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D.D. asked, "The dish detergent thing sounds messy. Do bugs stick to it. I wondered how you apply it. Can you water it down and spray it on?" No it's not messy, I simply put a few drops on a small sponge, or a wash cloth, or even a bit of paper towel. Then I wipe it over the inside of the...

I've found it very effective to simply smear a little dishwashing liquid over the inside of the windows. It sounds too simple, but it really does work.

D.D., I can't disagree with almost anything in your post, except maybe the depressing part. Acosta Creek isn't for everyone. The place definitely has the flavor of Florida a hundred years ago. For folks like me who cherish the wildness of the surroundings it's a paradise. I like being able...

I'm almost reluctant to post this as Acosta Creek Harbor - http://www.acostacreek.com/ is one of my favorites; it's quiet, very rural, and I like it that way. But Jay and Cathy, who run the place, are really nice folks, and if I can throw some business their way I will. I'll be there in a...

I wonder if the ban will include satellite photos, which are used by Google-Earth, for example.

All my GPS devices report headings relative to true north. Typically I'll get on the desired heading using a GPS device, such as my chart plotter, then I'll check the heading on my magnetic compass, which of course is almost never is the same, given magnetic deviation and variation. Then I'll...

I've watched the video 5 times now and I'm still not sure I understand the rig. Seems to me the anchor line must run through the one-way pulley forward of the steel ring, and the one-way pulley would also be attached to the buoy by a short length of line. Then when the anchor is broken out...

When I'm anchored off the bow, the boat tends to sail to and fro in the wind. Has anyone else experienced this, and do you have a solution?

I was in Florida this past weekend getting some canoeing and kayaking in, and saw your group at Hontoon Island State Park, and also cruising on the Hontoon Dead River. I would've liked to stop and chat for awhile, but my time was very limited. There are photos and my journal here...

I did Florida Bay and the West Coast of Florida up to Marco Island in my C-Dory last winter, photos and journal here: http://smittypaddler.com/cds/cdx/ec2013 ... 130219.htm Also, a couple of waypoint files in gpx format, downloadable to most GPS chartplotters here for Florida Bay and the west...

I've camped on a chickee, and you can see photos and journal on a kayak trip through Everglades National Park last winter here: http://smittypaddler.com/cds/cdx/ec2013 ... 130301.htm The chickees can be used by a kayaker, but in my opinion they are more designed for the power boater. They're...

I tried the upper Oklawaha in 2011 and didn't get much beyond the town of Eureka. Journal, maps, and photos here: http://smittypaddler.com/cds/cdc/Ocklawaha/index.htm

Casey, Here's a link to my trip up the west coast of Florida from the Keys: http://smittypaddler.com/cds/cdx/ec2013 ... 130219.htm As long as you have GPS and a chartplotter the channels are pretty easy to locate. Before you leave, be prepared with extra fine mesh for the windows or the...

On Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin, I used to work for a company that had their computer center near the lake, with about a 15-foot embankment, and a hurricane fence on top. One spring the ice climbed up and took out that hurricane fence.

In my humble opinion, the Wallas stove makes a lousy anchor, and an even worse stove. It's run by a computer board, and if it breaks, I'm helpless, and I have to send it back to the factory. I replaced my Wallas with an Origo Alcohol stove for cooking and a Coleman SportCat propane heater for...

I was going to try the free dockage in LaBelle, but after having to fend my boat off the side-tie dock for the umpteenth time, just before dark I chose to continue on to the ACOE dockage just above the last lock before Ft Myers. Everglades National Park has loads of places for a C-Dory to...

I have the same problem with the belt buckle. I still use the strap, but I also use a stretchy 1/2" nylon rope, tied with a bowline on one side of the trailer, run over the gunwales in front of the engines, looped around the trailer and run back over the gunwales and back around the side of the...

I have Verizon LTE and use the HotSpot function on my iPad to connect my laptop to the internet. When I get a good connection, speed is very satisfactory. But sometimes even though Google Chrome gets to the internet on my iPad, any browser or mail handler on my laptop can't. Sometimes it's...

The screens that came on my C-Dory are wire screens, just like you'd normally see on a porch screen door. The holes in the mesh work fine for mosquitoes, but are way too large to be a hindrance to no-see-ums and sand-flies, so if you're going to be in the southern states (Georgia has a town...

Across Lake Monroe, near the marinas at Sanford, the channel splits, with some nasty rocky shoals just off the channel. I found the markers confusing, so watch out. The channel split is as 28 49 23 n 81 16 40 w. BTW, Sanford's Lake Front area is one of the nicest, with lots of good...