Deck Arches

QUIDNON has a large, flush deck, unencumbered by cabin tops, hand rails, vents and various other features that often makes sailboat decks far less useful. It can be used for lounging around in a chaise-longue or a hammock, for stacking bales of hay or cords of firewood, or for mounting various bits of equipment, such as plastic incinerators, digesters that produce gas for cooking or for running the engine, and biochar kilns. It can even be used to keep a few cages of chickens (for eggs and meat) and some small livestock (goats, for milk) tethered to the foremast. It is covered with aluminum diamond plate, for good traction, excellent wear resistance and to keep the boat cool by reflecting most of the sunlight.

The large expanse of QUIDNON's deck (measuring close to 550 square feet) is interrupted by two masts stepped in mast tabernacles, a large hatch in the center of the deck, and the dodger and cockpit aft. These elements are quite traditional; but there are also two more elements that are somewhat peculiar: there are two deck arches. They bear resemblance to boom gallows, but they are much more than that. In keeping with QUIDNON's overall design philosophy, they fulfill as many different functions as possible, to save space and to minimize costs.

The two deck arches are made up of three joined box sections—two feet and the arch itself—cold-molded out of plywood and fiberglassed on the outside. A thick plywood baffle runs along the centerline of the entire structure, to give it strength and to separate the airflows on the two sides. Along the front and the back of the arch there are openings, which can be closed and secured shut using internal sliders. On the bottom of each arch, in the center, is an eyelet for connecting a hoist. Where the arch joins the feet, there are diagonal reinforcements. At the tops of the arches are perforated aluminum angles (not shown) which can be used to attach an awning.

The arches serve the following functions:

1. Provide a point of attachment for a hoist. The front arch is used to hoist objects in and out of the cabin through the large mid-deck hatch. The aft arch is used to lift the engine out of the engine well.

2. Provide attachment points for the hammock or a swinging bench. This is an additional function of the two diagonal reinforcements in the inside corners.

3. Provide attachment points for an awning. The upper edges of the arches carry perforated aluminum angles.

4. Provide ventilation for the cabin. Front and rear sides of both arches have openings that let air either in or out, depending on wind direction. A baffle along the centerline of each arch keeps the two airflows separate until they reach the cabin, where they terminate in vents that direct the airflows in different directions, blowing air in and also sucking it out. They provide plenty of ventilation at anchor and on all points of sail except a beam reach. When sailing a beam reach in relatively calm conditions, the mid-deck hatch can be cracked on one side to cool the cabin.

5. Provide extra buoyancy up top in case of a capsize. The air openings on the front and back of each arch can be closed and secured using sliders, to create an airtight structure above deck level. Each arch encapsulates around 15 cubic feet of air. Both arches add around 2 tons of positive buoyancy 4 feet above deck level. This is very useful in case of a capsize, and enough to prevent QUIDNON, with its large, flat deck, from wallowing upside-down for any length of time.

6. Provide attachment points for sheet blocks (on top of each arch). A known problem with junk sails is that with most sheeting arrangements the sail tends to twist, losing efficiency, especially to windward. What typically happens is shown on the left; the optimal arrangement is what's shown on the right.

But in many cases this doesn't matter. For those who want to use QUIDNON primarily as a houseboat and prefer to keep things simple, a very simple sheeting arrangement will work fine, with a set of blocks mounted on top of each deck arch, while those who will want to make long passages to windward and would like an extra bit of speed can add a euphroe. I am also playing around with ideas for the ultimate solution: an automatic sheet traveler, but haven't tested it out yet. Here it is, shown schematically—not drawn to scale, and the final design will use tracks, sliders and blocks rather than rods and rings. But if you think hard enough, you should be able to puzzle out how it's supposed to work.

7. Provide places to mount navigation lights, red/green on the sides of the front arch, white aft light in the center, on the back of the rear arch.

8. Serve as boom gallows. When the sails are down, they can be made to rest on top of the arches.

9. Provide a support structure for the masts when they are down, for motoring down canals.

10. Provide an elevated place to sit or stand, to see a bit farther on the horizon and to be able to read the water better when sailing through shallows.

General progress update: There is now a full 3D model with most of the features drawn to scale, done in Sketchup. It has been moved to make a model in Delftship, which will be used for various calculations, and is in the process of being imported into SolidWorks, for creating a 1:12 scale model. There are plans to set up the model with radio control and sails, and to see how well QUIDNON sails.

Triumph at the End of a Rocky Road

The note above shows one of a rapidly growing list that Carol B has received from family members after privately publishing a volume of family history laced together with relevant aspects of her personal story. She swells with happiness at each one. These notes are more than usually rewarding. The road to this outcome has been rocky. Her stories sizzle with intrigue. That eventually presented a problem.

Carol, her parents, and a family friend (I omit her full name at her request to protect her family’s privacy), spent decades gathering stories and documents from county records and other sources, documenting purchase and sale of property, births, deaths and marriages, police and jail records, newspaper articles and pictures. Piles and piles of pictures. She took careful notes as relatives chewed the fat at family events.  She even sought out help from her local historical society to gather added information.

Eventually she wove memories and facts into stories. Lifestory writing group members pointed out unclear areas, missing material and more. Her strong writing grew polished in both content and structure. Then forces of darkness emerged.

Her family’s history includes mayhem, madness and murder. It’s all a matter of public record, and mostly forgotten, though ripples remain in family attitudes and traits. Still, she was loathe to publish it all without warning the family. She told everyone whose names appeared in the book what she was up to and asked their permission to share stories relevant to their immediate family members. With the exception of one person within her family, she was offered nothing but support and encouragement.  She did not have anyone else read her book, as she was not willing to write a book by committee.  As it turned out, the faith that family members had in her was almost unanimous. Others showed their trust by giving full permission to use their names and their particular family stories.

However, there was one family member who, without even reading the book, objected on principle. “There is no reason to dig all that stuff up again.”  Said Person would not discuss it with Carol and did not respond to numerous requests to be named in the book, then cut off  direct communication.

Carol’s inner critic went nuts. What if I’m sued?  Maybe I’m too critical. Maybe my book is too negative.  Even if I do expose the people in my book to public scrutiny, these are the stories of my family. What should I do?

Her voice had the sound of defeat as she told me, “That person has gobs of money and can afford to sue me on a whim. Maybe that will happen. Maybe I should just drop it. Maybe I should just share the Word file with anyone who wants to read it.”

“You’ve told dozens of people you’re doing this, and they all want to see it finished. What about them? Will you be letting them down? You’ve set aside funds to see it through. How can we work around this?”

Note to readers: don’t try to handle this alone. Get plenty of perspectives. 

“Do you think I’ve been too critical?  Is my book too negative?”

“NO! But I’m not always the best judge of emotional tone. Let’s get one more opinion.” I recommended another writer I know who excels in this area. Her response was supportive. Carol regained her grip.

She decided she would proceed with the project with these caveats:

• She omitted all references to Said Person beyond a couple of picture captions where she cites the relationship without a name.  She decides to include a vintage photo of Said Person, but includes only a first initial and maiden last name.  To do otherwise would have made her uncomfortable, since she did not want to purposefully leave anyone out of the family history.  She also decided to mail Said Person a copy of the family history book. To date, there has been no acknowledgement of receipt though communication on other subjects has been resumed. 

• In the Acknowledgments she states: “I have remained faithful to the stories that were passed down through the family and relied on my own memories and those of other family members for additional tales. Throughout the process, I maintained my belief and intention to cause no harm.”

• The back cover includes a disclaimer of sorts: “… For decades she has collected stories from relatives and public records. She compiles those stories with personal reflections to tell the family’s story with truth and honesty to the best of her understanding.” 

She also firmed up her decision to keep publication as private as possible.

This last step required thinking out of the box. Carol is facing serious health problems and wants to ensure that her extended family will be able to independently order additional copies for years to come.

In line with her decision to keep the book private, she vowed to avoid all promotion and publicity. She is eager, however, for others to know of her experience, even though they won’t be reading the book. Buoyed by the outpouring of gratitude from family members, such as the note above, she has asked me to share that story, hoping to inspire others who battled doubts about sensitive disclosure to persist and find their own way around obstacles.

I’m happy to oblige, emphasizing to readers that publishing privately with limited distribution can be a strong and rewarding option for those who shy away from telling all to the world at large.

As the fan letter notes, Carol is hard at work on a second volume, a personal memoir. Will this one also be kept under wraps? Who knows? If she opts for open publication, you’ll be among the first to know.

Points to Ponder: What tense material might slow down your writing project? What creative workarounds can you come up with? Who can you turn to for support and fresh ideas?

Points to Ponder: What tense material might slow down your writing project? What creative workarounds can you come up with? Who can you turn to for support and fresh ideas?

A Humble Story Lives On

Hettie Stein never dreamed hundreds or thousands of people would learn about her life when she hand-wrote her lifestory on forty pages of notebook paper sometime around 1975. She wrote separate, personalized copies for each of her three grandchildren, my husband being one. We have not seen either of the other two copies, but I scanned in ours, saving the images in a PDF file and also transcribing them into a Word document for easier reading by later generations.

Now the world can read about Hettie’s life on Amy Cohen’s blog, Brotmanblog: A Family Journey, beginning with Part 1 and share our delight in these accounts of a long-gone way of life in simpler times.I thank distant cousin Amy for finding our family and pulling so many resources together into a compelling story.

As you can see from the graphic below, excerpted from Hettie’s story (which I gratefully borrowed back from Amy’s blog), the writing is as primitive as a Grandma Moses canvas in both form and message. As Hettie explains in her story, she chose to leave school after eighth grade (in 1898). Her reasoning was that like other women of her day, her lot in life was to marry and raise a family, and no housewife needed more book learning than she already had, so why exert herself?

This lack of formal education shows in her writing, but that did not deter her for a moment. Thank goodness! This humble, unaffected story reflects her authentic heart, big as all outdoors, and the fact that she wrote it is the sign of a satisfying life. She never had material wealth, but what she had was enough. I have never met a kinder, more positive person. Hettie loved everyone with childlike enthusiasm, and was always up for an adventure. I feel blessed for having been part of her family.

Hettie decided one day to write these stories. She just sat down and did it, though it took her months to finish each one. She wrote each story in the form of a letter to that grandchild, warmly laced with references to memories of “your mother” and “the time you and I …”. We have not seen the volumes she wrote for her two granddaughters, but presumably they cover much of the same material, customized with slightly different words.

She wrote for my husband. She died in 1987, more than a decade before I preserved her work for the family and the world. Now it’s treasured by great- and great-great-grandchildren and will hopefully be passed down even further.

I often mention her amazing accomplishment when I’m encouraging people to write. “If Hettie could do that, anyone can. You don’t need to produce a literary masterpiece. Whatever you write is better than nothing and will be treasured by generations to come.”

Hettie wrote by hand, on the simple paper she had. She made a manila paper folder to hold the pages and fastened it all together with brads. Even without those manila covers, in only a few years, the acidic notebook paper had begun yellowing. Scanning put a halt to that process.

If by some amazing coincidence, you decide to write a legacy manuscript by hand, acid-free paper is easy to find today. More likely you’ll sit down at a keyboard and print acid-free copies. But even if you write on unfolded paper bags or the backs of envelopes, your descendants will treasure your work.

Points to ponder: If you’re trying to get traction, what obstacles prevent you from “just doing it”? Are you concerned that you writing won’t measure up and your family will laugh or sneer? How good is “good enough”? If you are well on your way toward finishing a story, ponder how satisfying that feels.

Continuous Creative Improvement

Creative people in any field share the goal of continuous skill development. Bear with me as I loop into photography to make a point about writing.

This photo of gulls perched on the southern shore of Lake Pukaki with Mt. Cook in the distance looks great to most people. It looked great to me when I took it in 2005 en route from Christchurch to Queenstown on New Zealand's South Island. It's got most of the elements of a great picture: item of interest in foreground, sweeping vistas afar, sharp focus, clear color, contrasting tones, life contrasting with barren expanse, level horizon.

When I look at this picture, I’m brought back to the moment of crystal-clear air, vast silence broken only by screeching gulls, whispering breeze, shoes on gravel, clicking shutters, and awed murmurs from tour group friends.

It looked good when I took it, and it serves the purpose of preserving and evoking memories. But something has always bothered me about this picture. It has never seemed quite right. It lacks a clear message. Which matters most, the birds or the mountain? I’ve learned quite a bit about photo composition since I snapped this shot. I now see how to frame it better. As much as I’d like to, I can’t loop back to New Zealand for a do-over today, so I’m faking it with Photoshop.

By virtually moving to my right a few feet, I  position that rock so its left slope and the lines of the gulls lead your eye up toward Mt. Cook. The rock echoes slope shapes, lending symmetry to the shot.

That's better, but I still don't feel finished.

Using magic again, I  kneel down, holding the camera at a lower angle, narrowing the gap between birds and slopes. My sense of the scene is wide. Cropping the image enhances that effect. Less is often more. I could keep playing with this shot, but for now I've made my point.

I sometimes open a file or pull out a paper with a story I wrote a dozen or twenty years ago. I read the story and recall the moment and realize I’ve learned better ways to tell it. My fingers twitch as I read, reaching for the keyboard. I may add detail, subtract focus blurring fluff, tighten wording or add dialogue. I turn simple narrative into sizzling scene.

Another lesson from photography comes into play here. Not only has my technique improved, technology keeps improving both cameras and editing tools. Photos I edited fifteen years ago may look garish and clumsy compared to what I’m able to do today. Even today I may over-edit, ending with gaudy results. Saving edits as a new file can save the day, allowing me to start over with the original material.

The same thing can happen with stories. More than once I’ve been called out for gaudy drama in stories. Starting fresh with that earlier draft calmed things down. Earlier drafts can help flesh out related stories, and reading them again reassures me that I am continously improving.

I continuously improve my photo skills by taking classes and hanging out with photographers who know more than I do. I study the work of experts and take thousands of pictures. I improve my writing skills by reading books and blogs about writing, by reading the work of acclaimed authors, by attending workshops and conferences, by reading voraciously, and by writing, over and over, until it works.

Would I take this photo right the first time if I did go back again? Maybe. If I had time I’d take it from many angles to increase the odds. And I often write stories several ways to find the one that suits me best.

Points to Ponder: Can you look back at early stories and see how your work has progressed? What steps do you take to ensure your writing continues to improve?

Rebooting My Blog

To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven … 

Eccl. 4:1

The past few months have been my season to pack, unpack, explore, and settle into my new Texas home. Beyond email and sporadic journal entries, they have not been a time to write. That’s okay. Boxes are unpacked, guestroom warmed, new dining table christened, and I’m once more thinking beyond shopping for rugs and bedspreads.

For several weeks I hardly thought about writing at all. Then thoughts of writing bubbled up. I began gently pondering what I really want to write and how to best go about it. I’ve finally realized that I do enjoy sharing my thoughts about writing, online and in person. I’ve missed involvement with writing community. Now the write season is bursting forth. It’s time to reboot the blog and begin its eleventh year.

A metaphor just came to mind. Our ten knock-out rose bushes bloomed bravely through the entire Austin version of winter. Last week we pruned them, barely making the prescribed Valentine's Day deadline. Past blossoms are gone, and new growth gushes forth. Within weeks those bushes will be covered with  new blooms. My writing life has been pruned by the move. New growth is gushing forth — from the same roots and stems, snipped shorter for strength.

As I reboot, I’m pruning my process, returning to basics. I'm lopping off three Success Rules for Bloggers as mandated by highly paid experts.

1. You MUST blog at least once a week. Hogwash! How many of you readers schedule time on your calendar to read specific blog posts each (Tuesday) morning? If you’re like me, you read them when they appear in your inbox or feed reader, and you may skip right past them if you’re busy. I want to be a rare gem that gets your attention in the midst of that predictable mass.

2. You MUST reliably post on a predictable schedule. See above. I’ll post when I have something to say and time to say it. Although it’s unlikely, I might post four times in one week. It’s more likely I’ll post sporadically, a few times a month. I hope to delight you with inspiring posts, not bore you with content scrounged up to meet a deadline.

3. You MUST include graphics. Big, colorful, eye-catching graphics. For the past few years I’ve spent almost as much time searching for and creating these graphics as writing posts. That’s a discouraging drag, not how I want to spend my time. If a graphic serves a purpose, I’ll add one. Beyond that, well, I’m not writing children’s books.

My decisions are purpose driven: I write and blog to share insights, encourage and inspire other writers, especially beginners, and create community, not to “build a business.” I’m past the season in life where building and running a business is a priority, desire or interest. Since profit is not part of my purpose (though I’m not above welcoming some), cumbersome business building mandates induce creativity stifling guilt, self-doubt and procrastination. They are counter-productive for me. If some find this approach "unprofessional," so be it. I hear my drummer and it's time to march!

I shall find my best path, blaze a new trail, and whatever results is enough!

Stay tuned. This post covers rebooting my blog. I’ll have more to say soon about rebooting story flow.

Points to Ponder:  What aspects of your writing are you doing because “you should”? What doesn’t fit? How can you change that? Do you need a time out? 

Living on Boats: A Potent Symbol of Freedom

Eye Candy

Many thanks to Helder Silva of Lisbon for making these 3D models in Sketchup.

Life on board is much too hard!

Full pilot house in the front, dodger version in the back

View from starboard quarter

Centerboards down

Meanwhile, down below

Centerboard pivot

Starboard water tank