The Offshore Voyaging Reference Site
A comparison of the two regulators cutting through all the details to what really matters, and including a look at how to evaluate all tech products.
Simple rules that make maintaining our boat less frustrating and reduce the chances of a failure ruining our cruise.
Designing an electrical system from scratch for a new offshore sailboat is an interesting exercise that we can all learn from.
Most any production boat over about 10 years old will have deck fittings that need remounting. It’s a process that seems simple…until we dig in, and one that’s vital to do right.
Lithium batteries have very low internal resistance and so we must think carefully when choosing fuses.
Before laying down hard-earned cash for lithium batteries, we need to calculate the peak current we will use and think about optimal voltage.
The cruising life is full of repetitive tasks. How we think about them needs to be different than the way we are programmed before cruising.
To buy the right lithium battery and BMS for our needs, we must first understand cell balancing and required monitoring.
Things are different now. I have just installed the new custom theme I have been working on for the last four months. Here’s all the goodness.
Choosing the right BMS is the first and most important task when buying a lithium-battery system for an offshore voyaging boat.
Several reasons to consider buying an eWincher, even if the loads are comparatively low, particularly if the halyards on your boat are run aft to winches under the dodger.
When something new and cool is released, it’s always tempting to assume it’s better than the older simpler option, but is it?
With modern weather reception and analysis tools we can plan our cruises and voyages as much as two weeks ahead. John shares how.
This year our annual holiday post is all about the wonderful people…and boat, in our lives.
Things are moving along well and we are on schedule, here are the details.
We bought a lovely easily driven offshore cruising sailboat, but it’s all too easy to screw her up if we don’t heed these tips.
Most discussions about weather reception and analysis in the cruising community end up focused on the tools and technology. But that’s not what matters. In fact, planning fun and safe cruises is all about how we USE the tools and THINK about weather. That’s just what this chapter, based on some 25 years of real cruising experience, is about.
A follow-up, with some significant changes, to our article on a failed Spade anchor.
Which hardware and software should we use for weather downloading and analysis? Lots of good stuff out there. Here’s how to choose.
Very few boats have a good automated bilge pump and flooding alarm system. Let’s fix that.
When an anchor many of us have come to trust over two decades fails catastrophically, it’s time to think about why and what we can learn.
It’s comforting to believe that weather forecasts are always right, but we all know that’s not true. Here’s how to assess the chances that a given forecast will be wrong in a bad way.
Phyllis and I will be away on vacation (holiday) next week, RV camping with my daughter and her family.
John explains one of the most important criteria for selecting an offshore voyaging boat, and one of the most ignored.