Attainable Adventure Cruising

Because we know that Attainable Adventure Cruising readers are way too smart to be so wowed by a slick interior that they forget the important stuff, John starts our review with a deep dive into the hull form of the Outbound 46. This chapter will also be useful in your search, no matter what offshore sailboat you end up with.

Starting a multi-part in-depth review of the Outbound 46 offshore cruising sailboat.

Colin is using his enforced time ashore to think about the greater cruising community and what the future may hold for us all.

John digs into upfront costs of buying and refitting a boat that will have to be paid before the real work gets started.

I needed a diversion from too much bad news. Here’s what I chose to do. I hope that it gives you at least a few minutes respite, too.

In Parts 1 and 2 I covered when to use shorefasts, the risks of doing so, and shorefast setups, as well as sharing some tips and tricks to make putting them in easier. Now let’s take a look at the gear Phyllis and I carry on Morgan’s Cloud, as well as what you need if you aspire to being a competent shorefast user.

Do ultrasonic antifouling systems work? Here’s an interesting real world example where one did.

In Part 1 I covered the physics that govern the loads shorefast are subjected to. Now let’s move on to some example configurations and then some fun stuff: tips, tricks and hacks that make putting in shorefasts safer and easier.

Many people assume that tying to the solid land with shorefasts is safer and more secure than anchoring. But is it really? John takes a deep dive into the facts and in the process shares some interesting things about shorefasts and how to use them.

Now we know that a lot of the rudders out there on older fibreglass boats will need extensive repair or replacement, what’s the best course of action, and what’s it going to cost us? John provides the answers.

Rational or not, it’s starting to feel like the world is coming seriously unglued, what with COVID-19 and the associated economic disruptions, not to speak of some spectacular market volatility.

So here’s what are we going to do about that at AAC.

So we have found a great older boat to buy at a very reasonable price, perhaps recently refitted. But what about that item no one (least of all the broker) wants to talk about: the rudder? Here’s the real hard facts about rudders on old fibreglass boats, together with a step-by-step method to make sure we are not heading out with a ticking time bomb instead of a reliable rudder.

There are few subjects around anchoring that get more discussion than stopping yawing at anchor. However, once we understand why it happens, the best solution becomes obvious.

Before we start to build a refit budgeting and planning framework, we need to define the boat we will start off with as well as explore how we can correct numbers for other boats: smaller, bigger, and/or more complex.