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A House That Makes Me Think About Cruising and Life
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Read more: A House That Makes Me Think About Cruising and LifeFunny the triggers that get me thinking about larger issues. A few weeks ago, while we were visiting Bermuda and out with friends on the water, we passed the house in the picture above. It’s a pretty nice house. It shares an island in Hamilton Harbour with several other private residences. It has a small […]
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John’s Thoughts & Photos, November 2013
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Read more: John’s Thoughts & Photos, November 2013It’s amazing how often we see this: an otherwise substantial anchoring set up totally compromised by one small detail. Can you spot it? Please leave a comment. Just to keep things simple, I’m only talking about the starboard anchor.
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AAC Comment Tips & Guidelines
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Read more: AAC Comment Tips & GuidelinesTips, explanation of moderation and guidelines.
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10 Tips To Install An Alternator
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Read more: 10 Tips To Install An AlternatorHow to buy and install a real live-aboard cruiser’s alternator that will be reliable over the long term.
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Fall Travel
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Read more: Fall TravelNova Scotia is Pretty Nice in the Fall
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Want to Get out There Cruising? Sail Offshore With Other People
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Read more: Want to Get out There Cruising? Sail Offshore With Other PeopleOne of the most important steps to getting out their ocean cruising is to do at least one passage with an experienced skipper before trying it on your own.
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Want to Get Out Cruising? Don’t Be a Pioneer
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Read more: Want to Get Out Cruising? Don’t Be a PioneerSure, diesel electric drives, lithium ion batteries, unstayed carbon masts, and composting toilets are fun technology and interesting too. But if your goal is to actually get out there cruising as soon as you can for a relatively reasonable amount of money, we recommend that you only use gear that has been in wide general use for at least 20 years. Here’s why:
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10 Tips to Help You Get Out There Cruising
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Read more: 10 Tips to Help You Get Out There CruisingAre you struggling to get out there cruising? Do there seem to be a million obstacles between you and your dream? We have 10 sure-fire tips that will help you get out there sooner, and have more fun and be safer when you do.
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Overview
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Read more: OverviewSummarizing the Adventure 40—a reliable, simple, safe, fast and reasonably priced offshore voyaging boat—and the mission for said boat.
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Design Parameters For an Ideal Sailor’s Motorboat
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Read more: Design Parameters For an Ideal Sailor’s MotorboatIn the last chapter we compared sailboats and trawlers. In this one we look at the design parameters that if exploited properly could result in a better motorboat.
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Selecting a Chain Grade
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Read more: Selecting a Chain GradeIn the last chapter on chain we looked at the three grades of chain normally used for anchor rodes on cruising sailboats. In this chapter we carry on from that base and examine the trade-offs between the grades and the things that you need to know when selecting the right anchor chain and gauge for your boat.
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Real World Impact Test
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Read more: Real World Impact TestWe have written a lot about hull construction materials and impact resistance. In this post I relate a true story about when construction strength and impact resistance were dramatically tested right before my eyes.
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The Definition of Seamanship
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Read more: The Definition of SeamanshipWe offshore sailors tend to throw the word seamanship around with gay abandon, but what does it really mean? I have been thinking about that a lot lately. Here’s my definition.
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Mainsail Handling Made Easy with Lazyjacks
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Read more: Mainsail Handling Made Easy with LazyjacksJohn believes that any boat over about 45 feet that will be sailed shorthanded needs lazyjacks. In this chapter he describes the lazyjack system that allows him to set, reef, and strike Morgan’s Cloud’s 600-square foot mainsail without resorting to complex gear like roller furling masts or booms.
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Do We Need Watertight Bulkheads?
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Read more: Do We Need Watertight Bulkheads?What are the trade offs of insisting on watertight bulkheads in a cruising boat?
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The Real Reason to Use a Harness and Tether
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Read more: The Real Reason to Use a Harness and TetherWe have written a lot about gear in our ongoing Crew Overboard Prevention Online Book, but all the gear in the world won’t keep you safe if you don’t heed this tip.
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Familiarity Breeds Competence and Speed
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Read more: Familiarity Breeds Competence and SpeedWhile we were on holiday (vacation) we stopped by to check on Morgan’s Cloud all tucked up in a shed at Billings Diesel and Marine and discovered that her steering was seized solid because the new type of dripless packing that we tried out for the first time had dried out and frozen to the […]
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A Sailor’s Motorboat
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Read more: A Sailor’s MotorboatLet’s compare a cruising sailboat under power to a typical trawler. After all, we sailors don’t want to take a step backward in efficiency and speed as we transition to power.
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The Ultimate Anchor
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Read more: The Ultimate AnchorNot a lot more to say really.
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Trade Offs in Yacht Design
44 CommentsReading Time: 9 minutesFreeRead more: Trade Offs in Yacht DesignThis chapter is a slightly humorous but oh so important demonstration, in the form of a mock pub (bar) argument, as two experienced cruisers argue and compromise about what to fit into a 40-foot offshore sailboat and what to leave out. As you search for a boat you will be having the same arguments with yourself and your spouse. This chapter will give you a good framework to settle on what really matters in the boat you…
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Summary And Conclusions For Heavy Weather Offshore Section
19 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesMembersRead more: Summary And Conclusions For Heavy Weather Offshore SectionWe have covered a lot of ground and many details in this Online Book. So I have ended with a chapter the key points in this chapter.
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Companionway Integrity In A Storm
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Read more: Companionway Integrity In A StormIt’s a sad fact that most production boat companionways are potential boat-sinkers. But it does not have to be that way. In this chapter I provide solid suggestions on how to stormproof your companionway.
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Real Life Storm Survival Story
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Read more: Real Life Storm Survival StoryTheory is great to learn from but real world experience is always better. In this chapter I relate an email interview we conducted with a reader who survived a killer storm south of New Zealand using some of the techniques that I have discussed in this book. It’s a long chapter, but read it carefully because doing so and acting on the information could save your life.
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Storm Survival Secret Weapon: Your Engine
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Read more: Storm Survival Secret Weapon: Your EngineOne of our most useful tools in dealing with heavy weather at sea is our engine and in this chapter I relate how we used ours to good effect in a nasty lee shore situation. But the sad truth is that in many cases a yacht’s engine is disabled by heavy weather making it useless at the very time that the crew need it most, so I go on to share some solid suggestions of things you…
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Surviving A Lee Shore
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Read more: Surviving A Lee ShoreIn the previous chapters we have talked about heaving-to and various drag devices, but none of that is going to help us if we are caught on a lee shore. In this chapter I write about when that exact scenario happened to me and what we have done to prepare ourselves and our boat should it ever happen to us again.
