Communications on Passage

Communications on Passage

In the marina it’s relatively simple to manage communications – a cell phone with a subscriber identification module (SIM) card from the local phone company, and perhaps WiFi supplied by the marina management. This makes it easy to talk with folks distant and obtain relevant weather reporting from internet-based sources. The entire equation changes when you head offshore on passage. I race and cruise a 45-foot Morgan 1983 N/M 456 IOR two tonner, an older race boat that was well built for offshore use. I’ve raced singlehanded San Francisco to Hawaii several times and actively cruise the west coast of…
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High speed on the high seas

High speed on the high seas

The evolution of satellite data and voice communications for cruising sailors is finally approaching the point where soon we will all be talking, sending email and searching the internet from every corner of the globe with the same ease we enjoy ashore. Let’s take a speculative look ahead at what the satcom situation might look like in the near future.  Within the last decade, we have seen the DeLorme InReach and SPOT Satellite Messenger satellite devices enter into service on many ocean-crossing yachts and satphones from Iridium, Globalstar and Inmarsat. These devices offer text-only service (InReach, SPOT) or voice and…
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The Great Tea Race

The Great Tea Race

From 1700 to 1834, the British East India Company held a monopoly in the colonization of Asia, competing only with the Dutch East India Company. It was founded in 1600 to trade in the Indian Ocean region, India, Southeast Asia, and China.  The East India Company controlled basic commodities: silk, cotton, India dye, sugar, salt, tea, and opium. The tea monopoly was nullified by the king in 1834, opening up the China tea market. It was obvious that the faster ships could arrive in London from China, the higher the price of tea.  This realization, along with the development of…
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