Search:

Ian, thanks again. I wanted to thank the others by replying individually to their threads, but my browser is acting up and won’t let me, so I’ll do it like this.

Many good points, Bob. I like the...

Thank you, Ian. I appreciate your excellent suggestion.

I am writing a piece of short fiction involving a sailboat lost at sea due to a storm; its debris is washed up on shore shore years later. So that I don't inadvertently insert any anachronisms,...

Thank you all very much for the helpful information

John

If you think of anything else, you may e-mail me either in TN (jcmannone@earthlink.net) or in NC (JCMannone@duke-energy.com)

Hello everybody. Been enjoying Charlotte, NC since Dec 1. This is the first chance I had to visit this site.

Since you are all quite a bright bunch, you might help me settle a question of when...

Block Island is indeed a wonderful secret. When I was working Millstone Unit 3 in 1997 in CT, I based my Archer II at the Groton-New London airport. If I recall, Block Island is only 14 nm direct....

I would be inclined to say Grant, but I wouldn't want to take it for granted.

JCM

Bill,

There is no question about it. THIS is the best sailing forum I have encountered. There is none worthy of second place.

I have tried Sailnet...

I just got telephone confirmation that I beat all my competition and I got the job! We are still negotiating a start date (probably Dec 1, possibly sooner).

I want to thank you for your...

Good work Jack.

It just so happens that I finished a piece yesterday in the genre of "radio poetry." Not my best (I think "My Sol" is). I call this one "M" (for the Messier object which you are...

Thank you all for the info. I have not read "The Ulysses Voyage" yet. I will plan to get it. Thanks.

John

Hi Martin,

There are many speculations on the voyages of Ulysses. The last leg(s) aren't as disputed as others. I had proposed a weak current bearing northeasterly from Malta so that he wouldn't...

It seems that I may have a consulting job in Charlotte, NC on the metal oxide fuel processing facility (I will know for sure late Friday).

Can anybody recommend where/where not to live by region...

As you may have guessed, I am fascinated by astronomy and sailing in ancient and classic literature.

Here is an excerpt on boat building from “The Odyssey” (Homer, Book V). This is one remarkable...

I thought about the Aratus poem a bit more and tried not to get hung-up on the crescent moon. I now have the opinion that the thin moon is referenced because it provides clearer information than, say...

A weather related question.

I am familiar with old expressions like:

"Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning"

But here is an interesting piece of...

Donn,

You make a good point, but there are conflicting opinions

http://12.42.224.153/HealthNews/Reuters/NewsStory1028200216.htm
A more current report that favors cranberry juice; statistically...

Nonalcoholic choices:

Carbonated water is a real thirst quencher, if you can handle the gas

O'douls when you want a beer, but can't have one

Cranberry juice, great for the heart and kidneys;...

Hello Shamus,

I suspect that since silicon bronze is an alloy and not a refractory like silicon boride, silicon is in its nonionized state.

Silicon bronze is a noncorroding alloy with copper...

While fumbling to log-on, Ian beat me to it and gave you the correct answer.

Though some of the other replies could apply, there is absolutely no expectation of wind speed or direction change...

First, let me correct the year of the shipwreck. All sources I looked at have it either on 59 or 60 AD.

Now, I must concur with your suspicions. Fourteen days in the storm could be the wrong...

Thanks Andrew and Thanks Ken.

Has anybody heard reliable reports concerning the discovery of the 4 anchors off of Malta (south of Sicily) from the Alexandrian ship that Saint Paul was on when it...

Hi Andrew,

I am not so sure about that. Paul had been on several sailing trips and was not completely ignorant. Plus, Luke, the physician, was the scribe. It seems to me that Paul exhibited better...

Hello everybody,

I have another interesting question on sailing around 59 AD.

In his fourth missionary journey, Paul was aboard an Alexandrian ship that got caught in what sounds very much like...

Longitude
Sinbad

I recently learned about the possibility of face-forward rowing from Alan Hyde's post to my question of how Revere may have been rowed across the Charles in 1775 (see page 5 of Designs/Plans: "18th...

Thanks Brian. These are good sites.

John

Hello Mike,

We are both right. I fired-up my planetarium software, Starry Night Backyard, and took a quick look at the Southern Hemisphere. The Southern Cross and the even brighter nearby Alpha...

I appreciate the wonderful reading suggestions. They are especially good for sailing after the 1st millennium AD. I remember reading about the Polynesian helmsman, too. You can imagine the increased...

Would like to join you Thursday if my electricians are finished with the panel upgrade.

Can you give me directions to T-Bones? I'll be on I-75 S coming from the north (Sweetwater/Athens).
...

Ancient sailors were really challenged to navigate over open water. Any good source of information on ancient celestial navigation you can recommend?

I found some interesting star charts used by...

I live about an hour north of Chattanooga (10 west of Sweetwater) and would like to join the luncheon. My schedule is flexible (except for Sundays). Let me know here and/or by e-mail. I don't have a...

Hi Meerkat,

No offense taken. In fact, I totally agree with you. I just wasn't sure what level of response was being sought: pure humor, information for a novice, or a more serious query. I took...

These days, precious little is required for literacy: Be able to power up, shut down, reboot; know how to e-mail and do basic internet searches; know how to use the basics of a wordprocessor; know...

Good discussion and recommendations.

OK, now returning to my questions:

(1) How would the 18th century ship’s Master calculate the length of anchor line needed in the scenario stated. I don’t...

For the Astronomy types on this forum, here is some more sad news about the Australian fires.

I just received this from Sky and Telescope Weekly News Bulletins (free subscription at...

Thanks for all the good comments, but I still have questions.

The 18th century man-of-war, HMS Somerset (1746, 3rd rate), is similar to the HMS Victory (1759, 1st rate warship). The HMS Victory is...

Hi John,

During the last couple of months of Spring, it is in the one "spot" (I am sure it moves about the anchor line, shifting its position and changing direction into the current during tidal...

I LOVE GOOD BEER AND ESPECIALLY ALE.

I haven't had this Yuengling, sounds interesting, but I am not sure I am desirous of its side effects. I gave up Budweiser years ago because of its...

Here are some questions I have on anchor and line. (This new thread is really a continuation on the HMS Somerset started under Resources and Product Search on Dec 13, 2002):

(1) Would a 1400 ton,...

Hi JD,

You have received good information.

As you have discovered, magnetic anomalies due to rock formations (e.g., magnetite, Fe3O4 (subscript the numbers)) will not permanently damage your...

Hi JD,

Here are some links:

http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/mpm/composit/bio/barnacle.htm
Shows a little chemistry on how they stick: “proteins, lipids, and enzymes are produced in different...

I read with interest the informative thread on virus protection on this forum (Aug/Sept 2002) "virus update":

http://media5.hypernet.com/cgi-bin/UBB/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=5&t=005781&p=
...

I ran into this Sailboat quiz (Created by Gary Wyngarden January, 2003 ) on another forum. Looks like it might be fun, so I decided to pass it along.
...

Though the HMS Victory is not the oldest commercial sailing vessel in operation today, you may find it interesting to note it may be the oldest military sailing warship still in service.

Cited...

Hi James,

You make an excellent case for the Somerset anchored midway and perhaps a little to the east of the ferry lane where the line of sight distances are a little closer to the 2 cables + 45'...

Hi James,

You make an excellent case for the Somerset anchored midway and perhaps a little to the east of the ferry lane where the line of sight distances are a little closer to the 2 cables + 45'...

Hi James,

You make an excellent case for the Somerset anchored midway and perhaps a little to the east of the ferry lane where the line of sight distances are a little closer to the 2 cables + 45'...

Thanks CS,

That was helpful.

John

Hi James R,

Thanks for the correction and for the definition of "sheet anchor".

There are several good maps/charts I have found of the area for that time period. Here is one from which I...