Marina visit checklist
03 Jan

Marina visit checklist

Robert MacFarlaneVoyaging Tips Newsletter
By Rob MacFarlane When I’m cruising my usual practice is to anchor out each evening. As needed, however, my Morgan 45 Tiger Beetle will spend a night in a marina, which is great for a large shore-side food shopping, meeting an arriving friend, and doing work at the yard. I’ve found that visiting random marinas requires a variety of relatively simple accouterments to make life at the dock proceed smoothly. Electricity AC power is unpredictable. The connections I've run into so far are 125v/20amp (Canada), 125v/30amp (USA), 125v/50amp (big slips in USA/Mexico), 125/250v/50amp (other bigger slips USA), as well as…
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Obtaining local knowledge on the fly
08 Mar

Obtaining local knowledge on the fly

Robert MacFarlaneVoyaging Tips Newsletter, ,
My 45-foot Morgan sloop Tiger Beetle is currently cruising the “gold coast” of Pacific Mexico, Zihuatanejo to Puerto Vallarta, with many interesting and fun small coves and bays along the way to visit. A key item upon arrival is learning what the routines might be and what is going on here — something the cruising guides can’t necessarily provide as the information goes out of date or is not sufficiently detailed. Prior to anchoring I’ll ask around to learn what I can about what’s happening. The best method I’ve found is to arrive at an anchorage, look for the boat…
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Skipper Tips For Every Day
01 Sep

Skipper Tips For Every Day

Ocean NavigatorNotable New Titles, , ,
Skipper Tips For Every Day By Fridtjof Gunkel 2021; 204 pp; Adlard Coles; Paperback $20 A friend of mine who served in the Marines used to say that the motto of his branch wasn’t Semper Fi so much as it was, “improvise, adapt, and overcome.” We sailors are a resourceful and thrifty lot, always searching for new ways to kludge a solution to the myriad problems that arise on our boats. A little PVC here, a boat pole there and a whole lot of bungee cord wherever it does the job; that’s how you turn a one-design boat into your…
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03 May
Ocean NavigatorMarine Technology, Power Voyaging, , ,
[gtx_gallery] I’m often asked by my power voyaging clients, “What do I need to know about making good crimp connections?” Fortunately, not very much. Material selection High quality solderless or “crimp” connectors start with high quality materials. When a connector is manufactured, a die stamps it repeatedly. This helps to cut and form the metal, but it also work-hardens it. Work-hardened metal is brittle and difficult to form. As a result, it is not preferable for crimping. Annealing returns the copper to a softer, more malleable state. The barrel portion of a quality connector appears seamless. This is because it…
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03 May
Ocean NavigatorMarine Technology, Ocean Voyaging, Offshore Sailing, , , , , , ,
If you are planning an offshore cruise under sail, you need access to as much vessel data as possible in one single place. A multifunction chartplotter display is the nerve center of the modern offshore cruising vessel, bringing together chart navigation, radio communication and a variety of other inputs onto one screen to inform you of the overall performance of the craft while underway and at anchor. Before committing yourself to a particular model of chartplotter, you need to consider several factors: vessel size, deck layout, planned location of monitor installation and of course, your own specific needs and tastes.…
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03 May
Ocean NavigatorMarine Technology, Ocean Voyaging, Offshore Sailing, , , , , , ,
Earlier this year, I finally upgraded from lead acid batteries to lithium iron phosphate (LiFePo4) batteries on my Valiant 40, Brick House. I’d researched for at least a year and South Africa, with its great tech base and good exchange rate, was the place to do it. [gtx_gallery] Lithium batteries favor the inclusion of a battery management system (BMS) in most applications on boats. The BMS ensures that the battery is not over or undercharged, and that it doesn’t overheat, freeze, or have to deal with oversized currents. Most people understand that a lithium battery BMS is the brains of…
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