The Offshore Voyaging Reference Site
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Spinlock Deckvest 6D Review
17 CommentsReading Time: 7 minutesMembers
Read more: Spinlock Deckvest 6D ReviewJohn and Phyllis have used lifejackets with built in harnesses from Spinlock for over 20 years. Here’s our review of the latest version.
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Safe and Easy Offshore Sailing—When to Reef, Part 2
24 CommentsReading Time: 11 minutesMembers
Read more: Safe and Easy Offshore Sailing—When to Reef, Part 2More about how to decide when to reef, including a mental hack and specific true wind speed examples, as well as more tips, including which sail first.
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Electrical Tips
0 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesMembers
Read more: Electrical TipsTips relevant to the Electrical Systems for Cruising Boats Online Book
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Why We Don’t Recommend Boom Brakes
23 CommentsReading Time: 7 minutesMembers
Read more: Why We Don’t Recommend Boom BrakesBoom brakes have never looked right to me, but now I have solid numbers, together with other reasons, to strongly recommend against them. But if you still insist on a boom brake, I have some recommendations.
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Safe and Easy Offshore Sailing—When to Reef, Part 1
56 CommentsReading Time: 9 minutesMembers
Read more: Safe and Easy Offshore Sailing—When to Reef, Part 1Consistently reefing at the right time, particularly when sailing offshore, makes passages easier, safer, and, above all, more fun.
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Building A Safer Boom Preventer, Part 3—The Details
41 CommentsReading Time: 12 minutesMembers
Read more: Building A Safer Boom Preventer, Part 3—The DetailsNow we understand the forces at work, John looks at the details of rigging a strong and easy-to-use preventer system.
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A Small-Boat Anchoring System
36 CommentsReading Time: 10 minutesMembers
Read more: A Small-Boat Anchoring SystemMost of the chapters in this Online Book are about anchoring systems for larger boats. But what about smaller boats? What compromises can we make and still end up with a safe and workable system?
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Hull Materials, Which Is Best?
55 CommentsReading Time: 6 minutesFree
Read more: Hull Materials, Which Is Best?One of the common debates in any sailor’s bar is which hull material is best. John settles the argument…it depends. But he does make some solid recommendations for hull materials most of us should avoid and the one that the majority should choose.
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When Is A Cruising Sailboat Too Big?
56 CommentsReading Time: 10 minutesMembers
Read more: When Is A Cruising Sailboat Too Big?In recent years, cruising boats have got ever bigger, but what’s the safe upper limit, particularly for a shorthanded amateur crew? John used his 30 years of experience voyaging in a 56-foot boat to answer that vital question.
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Is Your Engine Properly Fused?
21 CommentsReading Time: 5 minutesMembers
Read more: Is Your Engine Properly Fused?I think most of us know that our engine start battery should be fused, but what about the rest of the engine harness. John was shocked to find the answer to that question.
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Better Jacklines
17 CommentsReading Time: 6 minutesMembers
Read more: Better JacklinesIn the last two chapters we discovered that the jackline systems most of us use for COB prevention are pretty much useless. Now we are moving on to what to do about that—the good stuff.
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Surviving Storms While Coastal Cruising—21 Preparation Tips
30 CommentsReading Time: 11 minutesMembers
Read more: Surviving Storms While Coastal Cruising—21 Preparation TipsWe have selected a good harbour to ride out a storm, now how do we prepare?
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Surviving Storms While Coastal Cruising—9 Tips for Anchorage and Harbour Selection
42 CommentsReading Time: 11 minutesMembers
Read more: Surviving Storms While Coastal Cruising—9 Tips for Anchorage and Harbour SelectionWe are coastal cruising and a storm is forecast. So how do we choose the right harbour or anchorage to ride it out in? These 9 tips will help.
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Surviving Storms While Coastal Cruising—12 Strategy Tips
18 CommentsReading Time: 9 minutesMembers
Read more: Surviving Storms While Coastal Cruising—12 Strategy TipsMillions of words are written about managing storms offshore, but what about when coastal cruising? Here are some real-world proven strategies.
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10 Reasons Why Hybrid Lithium Lead-Acid Systems are a Bad Idea
29 CommentsReading Time: 6 minutesMembers
Read more: 10 Reasons Why Hybrid Lithium Lead-Acid Systems are a Bad IdeaI have been frequently asked for my thoughts on systems where lithium and lead-acid batteries are connected in parallel. Here you go.
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Converting a Racing Sailboat to a Fast Cruiser—Performance and Rig
47 CommentsReading Time: 12 minutesMembers
Read more: Converting a Racing Sailboat to a Fast Cruiser—Performance and RigA racing boat, as long as she is not too extreme, can make a great cruising boat, but there are many things to learn before buying, and to change after.
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Hurricane Mooring Weight Recommendation
38 CommentsReading Time: 13 minutesMembers
Read more: Hurricane Mooring Weight RecommendationThis hurricane season is forecast to be one of the most active in history, and that means we should think about upgrading our moorings.
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Lithium Buyer’s Guide—Budget: Economy Options
43 CommentsReading Time: 9 minutesMembers
Read more: Lithium Buyer’s Guide—Budget: Economy OptionsIn the last chapter we examined an ideal fully integrated lithium system at a big price, now let’s see if we can save some money without sacrificing too much.
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Hurricane Mooring Pennant Photo Article
24 CommentsReading Time: 9 minutesMembers
Read more: Hurricane Mooring Pennant Photo ArticleIt’s forecast to be an active hurricane season so here is the first of two articles on preparing a mooring for storms. This one on the building a chafe resistant pennant.
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Lithium Buyer’s Guide—Budget: High End System
33 CommentsReading Time: 10 minutesMembers
Read more: Lithium Buyer’s Guide—Budget: High End SystemSo far in this buyer’s guide, we have covered the technical aspects of upgrading our offshore cruising boat to lithium. Now let’s compare three relatively high-cost options and the cost and benefits of each.
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Wakespeed WS500 Compared To ARCO Zeus—What Matters
42 CommentsReading Time: 8 minutesMembers
Read more: Wakespeed WS500 Compared To ARCO Zeus—What MattersA 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.
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Tips For A Reliable Cruising Boat
22 CommentsReading Time: 7 minutesMembers
Read more: Tips For A Reliable Cruising BoatSimple rules that make maintaining our boat less frustrating and reduce the chances of a failure ruining our cruise.
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Adventure 40 Electrical System—Part 1, Voltage and Batteries
37 CommentsReading Time: 10 minutesMembers
Read more: Adventure 40 Electrical System—Part 1, Voltage and BatteriesDesigning an electrical system from scratch for a new offshore sailboat is an interesting exercise that we can all learn from.
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Deck Hardware Mounting Photo Essay
49 CommentsReading Time: 13 minutesMembers
Read more: Deck Hardware Mounting Photo EssayMost 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.
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Lithium Battery Buyer’s Guide—Fusing
51 CommentsReading Time: 10 minutesMembers
Read more: Lithium Battery Buyer’s Guide—FusingLithium batteries have very low internal resistance and so we must think carefully when choosing fuses.
