Stephen and Dawn Bell enjoy the cruising life aboard their Leopard 48 Catamaran Pilar, having cruised down the East Coast and into the Windward Islands of the Caribbean. The Bells emphasize the critical importance of always putting safety first while planning and undertaking ocean voyages. They prioritize safety not only in their manner of coastal and offshore sailing, but also in the emergency gear they select for use in a crisis. Both Stephen and Dawn have received some formal medical training, so when someone gets hurt, they can dress wounds, splint broken bones, administer appropriate medications and make contact with…

A few years back in the Pacific Northwest, a very well-regarded rigging shop put the finishing touches on a brand-new rig for a boat we were commissioning. The lead rigger installed bronze cotter pins instead of stainless ones, as the bronze pins would supposedly make the fine-tuning process easier because they could be removed by bare hands—no tools required.     After tuning the rig on the hard, we went back into the water and began the dynamic tuning of the lowers under sail with the lead rigger aboard. The wind blew only 10 knots that day, and we needed more wind to…

In the realm of modern maritime navigation and safety, two primary technologies stand out to me due to their significance: AIS (Automatic Identification System) and radar, derived from Radio Detection and Ranging. These systems play a critical role in providing essential information for vessels, assisting in collision avoidance, navigation and overall situational awareness. Although both AIS and radar share common objectives, they exhibit distinct differences in functionality, coverage and applications. When contemplating how to approach this article, I found myself reflecting on my initial encounter with radar interpretation aboard a schooner in the Caribbean. Our charters were scattered, necessitating frequent…

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…