Welcome back to The All Clear Dispatch, the ship's log of All Clear Performance. Every issue runs a little naval history, some straight talk on training and recovery backed by real research, a featured piece of gear from the store, and a recipe from the galley. All Clear was founded by a U.S. Navy Rescue Swimmer on a simple idea: the same discipline that carries you through cold water and long watches builds a stronger body at home.
From the Logbook: The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors
On the morning of October 25, 1944, off the Philippine island of Samar, a small American escort force called Taffy 3 found itself staring down the largest battleships in the Japanese fleet. The escort carriers were slow, thin-skinned, and outgunned in every category that mattered. The correct move, on paper, was to run.
Commander Ernest E. Evans, captain of the destroyer USS Johnston, did the opposite. Without waiting for orders, he turned his ship, a "tin can" in Navy slang, straight at the enemy battle line, laying smoke and closing to torpedo range against ships that outweighed his by tens of thousands of tons. Other destroyers and destroyer escorts followed him in. The Johnston fought until she was shot to pieces and Evans went down with her, but the attack was so ferocious that the Japanese force broke off and withdrew. Evans received the Medal of Honor, and the day he had promised his crew at commissioning, "This is going to be a fighting ship. I intend to go in harm's way," became one of the most storied in Navy history.
The lesson is not that the odds do not matter. It is that hesitation was never on the table. Evans had decided who he was long before the enemy came over the horizon. Decide who you are before the hard morning shows up, and the hard morning gets a lot simpler.
The Watch on Practical: What It Actually Takes to Put a Sauna in Your House
We sell saunas, so we read the owner's manuals cover to cover. Here is what the factory documents actually say about putting an infrared sauna in a home, because this is the part most sellers skip.
Space. A two-person cabin like the Solara 2 needs a footprint of about 47 by 39 inches and 75 inches of height, roughly the corner of a spare room. The four-person Solara 4 runs 69 by 47 inches. Every All Clear sauna listing now includes the manufacturer's dimensioned line drawing so you can measure your spot against the real engineering numbers before you buy.
Power. Infrared saunas plug into ordinary 120V household power, no 240V hookup, no hardwiring. But they are heaters, and heaters pull real current, so the manufacturer requires a dedicated circuit with nothing else on the breaker: 15 amps for the Solara 2, 20 amps for the Solara 3 and the outdoor model, 25 amps for the Solara 4. If your sauna comes with a plug that does not fit your wall outlet, that is not a defect. That plug is the electrical code doing its job, telling you the circuit behind the outlet needs to match the load. No extension cords, no surge protectors, ever, and an hour of a licensed electrician's time before delivery is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy.
Placement. Dry, level, and away from open water sources. Outdoor models earn the name with a pitched, weather-shedding roof, and we recommend a GFCI-protected weatherproof outlet for any outdoor install.
None of this is complicated. It is just the difference between a sauna that gets used every day for a decade and a purchase that fights you from the start. Measure twice, wire once.
Featured from the Store: The Cal Saunas Solara Line
All Clear Performance is now an authorized Cal Saunas dealer, and the full Solara line is live in the store: the space-friendly Solara 2 ($4,715), the sweet-spot Solara 3 ($5,358), the family-size Solara 4 ($5,700), and the pitched-roof Solara Outdoor ($6,272). Canadian hemlock cabins, low-EMF far-infrared heat, Bluetooth sound, and LED light therapy, built to order by one of America's most established spa manufacturers and shipped free by freight. Every listing carries the owner's manual and the factory line drawing, because a five-thousand-dollar decision deserves the documents.
The All Clear Galley: Taffy 3 Chili
Named for the little task force that would not quit. This is a one-pot chili built for a cold evening after a hard session, or a long sit in the heat. About 45 grams of protein per bowl, roughly 40 minutes, serves four with leftovers that taste better tomorrow.
Stores aboard: 1.5 pounds lean ground beef (90/10); 1 can (15 oz) black beans and 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, rinsed; 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes; 1 yellow onion, diced; 1 bell pepper, diced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 cup beef broth; 2 tablespoons chili powder; 1 tablespoon smoked paprika; 2 teaspoons cumin; 1 teaspoon oregano; half a teaspoon of cayenne if you want it to fight back; salt and pepper; olive oil. For the top: Greek yogurt, sharp cheddar, sliced jalapeno, lime.
Chart the course:
- Heat a little olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high. Brown the beef hard, breaking it up, and do not rush the browning. That crust is the flavor.
- Add the onion and bell pepper, cook until soft, then the garlic for one minute more.
- Stir in every spice and let it toast in the fat for thirty seconds until the whole galley smells like intent.
- Add the tomatoes, beans, and broth. Bring it to a boil, then drop it to a simmer, lid cracked, for 30 minutes, stirring now and then.
- Season to taste, ladle it up, and finish with a spoon of Greek yogurt, a handful of cheddar, jalapeno, and a squeeze of lime.
Fair winds and good chow.
Sources
- Battle off Samar, Taffy 3, USS Johnston, and Commander Ernest E. Evans's Medal of Honor: Naval History and Heritage Command (history.navy.mil, "Battle of Leyte Gulf" and "USS Johnston (DD-557)"); Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Battle of Leyte Gulf."
- Sauna space, electrical, and placement requirements: Cal Saunas owner's manuals, "2026 Cal Sauna 2-4 Person Manual" and "2026 Cal Sauna Solara Outdoor Sauna," available on each All Clear product page.
This Dispatch is general information, not medical or electrical advice. Talk with a qualified healthcare provider before starting sauna use or a new training or nutrition program, and use a licensed electrician for circuit work.