We just installed a Charles Marine isolation transformer in L'Esprit.
    Honestly I'd never even heard of the thing until we arrived in Petersburg, Alaska, and had to move from the preferred North Dock to South Dock, which was farther from town.
    Our crime? Every time we connected our shore power, we kicked on the dock's circuit breaker. Maybe a ground wire came loose. Maybe a current decided to change paths. Whatever. I'm not an electrical genius. All I know is we had to pull up stakes and move to the far end of town, and that we were in danger of electrifying the surrounding water and divers within.
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   I think it's great they've invented LED collars for dogs. I love that they're easily seen, which is a high priority when cruising on the water. I also like all the neon colors they come in, and that they're rechargeable. Lucky pups.
   But I'm an Inside Passage cruiser, so I'm always looking at things from the perspective that they can have a different use aboard L'Esprit. I bet you're like that too!
  Here're some ideas for using a LED dog collar, even if you don't own a dog.

   I remember when having a solar charger was unthought of. Now I can't imagine not having one.
   In fact, now we have phones and laptops and tablets and GPSs and LED lights and portable speakers and iPods and . . . .
   Well, the list goes on. And they all need to be charged if we want to use them.
   Some of you have boats that truly rely on having an ample solar power system. Others of you don't. But all of you will, at one time or another, wish you had a small or medium-sized solar recharger.
   Maybe you're out in your dinghy longer than expected. Or you're hiking and your phone's power dies. Or you've run out of plugs to plug into.

   I love soft hoses. So does Captain Dave, which surprised the heck out of me since he loves all things industrial strength.
   I love them because they’re easy to store. They collapse into a supple half-a-Trader-Joe’s bagful, instead of a stubborn coiled pile that’s the size of a car tire. That means I can store in a closet or under the floor boards without hogging a lot of space.
   And they weigh a fraction of what those big-guy hoses do. With one finger, I can lift that Trader Joe’s bag that’s holding my flexible hose.  

   When we cruised to SE Alaska last summer, I knew we needed to make many long passages in order to get to arrive in Ketchikan in less than three weeks.
I also knew that I'd be pretty darned tired and hungry at the end of those passages.
   Since, on L'Esprit, I'm the cook, I had to figure out a way to have our meals cooking while we were up on the fly bridge making our passage.
   For some galley slaves this problem is solved with a crock pot. Others use a  pressure cooker.
   I decided I wanted to experiment with my version of the Wonderbag. 

   I bragged on this product in The First Mate's Guide, and I'm going to brag on it again. I love it so much I bought one for my daughter-in-law Naomi to simplify her life just a tad.
   I love Koincoo's Instant Read Thermometer. I especially like on L'Esprit because:
 - it folds up tight so it's reading parts don't get damaged in the drawer.
 - it turns on immediately, and it shuts off as soon as you close it.

   It rains a lot in the Pacific Northwest, which means your shore power cord is vulnerable to corrosion. Corrosion, as you know, creates resistance to electrical flow exactly where you don't want it: where the male end of your plug meets the female end of your shore power. At least that's what we've found aboard L'Esprit.
   But thanks to Shawn Clarke of Pacific Marine Electric in Bellingham, we have learned to combat this problem.

   One of the really fun aspects to cruising the Pacific Northwest is anchoring in secluded bays and coves, where you are the only boat for miles. But that's also kind of scary because, if you're like many boaters, you worry about the trustworthiness of your anchor and chain.
   Capt. Dave, as he is wont to do, read an article about some survivors of a Caribbean hurricane. One thing they attributed to their survival was a Wasi Powerball, a well-made German stainless steel anchor-to-chain connection swivel.

   I love this little scale!
   Not only is it compact (5" x 4" x .5"), it's pretty darned accurate on a boat.
    You boater's know that weighing something on a boat can be a bit of a challenge because of the boat moving on the water. But this little gem made by Spirit is pretty darned steady in its readings.
    And it only cost $12 on Amazon.
  Plus it converts between grams, ounces, pennyweight, carats, and grains (honestly, I've never needed to use the last three units on my boat, but who knows? You just might.

  When you're off cruising for more than a couple of weeks, especially out in the hinterlands of the Pacific Northwest, creating enjoyable meals that are rich in flavor and comfort can become a problem. After all, there’re not a lot of grocery stores from which to harvest fresh veggies. (Not to mention not enough cabin space in which to store them!)
  To my delight, I’ve discovered a solution.