of 51ºN is a fact of life in London. The North American equivalent is almost 200 miles north of the US/Canadian border. It gets dark at 4:30pm in the winter and doesn’t get truly dark until 10:15pm in the summer, but it really isn’t as bad as people think when it comes to precipitation… but warm, it is not. Many Northern European boats I’m seeing come with Webasto (or other brand) heating systems. More than just a convenience, I think it is only realistic to expect to need a certain amount of heat throughout the boat. There are some creature comforts that we may be doing without while living on a boat, but uncontrolled shivering at night isn’t reasonable.

A good galley.

It might be hard to believe, but any galley on almost any boat larger than 35ft will have a kitchen larger than our current one. The studio apartment we have now in London has a single space approximately one meter wide on which to prepare things, store things like our hot water kettle (ubiquitous in London). However, when it comes to keeping a microwave…? Not a chance. It sits on the floor plugged into a power strip when it is needed and then gets put back on a storage shelf when done.

More important in a galley on a boat, though, is the usability of the galley. A big open galley with miles of countertops is great in a marina–it feels like a house, right!–but is the galley actually usable at sea? I’m becoming a fan of U-shaped or C-shaped galleys: everything seems so accessible. However, boats like the Beneteau Oceanis 411 has a layout in which the galley is pushed back down one side of the companionway and cockpit overhead so that there is a wall directly behind while the galley remains straight.

Sailboats must be a strange thing to design: they’re one of the only things I can think of (besides perhaps space-bound vehicles) that force the designer to think, “What happens when everything is pitched to the left or right 30º?”

A suitable head.

For those unaccustomed to bathrooms on boats, they may seem to come in more flavors than you can imagine. I mean, how different can a toilet be, right? But there are two main differences: powered and unpowered toilets. “The toilet is powered!?” you ask. Well, without getting too graphic, most land potties work by gravity. The water is held in a reservoir and “flushing” is merely letting the water fall into the toilet, emptying the waste and reloading the bowl for next time.

Well, sailboats don’t work quite like this. Most sit dry before and after use. It takes a pump to prime the toilet (read: let a little water in before use) and it takes a pump to flush the toilet and re-empty the bowl afterward. Sailboats possess a manual or electric pump to do all this. And some have a manual override (just in case there is no battery power for some reason).

Pumps invariably break, fail, lose suction, get old, burn out, etc. Which do we want to deal with whenever that time comes? Or do we want to be all earthy and get a composting head? I’ve heard amazing things (one being that it saves an enormous amount of space because you can practically get rid of the holding tank). Still… jury is out on that one.

Again, anything is likely going to be an improvement over our current flat. If Lynn and I need to use it at the same time…? Too bad. One must come out before the other goes in. To have two bathrooms (like most 40+ foot boats do) kinda makes us giddy.

Range-extending systems.

Speaking nothing of things like radar or GPS, we are interested in a few particulars when it comes to making our home a self-contained unit.

Lynn is a life-long diver and she intends to continue doing this on board whatever boat we have. An air compressor would be nearly a necessity. Now, it might not be reasonable to expect the boat to come pre-installed with such a compressor; however, it is important that the boat has the capability of handling it and the necessary other dive equipment.

Another important system is a water-maker. Even if we are going to be at a Thames dock for a while, it would become laborious to drag the hose out to fill up every time. Not to mention the fact that most marinas nickel-and-dime things like that. Flip on the water-maker, problem solved.

Self-contained power systems will become a practical necessity. I’ve liked watching the evolution of the wind turbines. Being in the northern latitudes, sun is around much less than wind. I mean, have you seen the windmill farms out in the English Channel and the mouth of the Thames!? It is insanely impressive. Power independence will not only be handy offshore, but simply living in a windy city and not having to pay much of a power bill? Sexy.

Interior decoration.

Okay, not quite my thing. Whenever I show Lynn a few boats, if the boat has god-awful upholstery or weird wood color, she nixes it quite quickly. Now, before you roll your eyes or think she’s being too “girly” I actually tend to agree with her. Boats don’t really have much variety when it comes to color variation. Exterior colors tend to be white, blue, or red. Interior colors tend to be lacquered wood and a “nautical” color like… blue, white, or red. Occasionally dark green sneaks in there. Or something with wide stripes (also nautical).

Maybe we’re taking this thing a little too far, but… yes, I know, we live on a boat. Our life will look like a Tommy Hilfiger or Ralph Lauren advertisement anyway. Now, why would we want to decorate the interior of a nautical thing… nautically? Stripes, knots, fish, boats, brass things…? We will, of course, make it “our own” after purchase, but things like settee upholstery is a little tougher and more expensive to deal with.

Stay tuned for the next episode. Many of these have been interior considerations: up next, exterior.

RECIPE: And hot, it must be…

By Noah

It seems to be a staple of sailing blogs to have a certain amount of cooking discussed. Perhaps it is slightly interesting to people how one might exist beyond beans and rice every night when the available space is, to some degree, rather wee. But, honestly, I don’t expect many of you to get up yelling, “Brilliant!!” and start making whatever I posted. Like most blog posts, they’re just records. I’m just sending randomness out into the Internet aether for me and for us…

Maybe someone benefits from it? Maybe not. Nothing changes on this side of the keyboard.

Moving on…

Honestly? Cooking in a boat is no different from cooking in a small apartment (that happens to move around a bit). And “small” doesn’t even begin to describe our flat in London.

Also, everything I might post here fits into a certain category:

First, it is cookable within a modest amount of space and time. Second, it is cookable with relatively simple ingredients and/or ingredients that are common to most places; that means I’m not using overly-exotic fruits and veggies–although foreign cooking is often ripe with such things. Third, I’m not a spectacular cook and most of the things I make are spin-off’s from other recipes. If it is close to the original recipe, I’ll post a link to where I got the original. Give credit where credit is due, right?

So, without further delay…

Toasty Chili Oil

This is an amalgamation of about six or eight different ways that I’ve heard after asking waiters at various restaurants how they make their chili oil. And then, I like to add my little difference.

This also fits in a category of foodstuffs that can be prepared elsewhere (read: not on the boat) because it keeps for a long long time.

6 hot peppers (no less than six, ya wimp! 🙂 )
500ml (approx) of oil
1/4 teaspoon peppercorns (ground or unground)
1/4 teaspoon crushed chili (optional)
5 leaves of preferred herb
1 garlic clove
2 shallots (alternative: small spring onion bulbs, stalk removed)
1 teaspoon (approx) dried rosemary

1. In a deep pot, slowly heat the oil. Seriously. Don’t put the oil into anything preheated. (Some people use a large skillet, but if you’re cooking on a moving boat? I’m not one to risk super-heated oil in something that shallow and that wide.) I gauge the oil’s readiness by watching for it to “come alive.” It will almost quiver as if it were boiling but you shouldn’t see any bubbles.

2. While waiting for the oil to heat, cut everything to fit the neck of the bottle. You don’t want to have to shove scalding hot things. The shallots or the garlic clove might have to be cut lengthwise. If you don’t need to cut the peppers to fit, give them a little slice down the side to make the oil get inside. If you do have to cut them, wait the peppers to last so the oil won’t ooze out (and don’t let the seeds escape, either).

3. When the oil is hot and all things are cut, gently put everything into the oil. It should sizzle a little but not pop everywhere. If it does, reduce the heat.

4. As soon as everything is in, reduce the heat to just above a simmer. I allow it to cook (covered) approximately 15 minutes, but watch it and stir occasionally. You do not want the peppers and such to burn: if the smell changes to a sharp burnt smell, that’s bad. Also, everything will appear to shrivel and get a toasty amber color.

5. Remove from heat. To make it easier to get into the tiny neck of the bottle, I pour everything into a large 1L measuring cup (that I also sterilized, btw) that has a sharp pouring spout… then I pick out all the chunks and poke them into the bottle. Finally, I pour the oil in, making sure to keep stirring from the bottom so none of the good stuff is left behind.

If there is a little remaining, I have a small “waste” bottle that I add to each time I make this kind of oil. Gradually it mixes all together with different kinds of oil and different ingredients. I don’t know what I’m going to do with it, but it is probably quite lethal.

The final hotness of the oil will not be apparent now. Let the oil sit a few days in the refrigerator then give it a try. I’ll go ahead and suggest… try small amounts.

A few notes about the ingredients:
Regarding the bottle… Sterilize whatever container you will use prior to using it. A sterile container will ensure long-lasting oil. Even though most restaurants and pizza places just refill their little oil bottles when they get low, that’s actually disgusting, so how about being civilized about it and boil whatever container you intend to use. If you’re like me and love this stuff, it is entirely possible to use a 750ml wine bottle and buy the special drizzle cork that will fit.
Regarding types of peppers… I’ve used habanero peppers while living in London because they are some of the hottest that are easy to get at any supermarket. However, some peppers, like Haiti’s Bird Peppers, are just about lethal.
Regarding types of oil… The type of oil is important. Most people tend to avoid olive oil because it doesn’t stand up to very high temperatures before the flavor shifts. Some recommend sesame or sunflower oil. I actually used rapeseed oil, which settles to a smokey amber color and comes with a slight hint of a smell from my childhood. When boiling, it will get VERY hot before it will actually bubble. Some hot plates or hobs might not even be able to get it to boiling.

A Mandate

By Noah

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Some say travel is expensive. But, what better investment is there than to increase peace by being able to stand against bigotry, intolerance, and hate by intentionally and constantly traveling. What better way to fight terrorism than to use my passport and get on a plane. And what better way to fight ignorance than to get out there and show someone that even though smart people can believe ignorant things, the greatest evil is the promotion of ignorance: ‘I’m here because I refuse to be ignorant.’

Travel builds bridges, fights for truth, and defeats ignorance. And you may never see the return on your investment but your children might. Your grandchildren might. And so might the children and grandchildren of the people you call friends scattered around this very small mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

~written 1 July 2013 in a cafe in Istanbul, Turkey

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The Discovery of Sail

By Noah

The brilliant blog Wait But Why wrote a piece not too long ago entitled “The Fermi Paradox.” It’s definitely worth a read if you have a few minutes. Basically it discusses a few heavy topics about space and time that might, at first, seem quite aloof and not slightly sci-fi. If you hold out for the whole thing, you might realize–like the author does–that this incomprehensibly massive universe is a lonely place. Not “lonely” as in “nobody wants to be my friend” kind of lonely, but absolute and total emptiness, devoid of anything. And here we are.

Well, that’s a cheerful start to the first post!

Of all the technology that you currently know of–from the device you are reading this on, the phone you use, the car you drive, the medicine you might take, etc–how many of those technologies existed 10 years ago? How about 50 years ago? How about 100? For instance, my great grandfather was a profound mechanic: he made a great living fixing Model A‘s and Model T‘s. Did his grandfather ever seen a car?

So, while the past 500 years has brought the ability to print and mass-produce books, writing itself and the ability to communicate by written characters is clocked at about 5000 years, attributed to the Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia around 3200BCE. Considered the “official” beginning of recorded history, the writings from that time are quite basic: most are not exactly “histories” as much as they are records of things.

Go back 3000 more years before that. This was the dawn of the sailboat. Though boats were likely used in prehistoric times (since prehistoric civilizations have been found to have lived on remote islands) the earliest record of a sailboat is from around 8000 years ago. So which of these is more shocking: the fact that most Egyptologists aren’t sure if wheels were used in the building of the Great Pyramids of Giza… or the fact that sailing is twice as old as the Pyramids! (BTW: Here’s an interesting article about ancient Egypt and their papyrus boats.)

Aswan, Egypt - 2008 — Aswan, Egypt – 2008

Besides basic tools those used for cutting and pounding, the basics of sailing and the technologies involved with sailing have existed longer than almost any other technology. Who wouldn’t want the boat to push itself, right? And, until the rise of the airplane, the world has been conquered and empires have risen and then they, too, have been conquered… exclusively by sea.

Now, let’s take technology forward. Your cell phone was “old” after how long? Could you guarantee that we will still be using cell phones in 100 years? They were still using horses in World War 1; I bet every man in the American Civil War (50 years prior) would have bet everything they had that horses would always be used in war. How many of the people reading this blog–written on a laptop that is .7 inches thick at its thickest part–took typing classes on a typewriter when they were growing up? How many remember rotary phones? Whoever it was that thought, “Hey, let’s put up a big sheet in front of that boat and let it pull us!” invented something that literally has been done for 8000 years.

So I think I’ll do that.

Reading the following list, you might think I’m some sort of hipster: I like notebooks and pens; I prefer manual transmission vehicles and steel frame bicycles; I’d rather listen to a vinyl record all the way through to get to the song I like than jump to it on Spotify; and travel/living by sailboat is one of the finest of lives. I’m not stuck in the past or claim that one “works better” than the others. All of them work, most of them are relatively inefficient or downright frustrating, and I’m too much of a nerd to shun technology.

What do all of these things have in common? All of these things give tactile feedback to the user. I watch my notebooks pile up on shelves and in drawers, reminding me with their tattered pages and water spots that I did, indeed, travel there and record it. A manual transmission vehicle feels like I am driving it rather than it driving me. A steel frame bicycle flexes with the rider and any load you put on it and it is fixable with little more than a wrench and a welding torch. A vinyl record pops and crackles and is literally a needle picking up physical scratches on the surface of plastic. And a sailboat…?

Well, a sailboat is a direct connection to everything I cherish in a thing: a bizarre amount of history, the natural world, the wind, and the ocean. It represents a tactile feedback to all these things. And it represents a physical bridge between Point A and Point B in which you cannot just fly past or around the storm, you must go through it. Or you cannot zap yourself from here to there as if flipping channels, you must stay the course and have a longer than 17-second attention span. If properly prepared, all things to remedy the problem are within reach. The answer is here, you must only figure it out. Sailing simplifies and clarifies and–just possibly–purifies.

A friend of mine accused me once of being born in the wrong generation because, as a professional photojournalist, I have no problem using film. Maybe I was. But when it comes to sailing, it doesn’t matter what generation I was born in… because it has always been done.