Eating fish is healthy and self-caught fish saves money on provisioning, so most cruisers try their luck. Some are real aficionados who fish in a competitive spirit, but most just routinely troll a line on passage. We don’t fish in …
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When sailing at night you get a unique perspective on the world. The stars seem more luminescent and much nearer, the wind seems stronger and you feel as if you are cocooned in your own little world. It is easy …
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The boats cruisers use to follow their dreams, whether sail or power, usually rely on diesel fuel. It is the lifeblood of engines and generators, and often the one component that receives the least amount of care. Microbial contamination of …
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.. Or Tip #2 in Surviving a Sailing Relationship. They say that variety is the spice of life and to keep a sailing relationship fresh, you sometimes have to vary your techniques. For example, when was the last time you …
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We were attempting to clear into Babylon after one of our circumnavigations, when the U.S. Custom’s official began quizzing us about our trash and garbage. Evidently I looked confused because he handed my wife Carolyn a booklet that explained the …
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When you look at the glossy pictures in brochures, the displayed watermaker units are usually mounted on a wall, all parts easily accessible and elegantly connected with short tubes. Watermaker producers seem to assume that all their customers own super-yachts …
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Are you afraid of sailing after dark? Many sailors are. They figure that if they fall over the side at night they’ll never be found or that they’ll make a mistake and steer the boat onto the rocks. There is …
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More people are getting hooked on the sport of fishing. In fact, fishing participation increased by 1.5 million people over the last year according to the Alexandria, Virginia-headquartered Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation’s 2017 Special Report on Fishing. This …
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Operating a charter yacht is a dream career for many people. However, the industry has become much more professionalized than the care-free, regulation-free, tax-free days of half a century ago. What is needed to successfully charter as crew or owner …
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Hauling a boat out of the water and storing it in a safe yard is a great way to protect the vessel against potential storm damage. This idle time is also perfect for repairs and preventative maintenance. To do this …
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.. Or Tip #1 in Surviving a Sailing Relationship. We have all witnessed raised voices from other yachts when they have been dropping or retrieving their anchor, maybe even observed a full-on argument. On one occasion we saw a “discussion” that …
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Prior to our Caribbean adventure, we were clueless as to what we should do or where we should go as hurricane season approached. Early in our research, we found we had to make a choice dictated by time constraints, preference, …
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Whistle sound signals at sea come in two varieties, according to the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (IRPCS): a short blast and a prolonged blast. The short blast means a blast of about one second’s duration, while a …
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There’s nothing worse than loading friends and family aboard for a great day on the water, only for problems with your vessel to keep everyone shore bound. Routine in-water maintenance is one remedy, yet industry experts say that the longer …
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Whichever dinghy you have, it’s the wrong one. If it rows well, it squats and powers poorly. If it is light-in-weight, it flips over in a gust. If it is heavy, it is hard to get on deck. Even its …
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In March, Allison and Derek Parkes transited the Panama Canal on their Tayana 47 Arielle. Allison offers no-nonsense advice for those following in their wake. Use an Agent or DIY? That is the key question many cruisers are discussing. Agents’ …
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I remember our first grocery provisioning tours as newbie cruisers very well. We were overwhelmed by the prospect of spending weeks away from supermarkets. How much coffee would we need a month? How many pounds of flour to bake bread? We …
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So, we drop the hook in the lagoon in St. George’s harbour in Grenada, do a cursory anchor watch, cast off the dinghy and take the ferry to Carriacou for a day of sun and fun. Upon our return early …
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Cruising the south coast of Puerto Rico offers something a little different from the usual blue seas and sandy white beaches of the Caribbean. Its coastline is 70-odd miles of historical Spanish lighthouses, small seaside towns, historic towns, mangrove habitat, …
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Whether you are hauling out for a short period or planning an extended stay on the hard, living on your boat while it’s on land can be challenging. We have spent many months in various boats yards between Trinidad and …
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