David and Booker Deakyne live and voyage aboard their Privilege 45 catamaran Tortuguita. Formerly a charter boat in the Caribbean, Tortuguita was purchased by a Belgian sailor who took the boat to Cuba for several years. Since spare parts were not readily available the boat fell into a state of disrepair. The boat was brought to Florida for sale and the Deakynes purchased it there in 2006. Dave then spent three months rebuilding the vessel’s systems before sailing it back to their home in New Jersey. They characterize that first voyage on their website this way: “Not much worked in…

The definition of a weather briefing from the Glossary of Meteorology, published by the American Meteorological Society is: “Oral commentary on existing and expected meteorological conditions.” A further definition is given in the same publication for a Pilot Weather Briefing is: “Oral commentary on the observed and forecast weather conditions along a route, given by a forecaster to the pilot, navigator, or other air crew member prior to takeoff.” These definitions were created many years ago when the resources available were more limited in terms of graphics and in terms of longer range forecasts. In fact, most pilot briefings were…

Editor’s Note: Beth VandeGeijin is a Nurse Practitioner with more than 25 years experience in internal medicine and is currently in a solo practice. She’s been cruising (Chesapeake Bay to Grenada) on her 45-foot Freedom sloop rig and is a member of the Seven Seas Cruising Association. We asked her about how voyagers might want to get ready for dealing with medical issues when offshore.  OV: As a voyager with medical training and experience, how much training do you think voyagers need? BV: It often depends on where they are going. Many of the larger islands in the Caribbean and…