Originally from Scotland, David Irvine has lived and worked in the Netherlands, Dubai and Malaysia before transitioning to working remotely from his boat Ursa, a 1977 Valiant 40. [gtx_gallery] David has been inseparable from the outdoors since a very early age, discovering a love for hiking and mountains in his teens. He has since climbed in many of the great ranges, including the Himalaya, Andes, Rockies and Alaska. A relative newcomer to boating, he completed a number of sailing courses and boating vacations in the Mediterranean before going to Malaysia to experience the Andaman Sea and obtain his RYA Yachtmaster certification.…

If you are full-time cruisers like us, your electrical system, including batteries, is critical to your safety and comfort, so it has to be right. These days, you have multiple options when it comes to constructing your house bank. Some are better than others for a given cruising situation. All should be deep cycle capable, have a lengthy service life, and be part of a well-thought-out electrical system. It’s even better if they require little or no maintenance. And all must be understood and treated well or they will give you continual grief and drain your financial resources unnecessarily. Possibly…

New sails can be one of the largest single expenses in the life of a cruising sailboat. As a boat owner, you have myriad sources for new sails, including local sail lofts, online sailmakers, and multi-national companies. You’ll also have to choose the type of sail material, construction technique, shape and size, as well as other design features. Like all things sailing, rarely does one best solution exist for upgrading sails. The following is an interview with three different actively cruising sailboats and their recent experiences with buying new sails. [gtx_gallery] How did you know it was time for new…