Chick Tips!

[SailorPam]

I store salad greens - either for tranport or left overs - in paper towelling inside a ziploc bag. The paper towels absorb the moisture the and leaves stay fresh longer. And it packs into small spaces better than the dang spinner that's the size of a basketball.

I really like the placemat/shower mat idea!

[NauticalFishwife]

When browsing through K Mart the other day in search of "unnecessary plastic items" I came across a plastic water dispenser with a tap. It fits PERFECTLY wedged up against my cooling plate in the icebox. It's easy to get a glass in to dispense the water without taking it out and holds over a gallon. Hmmm if it holds water it would also hold mojitos .... !

[lynn1120]

1. assuming that nothing, other than body made, goes into the head-- why use TP-- get babywipes instead and empty head garbage once a day into larger waste bag-- you are cleaner between showers/swims and the head smells better

2. Take 500ml drinking bottle with one of those pop up squirty caps-- refill (your choice sea lake or fresh) with water, add squirt dish detergent and squirt baby oil-- use to "grease up the bowl"-- helps cut down on log jams.....

3. to extend ice cubes and give your electric fridge a break-- pick up some of the emergency blankets-- they are silver, very light weight, they sell here at Crappy Tire--lay on top of ice in the ice cooler and it will last almost three times longer, unless of course you get carried away with the luxury of ice and rum together... Laying the silver stuff over the food in your cold reefer allows you to turn it off at night and still the food will retain the chill so you save some energy too.

4. pancake mic can be used to make muffins and tea biscuits-- just change ratio of water to mix and add whatever-- I have used sausage meat or berries or chocolate....you don't need to keep eggs or milk on board

[sailingdog]

Lynn-

Be aware that normally spraying oil of any type in to a head holding tank system will generally tend to encourage anaerobic bacteria, which make the noxious odors, since it will tend to isolate the black water from the air... YMMV.

[lynn1120]

ah well back to the drawing board ...

[eryka]

We run small amounts (a few Tbsp) of inexpensive cooking oil through the head as needed to lubricate the pump, usually once a week or so. And have had no bad side effects, either because of a smaller quantity than lynn1120 suggests, or because cooking oil is digestible?

[sailingdog]

Probably both.

[J36ZT]

OK, this is the second day this thread has appeared on the "homepage" of the forums. And today, there was an additional "Hersailnet" thread as well. Are you women taking over? If so, I thought I would slow your progress by making a very long post.

Anyway, here are a couple of tips...

When in the UAE, we had bees make a hive on the oxygen tank outside our clinic. The entomologist we called sprayed the bees with a "special" non-petroleum chemical from a squirt bottle. After much coaxing, I found out what the secret chemical was...water with a small amount of dish soap. Any soap that breaks up the surface tension of the water and allows water to enter the spiracles or trachea of the insect will drown them. A month ago, I filled my first crew position. Unfortunately, Mr Kit "T" Kat came with about 50 fleas. I used a solution of baby shampoo and a "flea comb." I finished up with a baby shampoo bath and rinse. No harmful chemicals to cause any concerns, one flea found and removed by comb per day for three days, and Kit is now flea free. I can't find any difference between a nit comb and a flea comb so either comb and treatment should work for all small parasites.

Here's a secret dive tip: When you first buy your dive mask, it'll come with a coating on the glass. I don't know why the coating is there, but it'll cause the mask to fog terribly. Use toothpaste on your fingertip and gently scrub the inside surface of the glass. Instead of spitting on the glass before you dive, lightly coat it with...yes, baby shampoo,and then gently rinse with seawater.

Instead of buying expensive "survival" foods, have a military friend get you some MRE's from their Commissary. Each MRE will have somewhere around 3,000 cal. With caution, they can be eaten even after their expiration dates. The military is routinely testing and extending shelf-lives. Chocolate usually goes bad first. If any packet is bulging, food item is obviously discolored, shows any signs of bacterial/fungal growth, or the food tastes bad, don't eat it. MRE's even come with a convenient heater packet!

Tips for you to pass on to the guys:

1. Boat lines can be washed in a washing machine. Use no soap or a very mild soap. However, you'll find out just how worn the line really is... and, it'll take awhile to untangle the line. Do NOT dry the line in a dryer!

2. Epoxy, without any fillers, will naturally flow like water until it hardens. Modeling clay works well to "prep" the area before you mix the epoxy. For example: coat a bolt with clay so the epoxy won't stick to it, or fill a hole with clay so the epoxy won't flow out. The clay can easily be removed later by scrubbing with soap and water.

OK, that should slow your takeover...

Thanks,

Marshall
Skipper, J/36 "Zero Tolerance"

[sailingdog]

If you want the epoxy to fit tightly around the bolt, you're much better off using mold-release compound, usually PVA or wax of some sort.

[J36ZT]

Sailingdog is right. But, when it's late in the evening and all the marine stores are closed, one has to be creative. To fill a horizontal hole in an "emergency," I've made a spoon or cup type shape out of clay and stuck it on the surface in front of the hole. After the epoxy was cured, the clay was removed and epoxy sanded flush. Again, I know there are fillers that can be added to make the job easier. I guess what I'm trying to say is that some modeling clay in your cruising kit next to the epoxy might be a good idea.

I hope we haven't hijacked this thread from the ladies. My experience has been that women usually make better crew than men...mostly because they know all these really cool things that make life aboard so much easier. Thus, I wouldn't want to discourage any woman from sailing.

Skipper, J/36 "Zero Tolerance"