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John Harries

John was born and brought up in Bermuda and started sailing as a child, racing locally and offshore before turning to cruising. He has sailed over 100,000 miles, most of it on his McCurdy & Rhodes 56, Morgan's Cloud, including eight ocean races to Bermuda, culminating in winning his class twice in the Newport Bermuda Race. He has skippered a series of voyages in the North Atlantic, the majority of which have been to the high latitudes. John has been helping others go voyaging by sharing his experience for 25 years, first in yachting magazines and, for the last 20 years, as co-editor/publisher of AAC.

Lessons From a Tragedy at Sea

August 27, 2022August 22, 2022 by John Harries
Reading Time: 12 minutes

John’s take on the causes of the two fatalities on the yacht Escape south of Nova Scotia in June 2022, and some thoughts on how similar tragedies can be avoided.

55 Comments
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How Hard Can We Charge Our Lead-Acid Batteries?

August 15, 2022 by John Harries
Reading Time: 5 minutes

Charging batteries fast has all kinds of benefits: less engine wear, fuel savings, less carbon. But how far can we go?

17 Comments
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Choosing & Installing Battery Switches

March 6, 2023August 10, 2022 by John Harries
Reading Time: 10 minutes

Selecting battery master switches and deciding how to wire them is a fundamental part of a good cruising live-aboard electrical system.

52 Comments
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Adventure 40 Rig

July 28, 2022July 24, 2022 by John Harries
Reading Time: 11 minutes

The Adventure 40 will be, above all, a great sailboat, and great sailboats have well-thought-out rigs.

44 Comments
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Battery Containment—Part 1

July 17, 2022 by John Harries
Reading Time: 10 minutes

Most production boats have battery boxes that are nowhere near strong enough for use on an offshore boat. Let’s fix that.

47 Comments
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5 Safety Tips For Working on Boat DC Electrical Systems

August 17, 2022July 10, 2022 by John Harries
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Just because the battery-supplied systems on cruising boats are low voltage, that does not make them safe. Here are some tips to reduce the chances of a nasty injury.

23 Comments
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Building a Seamanlike Lithium Battery System

July 3, 2022July 3, 2022 by John Harries
Reading Time: 9 minutes

Lithium batteries have many benefits, but are too complicated and fragile, and not fault tolerant enough, to be relied upon exclusively on an offshore boat. Here’s how to fix that.

166 Comments
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Two More Shore Power Safety Upgrades

June 27, 2022June 26, 2022 by John Harries
Reading Time: 7 minutes

Two fixes many production and new-to-us boats will need to make the high-voltage shore power system safe.

50 Comments
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9 Tips To Select Seamanlike Gear

June 19, 2022 by John Harries
Reading Time: 11 minutes

When we plan to head offshore in a cruising boat we need to think carefully and differently about how we equip the boat.

26 Comments
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Adventure 40 Keel—Strength and Grounding Resistance

June 20, 2022June 8, 2022 by John Harries
Reading Time: 12 minutes

If we cruise for long enough, we will likely run aground. The Adventure 40 will forgive us and have a keel that will withstand the stress of offshore voyaging for decades.

This article will be useful to all cruisers, regardless of the boat you plan to buy.

91 Comments
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The Future of AAC

June 9, 2022June 3, 2022 by John Harries
Reading Time: 5 minutes

AAC is coming up on 20 years old, so a great time to think about improvements and how to make them happen.

178 Comments
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Adventure 40 Keel—Draft and Shape

May 25, 2022May 23, 2022 by John Harries
Reading Time: 7 minutes

The A40 keel draft and shape will be optimized for great performance when sailing offshore.

31 Comments
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Download Cruising Sailboat Rig Checklist

May 13, 2023May 16, 2022 by John Harries
Reading Time: < 1 minutes

The rig checklist is ready for download and links to five articles of in depth inspection tips and advice on fixing the problems you find.

4 Comments
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8 Tips To Prevent Lithium Battery Load Dumps

May 13, 2022May 2, 2022 by John Harries
Reading Time: 7 minutes

Load dumps on a cruising boat are dangerous. Here’s how to prevent them, including some special tips for “drop in” owners.

112 Comments
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Why Lithium Battery Load Dumps Matter

May 4, 2023April 25, 2022 by John Harries
Reading Time: 8 minutes

Load dumps are an intrinsic danger with lithium batteries installed on cruising boats. Here’s why, and why we need to fix it.

96 Comments
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© 2002-2023 Attainable Adventure Cruising Ltd and the authors, all rights are reserved.

Nothing on this website or in direct communications received from us, or in our articles in the media, should be construed to mean or imply that offshore voyaging is anything other than potentially hazardous. Dangers such as, but not limited to, extreme weather, cold, ice, lack of help or assistance, gear failure, grounding, and falling overboard could injure or kill you and wreck your boat. Decisions such as, but not limited to, heading offshore, where you go, and how you equip your boat, are yours and yours alone. The information on this web site is based on what has worked for the authors in the past, but that does not mean it will work for you, or that it is the best, or even a good way for you to do things.

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