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.
John explains one of the most important criteria for selecting an offshore voyaging boat, and one of the most ignored.
So far in this series of chapters we have been looking at the benefits and drawbacks of the renewable options. Now let’s pull it all together.
Can we replace diesel fuel generation (main engine or separate) with wind, solar and/or hydrogenerators? Yes, but there’s stuff to know to avoid wasted money and disappointment.
The final cockpit reveal, discussing the improvements made since Version 1, including new and very cool renderings.
Does buying a Watt & Sea make sense? It’s complicated, depending on boat size and type, as well as usage profile.
An honest evaluation from a thinking guy, who carefully evaluated his usage before pulling the trigger on an expensive piece of gear, not a fan-boy video.
A diesel engine that’s been badly overheated will probably never run reliably again. A total cruise ruiner. Let’s not let that happen to us.
Choosing fire extinguishers for a cruising boat is a lot more complicated than it may appear. Here’s what Phyllis and John ended up with after consulting experts.
Figuring out where to mount and how to secure a liferaft can be one of the most vexing problems in offshore boat preparation.
Further refinements to the mast climbing system we figured out last year. Even after 50 years of climbing masts, we are still learning.
John shares which raft he and Phyllis would buy for various cruising scenarios and why.
So far in this series we have got deep into the technical weeds of how autopilots work, and how to make them work better. Now let’s look at some simple tips, several of which will help with vane gears too.
The story of our two decades of writing and publishing about offshore voyaging.
It’s tempting to just shop for the “best” liferaft, but it’s way smarter to think first about why we are buying one.
How to set gain, counter-rudder, and trim to make an offshore passage faster and more comfortable, and save battery, too.
Maxime and Vincent have been hard at work over the last couple of months refining and improving the Adventure 40 deck design. Let’s take a look.
We can make a huge difference to comfort, speed, and electrical use by manually adjusting our autopilots.
How smart and expensive an autopilot do we need for offshore shorthanded cruising? Lots of options. Here’s how to make sure we don’t select the wrong one and that we get what we paid for.
Comparing fore-reaching to heaving-to and streaming a Jordon Series Drogue as storm survival strategies as well as equipment and techniques required for safe fore-reaching.
Many cruisers have already made the jump to lithium. But what if we would like to delay the considerable expense and complications of lithium, but want to be ready at a later date?