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Read more: Iridium GO! and UUPlus, Real World Use ReviewSo you bought a satellite phone or Iridium GO! to get email and weather information while at sea. But what software should you get? Here is the AAC benchmark product that we know, based on 20 years of use, will do the job well.
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Read more: The Best Windows Computer For NavigationSo what’s the best computer to run navigation software on? John, who has spent most of his working life around computers, takes a deep dive into the issues and then reveals his choice.
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Read more: Watt & Sea Hydro Generator ReviewAre you considering a hydro generator? Here’s everything you need to know, warts and all, from an experienced user.
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Read more: Can We Really Be Seen By Ships at Night?We all have navigation lights, and many of us AIS transponders too, so we assume that other vessels can easily see us at night, but can they really? John shares some tips learned from a real life night encounter with another yacht.
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Read more: John’s Thoughts & Photos—July 2017John is back out cruising and thinking about great anchorages, small cruising boats, camping and prime lenses.
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Read more: Crew Overboard Prevention—Use of Climbing HarnessesWhat about using a climbing harness with tether for Crew Overboard Prevention (COB)? John takes a look at this oft-suggested idea.
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Read more: Coming Alongside (Docking)—Taming the WindBringing a boat alongside in good order is one thing when it’s calm, and quite another when it’s blowing the dog off the chain. John shares step-by-step instructions on how to make a good safe docking in big breeze, with no drama, shouting, or crashes.
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Read more: A Taste Of Heavy Weather OffshoreDo you want to get a feel for what a long-distance offshore voyage, including heavy weather, is like? Phyllis has a reading suggestion for you. But don’t look at it as just homework! It’s also a good read.
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Read more: GRIB Weather Files—You Gotta See The RainThere are endless debates on forums about which is the best GRIB viewer, but most miss a key selection criteria. John shares what that is.
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Read more: Coming Alongside (Docking)—The Final ApproachThe key to stress free approaches to wharves and floating docks (docking) is in understanding and anticipating what the boat will do in the final few seconds. John shares this vital information.
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Read more: Finding, And Saving, The Basking SharkPhyllis reviews Colin Speedie’s new book, “A Sea Monster’s Tale: In Search of the Basking Shark”. If you enjoy Colin’s writing on this site (and who doesn’t?) you won’t want to miss his book.
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Read more: Coming Alongside (Docking)—Manoeuvring in Close QuartersMany cruisers miss out on the most sheltered berths in a harbour, but it does not have to be that way. Master this one close-quarters boat-handling skill, and getting in and out of tight places, even with a wind blowing, becomes easy.
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Read more: Cruising: It’s a Fine Life…If You Don’t WeakenColin writes about a cruise that didn’t turn out as planned—something all cruisers will face at some point. All you can do then is pick yourself up and keep going. We saved this one from last season to motivate all us northern hemisphere cruisers to get stuff fixed and get out there.
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Read more: 10 Tips I Learned From a Stupid Thing I DidDuring the some 35 years that John has owned offshore cruising boats, he has made some deeply stupid maintenance and gear decisions. Here’s his latest blunder and what we can all learn from it.
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Read more: Battle Testing a Jordan-Designed Series Drogue—Round 1Some of us write about extreme heavy weather survival at sea based on a few experiences accumulated over decades, combined with not a little guesswork and conjecture. And then there’s Trevor. Few offshore sailors have even one-tenth the first-hand survival storm experience that Trevor shares in this article. Anyone who goes to sea needs to read every word in this chapter with great care and attention.
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Get-Home Backup For Offshore Motorboats—Part 3, The Winner
61 CommentsReading Time: 5 minutesMembers
Read more: Get-Home Backup For Offshore Motorboats—Part 3, The WinnerIn the last two articles we looked at whether we even need a get-home option for an offshore motorboat and concluded we do, so we looked at six options. In this chapter John reveals his winner, and why.
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Get-Home Backup For Offshore Motorboats—Part 2, The Options
31 CommentsReading Time: 7 minutesMembers
Read more: Get-Home Backup For Offshore Motorboats—Part 2, The OptionsThere are benefits and drawbacks to all get-home backup power options for offshore motorboats, which makes this vital decision surprisingly difficult. John shines a bright light on the tradeoffs of each option.
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Get-Home Backup for Offshore Motorboats—Part 1, Is It Even a Thing?
39 CommentsReading Time: 5 minutesMembers
Read more: Get-Home Backup for Offshore Motorboats—Part 1, Is It Even a Thing?When designing an offshore motorboat one of the first decisions we must make is what we intend to do if the main engine fails far from land or help. John takes a deep dive into this complex issue.
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Read more: Boat Heating—Part IIColin carries on with his analysis of boat heating systems covering propane heaters and diesel furnaces, both forced air, and water circulation as well as radiators that harvest waste heat from the engine.
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Read more: Determining When Heaving-To Is DangerousSo how can we be sure whether or not heaving-to will result in a knock-down or roll-over in heavy weather? John tackles this difficult but vital question.
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10 Ways to Make Your Boat Easier to Bring Alongside a Dock
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Read more: 10 Ways to Make Your Boat Easier to Bring Alongside a DockTen things you can change or add to your boat to make docking easy, including choosing the right fenders and lines.
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Read more: Bare Feet, Or NotJohn sticks his neck out and gets right controversial but it’s really all about seamanship…it’s always all about seamanship.
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Read more: Boat Heating—Part IYou don’t need to be heading for the high latitudes to appreciate the benefits of a boat heater. Just drying the boat out can be reason enough to make installing a heater worthwhile. But which type is best? Colin shines a light on the options.
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Rigging The Spring That Makes Docking Easy, Or an Alternative
83 CommentsReading Time: 7 minutesMembers
Read more: Rigging The Spring That Makes Docking Easy, Or an AlternativeAlternatives to an aft-running spring at the boat’s balance point, as well as how to determine where that magic aft spring fairlead should go if you decide to install one.
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Read more: Coming Alongside (Docking) in 4 Easy StepsNow we get to the good stuff: a step-by-step guide, with diagrams and video, that makes coming alongside easy, even short-handed and when the wind is up.
