26 Apr

What is a MMSI number and why do I need it?

Ann HoffnerVoyaging Tips, Voyaging Tips Newsletter, , , , ,
by Ann Hoffner A wellfound sailboat making its way across the South Pacific strikes a whale; within minutes water enters the bilge. It’s impossible to find the source and those on board decide to seek assistance. The crewmember assigned to communications hurries to the nav station, pushes the red distress button on the VHF radio. Why did they do that? It’s only a short range radio, how can it help from the middle of the ocean? Because the red button means its equipped with digital selective calling (DSC), and pushing that button automatically sent out a message and will keep…
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Starlink opens to recreational vessels
16 Aug

Starlink opens to recreational vessels

Ann HoffnerHome Page Hero, Ocean Voyaging, , , ,
In late June the FCC authorized SpaceX to offers its Starlink satellite internet network for moving vehicles. Starlink, which aims to sell internet connections to almost anyone on the planet however remote their location, has been providing inexpensive service for rural land-based communities since 2019, but this gives the go-ahead to serve RVs, ships, airplanes, and boats. Earlier in the spring I wrote an article for this magazine on communications for high seas boaters, including options for accessing the internet. Satellites were and still are the ticket; what has changed in a few short months is that this veritable giant…
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31 Dec

Boating media scholarship

Ann HoffnerIndustry & Company News
The Boating Writers International (BWI) Active Interest Media Boating Journalist Scholarship was created to honor undergraduate college students who demonstrate a passion for the field of boating media. Applications for this year may be downloaded at www.bwi.org/scholarship-fund and will be accepted through January 15, 2022. If you know a deserving college student who would like to pursue a career in boating journalism, photography, video, broadcasting, film, or art, please encourage them to apply. Judges will look for applicants with talent, promise and firsthand knowledge of the boating life. To be considered for the $3,000 award, deliver applications to 4599 Deep River…
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Battery changes?
31 Dec

Battery changes?

Ann HoffnerBatteries, Marine Technology
Twenty years ago my husband and I were inside a Florida Sam’s Club buying deep-cycle lead acid batteries for our Peterson 44. That same year the Maxi-cat Playstation set a transatlantic speed record with a lithium battery on board. It started a trend in boating.  In the years since then, how have lithium batteries done in the boating marketplace? At the 2021 US Sailboat Show in Annapolis I asked vendors whether they sold more lithium than lead acid batteries. Custom Marine Products’ Tom Trimmer said at the last pre-pandemic boat show people asked him to “tell me more about lithium.”…
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