u/Midisland-4

These were the only two in my trap today in Nanaimo, Pacific Northwest.

I am looking for advice for cold weather sailing gear.
I am tending towards a flotation jacket but I have a couple reservations. I am concerned that this jacket will be too bulky. I am not racing and would only go out on relatively calm days.
My boat is on a mooring so I will be rowing out to is and checking it at least weekly. I am in the Pacific Northwest, mildest winters in Canada but we still get the occasional snow and freezing temperatures…..

I had posted last month looking for advice on attaching to a mooring. I appreciate all of the advice I received. The way I had it initially would have caused issues.
This is the way I have it now. The 3/4” lines pretty much max out the fairleads. Looping the cleats means I can’t release under tension but I do see that as a concern, if I do want to release when under tension I will also want the engine running, I’ll motor forward. No different than an anchor. I’m not keen on leaving the lines with leather dangling in the water for a couple days while I am out sailing, I’ll likely take them off and re seize them when I return….. a bit of work but possibly worth it.

A friend of mine dove my mooring last week and took a bit of video. This is isn’t what I expected to see, but I can see how it would work.
I borrowed the mooring from a total stranger, I got the number off the ball. My boat is a 26’ Albin 79. I feel “okay” about this mooring because the previous owner is very confident in the small Bruce anchor the boat came with. With more than 30’ of half inch chain this should pull horizontal and really dig into the bottom.

Any thoughts on using this mooring through a Pacific Northwest Winter. The location is fairly protected from our typical storms.

It feels like there should be a couple more wraps…

Would this be a secure way to leave long term mooring lines?

I’m looking for some tips and advice for handling a boom roller furling rig. This is an older rig that was added to the 1976 Albin 79 I just bought. The previous owner didn’t offer much advice on it.

This is an older roller boom, not an in boom furler. The boom rotates using a shaft that passes through the mast. I like the idea of having infinite reefing but it seems odd…

It appears that there is no way to use the vang when it is reefed, the vang detaches from the boom using a tab and slot. I also don’t see a way to out haul effectively, though that may not be that case. The outhaul at the bottom of the sail may be effective even when the sail is wrapped around the mast.

I have already learned that the main sheet and topping lift have to be used together to set the correct angle on the boom when rolling it up. If it’s too low the sail rolls up forward and pushes the shaft out of the mast.

I’m a bit new and want some advice.
I may go to a smaller line so I can add chafe guards on the fairleads. I certainly will add chafe protection where the lines go through the eye on the buoy.

This is a 26’ sloop in a bay that does get the occasion blow and storm. The mooring is three years old and set for a 45’ sailboat.

I would like to “renew” a zinc anode. This is used in the raw water cooling/exhaust system of a marine diesel engine.
Has anyone ever recast the zinc that is bonded to the brass screw?

Last night a deer got into the yard where my peppers are. They destroyed some tomatoes and really pruned back some of my peppers. I think they will survive but it’s pretty late in the season. I wasn’t sure how much of a crop I was going to have as not much fruit has set yet.
I still have several habaneros that weren’t damaged.
I’m glad they were in grow bags and I could move them to the upper deck.

Last night a deer got into the yard where my peppers are. They destroyed some tomatoes and really pruned back some of my peppers. I think they will survive but it’s pretty late in the season. I wasn’t sure how much of a crop I was going to have as not much fruit has set yet.
I still have several habaneros that weren’t damaged.
I’m glad they were in grow bags and I could move them to the upper deck.

We picked up our little guy yesterday. He is tiny, at 9 weeks he weighs 3lbs.
He is so playful and funny.
I have never had such a small little friend. Any tips or advice?

This is my third season keeping bees in the Pacific Northwest, I keep bees for several years in the northern prairies before this.

I have never seen this before. The entire colony is much smaller than my other ones so some of this is likely just genetics of the Queen. I treated for mites and had no mites in a wash in April. Haven’t treated or tested since, I will test tomorrow.
The broad pattern is stellar but it’s good. Not my most vibrant Queen but there are still 6 frames with brood which to me is pretty good.

There were many of these tiny little bees with small eyes and furry faces.

What causes this?

With so many posts about Bonnets actually being mushroom I thought I would ask…..
Is this a Scotch Bonnet?

How many queen cells should be left in a walkaway split?
I did a split on May 30. According to the Iowa online calendar today is the day the queens should emerge. I was resolved to not open the hive at all and just check for eggs after July 1, but I got concerned and wanted a “back up” if the new queen failed. Yesterday, the day before the scheduled emergence I stole a frame with 4 queen cells and put in a nuc at a different location.
My question is should I have culled a few of the queen cells that are left behind?

I stopped pulling frames after stealing one and confirming that there were still good looking queen cells left behind so I don’t know for sure how many there are but for sure at least 6.

I had thought about putting a cage around a couple cells to protect them from the first to emerge but didn’t. Is that a good plan in the future?