Do you have your escape route planned should a fire onboard happen? Terrible news today. This reminded me of an incident we had on board Mariah II. Fire onboard, two bodies found. On Mariah, we on the step (above the engine), to step in/out, we set a mosquito coil to burn through the night, […]
We are often asked, ‘What’s the best boom brake or boom preventer?’ Here’s a simple solution that works well. What set up do you have? Any questions? Comment below.
Boom Preventer / Boom Brake Read More »
Dragging anchor is a bore at best, dangerous, and life-threatening, at worst. We’ve dragged anchor many times, in fierce conditions, and in calm water. We’ve come close to losing our boat and always had to act quickly. Learning navigation means you learn how to use your compass effectively in many different ways, including anchoring safely.
Buying a boat takes a lot of time and energy – it is also a lot of fun! I wrote this a few years back on jackieparry.com – it all still applies. 1) Research research, research With over 60 years combined professional and personal knowledge and thousands of ocean miles, we still spent two
Top Ten Tips for buying a boat (+ 5 bonus tips!) Read More »
Boom Boon From Generous Gent It had the potential to kill. The monster was sixteen feet long and solid. The aluminium boom swung at head height, an accidental gybe could be fatal. Although it’s not always useful, I am quite attached to my head. Necessity breeds invention and reluctantly we admit that one of our
Control that Boom! Read More »
How? *Access to the self-paced online course (coming soon!) many videos and quizzes for great revision. *Step-by-Step manuals, from beginner to advanced. Click here to read the details!
Navigation Course includes $174 worth of materials! Read More »
What official paperwork do you need onboard your boat? We’ve received requests for the following documentation at various times during our travels: (Ensure you check the requirements for the country you are visiting.) Imperative Visas Passports The ship’s papers (original certificates) Crew lists – multiple copies at hand The original insurance certificate for
Many years of combined knowledge, recreational and commercial sailing the world. Weather – we can’t avoid it. Good or bad it’s always with us but with study and observation we can better prepare and, at times, choose the conditions we’d like to tackle. (For more details and full contents, scroll down: includes southern hemisphere/Australian
Weather Manual for Cruisers Read More »
The night we almost lost our boat: Occluded Fronts and Associated Stunts You can listen to this story here if you prefer (podcasts) If you think G&Ts on the aft deck in a protected anchorage are part of life within the Pacific Ocean, you would not be alone. However, witnessing the terrific splendour of nature
Occluded Fronts and Associated Stunts Read More »
Weather is fundamental to sailors. We used Weatherfax. Through our SSB (HF) radio (long-range) at certain times of the day and night, we could dial up a frequency, link the laptop to the radio, and receive synoptic charts. Simple software that we downloaded from the Internet decoded the signal. Receiving free twelve, twenty-four, thirty-six, forty-eight
Lightning storm at the Nicobars Read More »
