On Board with Mark Corke

DIY Boat Owner Magazine

 

DIY Boat Owner magazine which many On Board readers will be familiar with has been sold to Madmariner.com the on line boating resource site. The magazine was originally started by Jan Mundy and her husband Steve Kalman in 1995 before being sold to Boat US in 2006 who in turn have sold it to Glen Justice the owner of Mad Mariner.

As before DIY Boat Owner will continue to be published quarterly although at the time of writing this I am unsure as to whether Jan Mundy is to stay on as editor. The first issue to be published by the new owners will be available next month and it will be interesting to see what sort of changes if any will be incorporated.

The magazine is currently available through subscription and in some West marine stores.

Paper yachts

I was sent this book through the other day for review and I had intended to write about it earlier but was getting very frustrated. This is basically a book of two parts. At the front is a section about some of the most significant racing yachts in recent history. At the back are shiny varnished paper squares which you can fold into a rough facsimile of the boat of your dreams. The book is well produced and looks great. The sections on each of the designs are concise, well-written and illustrated with color photos. So far so good I thought having finished the reading now comes the fun part making the paper models. I had every intention of making a couple and displaying them proudly here but I failed miserably. I am no stranger to following diagrams and plans but frankly I was totally baffled by the instructions and drawings, Try as I might my boats were an abject failure. If I can build a 30 foot power boat then I must be able to build a paper boat I surmised , but apparently I can't. Whether this is something of a left brain, right brain conflict I have no idea but I am too embarrassed to show the results of my origami and they were consigned to the office waste paper bin in a pique of rage.
For all that I suspect that most people who buy this book will not build the paper models and will be content just knowing that they are there. Buy it for the text and photos just don't try to build the paper models.
ISBN 978-0-307-46021-9
80 pages
Published by Crown publishing at $22.50
Authors Nic Compton and Nick Robinson

Anytime Valentine Gifts

Seems like just yesterday that we were giving each other Christmas gifts and guess what, Valentine's Day is here. My wife Rita thinks that all Valentine's Day gifts should be lovey-dovey. but then she might not be such a hard-core boater as me.  So to satisfy all tastes here is a round-up of suggestions that are sure to appeal to everyone.  You wouldn't believe how many gift suggestions were sent to me.  Some of them, like the guy flogging a square foot of land overseas to all those who want to be international property owners!  Unbelievable!  So I've sorted through them all and put together a selection costing from just a few dollars to several hundred any of which would be welcomed by any boating inclined member of the family at any time of the year -  not just on Valentine's Day.

TAG Heuer 27° AIR Sunglasses  $230-365.00

They're well-known for the range of watches they have been making since 1860, but until these arrived in the mail some time ago I had no idea that TAG Heuer made sun glasses as well. These are from the AIR range collection.  They look stylish, are comfortable to wear and the soft neoprene ends grip well so they will stay in place when you are on the boat. The wrap around style of the lenses stops glare from entering around the sides..an absolute must when you're out on the water on a sunny day.  Prices vary depending on the exact model and run from around the $230 mark. Not the cheapest sunglasses that you will ever buy perhaps, but certainly some of the most good looking and effective.  If you decide to wrap these up for your Valentine, just be sure to invest another 5 bucks in an eyewear retainer like the ones made by Croakie.  As they say, "better to be safe than sorry!"

    Tullamore Dew    $35
    Glenrothes          $45
    Yamazaki            $44.99

I’ve never been a great one for drinking beer, but I do enjoy a drop of whisky from time to time. Always something of an acquired taste and not all whiskies are created equal. Single malts are at the top of the tree and although more expensive than blended whisky, they are far smoother with each distillery producing their own distinct unique tipple.

The trio shown here includes the Glenrothes, which is a Scottish Speyside whisky, Tullmore Dew from Ireland and Yamazaki from Kyoto in Japan.  I'm a fan of first two, but the Japanese whisky was completely new to me.  Now that I've indulged, I must confess that I have developed quite a taste for it. The booklet describes it thus ‘ a 12 year old that is slightly syrupy, honeyed in flavor, perfumey, with a cookie like dryness in the finish’. 

Whichever you choose none of these will disappoint a true whisky drinker. A great gift when visiting a friend’s boat for the weekend and a sure fire guarantee that you will be invited back.

Incidentally, we've got a few great whisky cocktail recipes that I just might feature on St. Patrick's Day.  I know you won't be disappointed in the ones that include Tallmore Dew. 

Distributed in the USA by Skyy and available in all good liquor stores