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Read more: Don’t Forget Weather Maps
I have to confess that, now we are no longer cruising offshore, I have tended to get my weather information from Windy and call it good. But I just realized that that lazy approach was resulting in me losing the strategic and tactical feel for the weather I developed over some five decades of observing […]
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Read more: The Most Dangerous Thing Offshore Cruisers DoLast week I linked to a well-done report and some associated testing over at Practical Boat Owner that made a convincing argument that sidedeck jacklines are worse, at least when used with a standard 6′ long tether, than not clipping on at all, because of the risk of being killed by dragging. And then a […]
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Read more: To Sea At LastAfter many hours of toil in the boatyard to make her passage-ready, Colin and Louise start the long passage home to Scotland, testing the boat and gear as they go.
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Read more: Carry Spare Banjo Fitting WashersBanjo fittings are ubiquitous on engines (there are a lot of them around, too), usually in the fuel system, but the fresh water cooling circuit often has a few as well. And each of them has a small copper washer each side of the fitting that acts as a seal. Here’s the thing: the washers […]
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Read more: Check Tachometer AccuracyThere are all kinds of good reasons to check our engine RPM, including making sure: But the problem is that tachometers can drift into inaccuracy. And an even bigger problem is that if we change our alternator to a larger and more robust one, as many of us cruisers do, and most of us should, […]
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Read more: V Booms a Great IdeaPocket Boom, V Boom, Park Avenue Boom, it doesn’t much matter what we call them, these booms are a great idea that should be adopted by a lot more sailors than do. A great way to simplify sail handling, and make it easy to put on the sail cover, but without the complexity, weight, performance […]
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Read more: 10 Tips To Save Your Engine From OverheatingA 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.
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Read more: Edson Radar TowerWe are really happy with the way our new radar installation came out, particularly the Edson tower. We have long felt that the best place for a radar is on a tower, not on the mast or backstay. It even inclines for when we are heeled in fog…yes, we get wind and fog here in […]
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Read more: Take a Racer SailingI have long argued that one of the quickest ways to become a better cruiser is to go racing as crew. It also works the other way around. Brooke (on the left) owns and seriously races a J/109 on Narraganset Bay. So while she was visiting with our friend Ed, she came out sailing on […]
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Read more: Sidedeck Jacklines Worse Than Nothing?We at AAC have long argued that sidedeck jacklines (jackstays) are not safe because of drag risk. But PBO are taking that up a level by suggesting, based on some very sobering testing as well as even more sobering analysis of sailors falling overboard and being dragged by their tethers, that it might even be […]
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Read more: Safety Inspection and Gear For a New-To-Us BoatColin shares his safety checks and upgrades made before the long delivery passage home to Scotland.
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Read more: Fire Extinguishers We Have Bought and Stuff We LearnedChoosing 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.
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Read more: Is Your Radio Talking to Your GPS?Even though I have been working on our new-to-us J/109 off and on for nearly two years, there are still chores on the to-do list, one being to program our new MMSI number into the VHF—I did our AIS transmitter as soon as we got the boat. Luckily for me, although disturbing to find out, […]
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Read more: Bluetooth Autopilot Remote RocksGiven that, this remote control for our new B&G autopilot is invaluable and just generally adds to the fun. A couple of button presses will even make the boat tack automatically while I handle the sheets—beats heck out of steering with a foot while tacking. Highly recommended and way better than wired remotes or running […]
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Read more: Pull Tackles Tight When Laying UpI have been doing this sailboat ownership thing for over 60 years and still I learn stuff, usually when something bites me on the ass. We were all set to bend on the main last week when the outhaul jammed solid. No way to pull it out to shackle it to the clew. When we […]
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Read more: Neater Webbing Cow Hitches HackIf we are sewing a loop into a piece of webbing to cow hitch it to something, as is often the case with jacklines, the end result will seat better and be way neater if we sew the loop with a half turn in it as shown below. More on making your own jacklines and […]
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Read more: All Doors Should Latch OpenThere are many little tricks that can make maintaining a cruising boat easier. One of them is that all doors should have hooks or latches to retain them open so that air circulates, and should be left that way as much as possible. This one change can cut mildew growth and general mustiness way back. […]
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Read more: Liferafts For Cruisers—Positioning and MountingFiguring out where to mount and how to secure a liferaft can be one of the most vexing problems in offshore boat preparation.
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Read more: When Did Your Inflatable Lifejacket Last Feel The Love?I have to confess that unpacking, test inflating (24 hours), and repacking lifejackets is one of my least favourite chores—getting them back together all nice and smooth with no lumps is just one of the many tasks I’m not naturally gifted at. But even so I just did all five of ours—two Spinlock Deckvest 6D […]
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Read more: Buntline Hitch With Bury Splice HackI was cleaning up the dog’s breakfast of frayed and knotted lines making up our jib in-haulers when I came up against the problem of how to attach the Amsteel™ line to the low-friction ring the sheet passes though. A Brummel splice was one possibility, but it’s difficult to get a splice snugged up really […]
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Read more: Starting With The Basics On A New-To-Us Cruising BoatColin continues the story of making a basically sound, but nearly half-a-century-old, boat ready for sailing. Vital reading for anyone buying a used boat.
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Read more: When is Enough, Enough?“Enough” is realizing that the opposite—an insatiable appetite for more—will push you to the point of regret. Morgan Housel I have quoted this guy several times before. Even though he writes about investing and finance his thoughts are often relevant to life and cruising. A great thought to keep in mind when we are deciding […]
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Read more: Pete Goss on Mainsail AutomationSometimes I feel like a voice in the wilderness constantly campaigning for simple rigging systems, so it’s nice to read a well-reasoned article from a deeply experienced sailor on the subject. I spent a bit of time with Pete a few years ago, and he’s worth listening to, even if we disagree on a couple […]
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Read more: B&G Navigation App Not Ready For UseWe ended up with a B&G system on our J/109, mainly because most of it was already there when we got the boat. Given that, I thought it would be a good idea to use the B&G App on our iPad, which we use to supplement the plotter. What a mistake that was: I just […]
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Read more: A Required Skill to Go Voyaging
“The capacity to tolerate minor discomfort is a superpower,” Oliver Burkeman wrote. “ It’s shocking to realize how readily we set aside even our greatest ambitions in life merely to avoid easily tolerable levels of unpleasantness. It is possible, instead, to make a game of gradually increasing your capacity for discomfort, like weight training at […]
