I’m constantly amazed by the number of accepted “facts” about offshore sailing that, when subjected to rigorous analysis, turn out to be wrong. Here are 20 such myths.
Do you need a diesel generator to go cruising? It’s a surprisingly simple decision governed by only two criteria.
Designing an offshore cruising boat is an iterative process with many steps.
Boat Boys in the Eastern Caribbean. Now there’s a subject to rouse passionate debate in any group of cruisers. Colin does his usual insightful and sensitive job of exploring the issue, along with some great tips for dealing with the practitioners of that trade.
An easy to use spreadsheet that makes deciding if a diesel-electric, or all electric, drive is a good option for your boat.
Buying a poorly designed boat is one of the most costly and heart breaking mistakes anyone can make. But maybe if we understand how bad designs come to be, we can avoid that.
When non-sailors ask John and me what it’s like to live on a sailboat, we often equate it to being in a spaceship, as in the sailboat being a self-contained entity immersed in an environment that’s hostile to human life. But is our analogy correct? What do we actually know about life in a spaceship?
The publishing team here at AAC world headquarters is ready for spring. We have some other news too.
Sad to leave Grenada, Lou and Colin carry on up the island chain, with stops at St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the Tobago Cays.
As an ocean sailor, or an aspiring one, we are sure you are as concerned as we are about the rampant overfishing of the world’s seas. But there is some good news: you can eat fish sustainably and avoid dosing yourself with horrible industrial toxins at the same time. Learn how from this book.
Lightning strike! Just the words can make us cruising sailors, who sail around the ocean with the highest thing in hundreds of square miles sticking up above our heads, nervous. In this chapter Matt, AAC Engineering Correspondent, will help you understand how lightning strikes happen and what you can do to reduce the associated risks.
It’s funny…people we meet often assume that Phyllis and I are great travelers. And it’s easy to see how they might come to that conclusion. After all we have spent most of the last 20 years moving from place to place around the Atlantic rim. But actually nothing could be further from the truth.
If you are serious about telling the story of your travels and voyage in images, this post, about the best camera I have every used, is for you. And, for those not interested in the ultimate travel photographer’s camera, with the price to match, I have some thoughts about alternatives.
Colin continues in his pursuit of watertight integrity by looking at ways to waterproof deck fittings.
We start this Online Book with a list of important seamanship rules.
After a stressful passage from Trinidad, Colin and Lou reach Grenada and a warm Caribbean welcome.
Matt examines lithium ion batteries in detail and answers the question, Should I use lithium ion batteries for the house bank on my boat?
Analysis of the loss of two very different yachts in the North Atlantic. One fully crewed and one single handed.
There are few things more miserable on a boat at sea than salt water below from deck leaks. And if said leaks get bad enough, they can sink you.
You can have the best anchors and associated gear available, but if you don’t use that gear properly you won’t get anchored and stay anchored. In this post we carry on from Part 1 with some tips for techniques to help make you a happy anchorer.
This morning I have a musing about one of the more obscure, but none the less, wonderful benefits of offshore voyaging.
As promised just before Christmas, we have now published our annual slideshow…but with a couple of differences from past years.
It’s a time of year when all of us, hopefully, are focused on the things that really matter, family, friends and life direction, and Colin has the perfect post to fit into that. Don’t miss it. I promise it will make you think and it might just change your life.