Author and Traveller

world globe showing latitude and longitude measurements

Chart Confidence or the Full Navigation Course: Which One Is Right for You?

Navigation is one of those skills that feels reassuring once you understand it, but intimidating before you do. Many new skippers worry that they need to learn everything at once, when in reality a small number of core skills carry most of the load. That is why the navigation training is split into two courses. […]

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sailing boat in the middle of a vast blue ocean

Why Short, Practical Boating Courses Work Better Than Generic Online Classes

Online learning has made it easier than ever to access boating courses. There are thousands of options available, covering almost every topic imaginable. At first glance, more choice seems like a good thing. In practice, many boaters discover that broad, generic courses do not give them what they actually need on the water. Short, focused

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Emergency Preparedness with Emergency Ready course

Emergency Skills for Boaters: What to Do When Things Go Wrong

Emergencies on the water rarely look the way people imagine. They are usually quieter, messier, and more confusing than expected. Things fail. People hesitate. Time feels distorted. This Emergency Ready course exists so that when something does go wrong, you are not starting from zero. It focuses on preparation, priorities, and clear thinking, rather than

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A synoptic chart showing highs and lows and fronts

Weather Fundamentals for Boaters: Understanding What Really Matters

Weather affects every decision on the water. Where you go, when you leave, how long you stay, and whether a trip is enjoyable or exhausting all come back to the same question. What is the weather actually going to do? This Weather Confidence course exists to make weather understandable, usable, and far less intimidating. It

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Beautiful sailboat sailing a vast deep blue ocean

Control, Choice, and Cruising: Why Most Sailing Dreams Fail and How to Make Yours Real

Every year on January 1st, thousands of people quietly renew the same promise.Someday, they will buy a boat.Someday, they will go cruising.Someday, they will live aboard, cast off lines, and stop postponing the life they imagine. Most of those dreams do not fail because cruising is unrealistic. They fail because of a misunderstanding about control.

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collision regulation course

The Rules of the Road Made Simple: Practical COLREGS for Everyday Boaters

The rules of the road, often called COLREGS, exist so boats can predict what each other will do. When they are understood, situations stay calm and orderly. When they are misunderstood, confusion builds quickly. This short course exists to strip the rules back to what recreational boaters actually need, and to explain them in a

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Practice questions for Marine Radio Licence

How the Marine Radio Exam Works (And What People Worry About for No Reason)

For many people, the Marine Radio exam is the part they worry about most. Not because it is especially difficult, but because it feels like going back to school. That alone is enough to make some people put it off far longer than they should. In reality, the exam is far more straightforward than most

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Long and short range radio licence

Marine VHF Radio Licence What You Actually Need, and Why the Word “Licence” Still Makes Sense

If you search online for “Do I need a licence for a marine VHF radio in Australia?”, you will find confident answers pointing in opposite directions. Some say no licence is required. Others insist you must hold one. Both statements sound certain, and both miss the point. The confusion comes from mixing two different things:

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