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Read more: Superstitious…Me?I’m an electronics technician by trade and a believer in logic and scientific method. When I ran my businesses I was an analytical manager delving into the numbers as a foundation for my decisions. And when voyaging, I’m a compulsive list keeper, boat preparer and weather analyzer. Yes, I’m the hard cold facts guy. Well…except […]
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Read more: You Have To Be Happy To Spread HappinessOver the years we’ve been voyaging, we’ve occasionally heard from people who accuse cruisers of being parasites—wandering the globe without giving back. And, yes, we’ve run across some cruisers like that. We call them “user cruisers”. They come into town, take from the generous locals (sometimes from people who have less than them), and then […]
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Read more: Arctic Gear Test—RadarA reliable radar is the most important piece of electronic gear on a boat sailing in northern waters. In this chapter we discuss how our Furuno 1832 radar performed during our 10,000-mile Arctic voyage.
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Read more: Nobody’s PerfectOne of the strangest exchanges I have ever had occurred in my days as a sailing instructor. My manager sidled up to me one day and asked, “Do you demonstrate all of the manoeuvres to your students in advance, before asking them to do it?”. Thinking this might be some kind of trick question, I […]
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Read more: Pitfalls to Avoid When Buying a New Voyaging BoatWhat about buying a brand new boat? That should be great if you have the money, right? Yes, but with caveats. And if you think that buying a brand new boat will enable you to just jump aboard and go voyaging, this sobering story will show another far more likely scenario and highlight the traps to avoid in buying a new boat.
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Read more: The Three Most Dangerous Words In Boat MaintenanceWe joined our friends Dave and Shelly, who live and voyage on their beautiful, and beautifully maintained, Able Apogee 50, Cadence, for dinner the other night.
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Read more: The Bug Is Taking OverFollowing our arrival in the Canary Islands last autumn we watched an endless stream of yachts line up at the pontoon alongside the boatyard, all of them with fuel contamination problems. In my experience, it’s usual to find that in cases like this the outbreak can be isolated to one or two suppliers who have […]
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Read more: A Well-Deserved MedalLast spring I wrote a post about our friend Alasdair, who at the time was planning a trip on his 26-foot Vertue sloop Sumara to Jan Mayen to climb Beerenberg. Well, he and his crew, along with another small sailboat and crew, pulled off the trip with aplomb!
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Read more: The Case For Roller-Furling HeadsailsRoller furling headsails are ubiquitous, but they are not without their drawbacks. John looks at ways to deal with that and make roller furling work well at sea.
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Read more: Three Easy Steps to Better Travel PhotographsThe best camera in the world will not make great photographs if you don’t use the right technique. In this article we start the process of teaching you to take better photographs with three simple tips that anyone can master in a few minutes.
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Read more: Are Refits Worth It?It seems like a logical way to own a good offshore sailboat. Buy an older and a bit rundown but fundamentally decent boat and refit it. But does it really work? To explore that important question, I have a true story to tell you.
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Read more: Waterboot Mast/Deck SealNo leaks down the exterior of the mast below the partners. Period. That’s what Waterboot promises and what it delivers.
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Read more: The Case For Hank On HeadsailsIt’s rare these days to see a cruising boat with hank-on headsails. But are such sails only for the traditionalists stuck in the stone age of offshore sailing? Maybe not. Here is a convincing case for hank-on sails, at least on smaller boats.
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Read more: Jonbuoy—Stuff That Works (We Hope)The winter we spent in London England living on Morgan’s Cloud at St Katharine Haven next to Tower Bridge, was wonderful. We walked all over the city and soaked up the history and culture. And the pubs…wow!
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Read more: Q&A: Foul Weather GearQuestion [edited for brevity]: I did a quick search on your site, but didn’t find anything discussing foul weather gear. I’ve researched all lines and all levels of gear—West Marine, Gill, Henri Lloyd. I’d like to think this stuff may last me 10 to 15 years with proper care and avoiding snags anywhere on the […]
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Read more: Q&A: What About Ferro-Cement Boats?Question [edited for brevity]: I was perusing the boats for sale on the web and came across a number of ferro-cement hulled boats and I was wondering what you thought of that material in general for use in a cruising boat. Is it ever a good idea or is it a matter of manufacturer and […]
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Read more: Arctic Gear Test—Electronic NavigationThis was our first Arctic voyage since installing electronic navigation on “Morgan’s Cloud”. In this chapter we report on how it went.
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Read more: Thinking About a Steel Boat?Considering buying a steel boat? If so, you owe it to yourself to read Colin’s chapters that examines a beautifully built steel boat and shares what it really takes to do steel right.
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Read more: Maui Jim…Aloha*John and I have been ardent fans of Maui Jim sunglasses for many years and many pairs. Their glasses get ever lighter in weight and more comfortable and their lenses get ever better at cutting glare on the water (we prefer their super-thin polarized glass lenses in gray).
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Read more: Wildlife Photography—TechniqueOnce again, if you want to photograph wildlife, Colin is your man. In this article he gives you some solid tips that will improve your chances of making a real keeper photograph.
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Read more: A Reluctant Voyager?Phyllis examines the challenges a woman faces when she goes cruising with a more experienced partner.
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Read more: A Model T Offshore Voyaging BoatThis is the article that started it all. Much has changed since I wrote it, but the core concept remains the same: a strong seaworthy offshore voyaging boat at a reasonable price.
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Read more: Wildlife Photography—The GearJohn has written about cameras for general travel photography, but what if your interest is wildlife? Well, then, Colin is your man and in this article he zeroes in on the gear you need to make great images of wildlife from a boat.
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Read more: Tips For Receiving Weather ForecastsIn this chapter I’m going to write about how we receive voice (well, not really voice, per se) and text forecasts while at sea and in remote places.
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Read more: Margin Accounts Dangerous For VoyagersIn reading the headline of this post, you could be forgiven for thinking that I have completely lost my mind and decided to leave the nautical arena to become an investment blogger. Not so. Almost everyone out there voyaging is relying on their savings, to at least some extent, and most of you who are […]
