We are long time users of WeatherFax 2000, from Xaxero Marine Software Engineering Ltd in New Zealand, for the reception of weather faxes on a Windows PC.
John Harries
Q&A: Picking A Weather Window For A West To East Atlantic Crossing
Reading Time: 2 minutesQuestion: I’m planning an Atlantic Crossing from Boston to Scotland. How can I recognize the best moment weather wise to leave for the safest crossing?
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Q&A: Picking A Sailing Route Across The North Atlantic, West To East
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion: We’re planning to sail from New York to Falmouth (UK) leaving around May 18th. Our plan is to sail WSW out from New York till we hit the Gulf Stream and then attempt to sail the great circle to Falmouth. We’re debating whether to consider a more southerly route to stay clear of weather systems? Any views?
Answer: This type of question (asking for a suggested route for a trans-Atlantic passage) has come up several times lately so I’m going to deal with it in some detail.
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Weather Analysis And Routing Is The Skipper’s Responsibility
Reading Time: 2 minutesFREE introductory chapter. So why should you learn how to receive and interpret weather information? Surely all you need to do is employ a weather router? Well, no. This chapter shares why, using real world examples.
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Q&A: What Life Raft Do You Have On Morgan’s Cloud?
Reading Time: 2 minutesQuestion: What sort of life raft do you have on Morgan’s Cloud?
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Q&A: Staysail Stay: Roller Furling And Fixed Vs Hanks And Removable
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhich is better for the staysail stay? Roller furling and fixed or hanks and removable? John says it depends.
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Q&A: Best Time For A West To East Atlantic Crossing
Reading Time: < 1 minutesQuestion: I will be sailing to Gibraltar from the Chesapeake via the Azores. When would be the best time to leave and when would be the earliest I could/should leave?
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Q&A: Radar Scanner Position
Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion: What is your preference regarding the best place to mount a radar antenna? As far as we can tell from the pictures of Morgan’s Cloud you have mounted yours on a pole aft. Our previous experience with radars tells us that the antenna should be as high and free as possible. Wouldn’t a radar antenna mounted on the mast just above the first spreaders give better range and a more detailed radar picture than if it were mounted lower? It also appears from the pictures that your antenna isn’t mounted in a way that makes it able to tilt so that it can compensate for heel of the boat when sailing.
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Q&A: Timing, Caribbean To Europe
Reading Time: < 1 minutesQuestion: What is the best time of year to sail from the Caribbean to Europe?
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Q&A: Norway To The Chesapeake Bay
Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion: I’m planning to sail from south Norway in mid-June in my Oceanis 46, hoping to arrive in the Chesapeake Bay by the beginning of August. The crew will be 5 to 6 relatively experienced sailors. Presently I’m looking at routing via Færoe and Iceland, then across to Newfoundland and then coastal.
My idea is to be on the northern side of east-moving lows so as to get fair winds. I have excluded the southern option due to the risk of hurricanes even though it is relatively early in the season. I would appreciate your opinion on my route selection.
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Q&A: What Do You Think Of Mooring Stern-to?
Reading Time: 2 minutesQuestion: The Jordan Series Drogue website is fascinating and leads to an interesting question. Faced with anchoring/mooring Morgan’s Cloud for a hurricane, would you be inclined to go stern-to? Jordan makes a fairly compelling argument…although I imagine Morgan’s Cloud is relatively stable as compared to the latest cruiser/racer hull forms.
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Q&A: How Did You Install Treadmaster On Your Aluminum Boat?
Reading Time: < 1 minutesQuestion: When you were installing your Treadmaster, did you grind back to clean metal and glue it down, or did you, as I was advised, paint with epoxy first?
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Q&A: What Do You Think About Spray Foam Insulation For A New Aluminum Boat?
Reading Time: < 1 minutesQuestion: We are planning to insulate the interior of our new aluminum boat with spray foam, any comments? Is your hull foamed? Was it primed with paint before or sprayed directly onto the metal?
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