For some reason the knot-tying resources on the internet make the Ashley stopper more difficult than it needs to be. Here’s the simple three-step method I use to tie it.
Category: Technical
Furuno TZT9F / TZ Touch 3 Review and Info
The DRS4D-NXT is a fantastic radar. Unfortunately, it requires the use of a Furuno display. I encourage you to avoid the mistake I made and instead patronize a vendor that respects and supports international standards like S-57 charts (details below)—if such a vendor even exists today. I cannot in good conscience recommend an ecosystem built…
Pros and Cons of a Smaller Sailboat for World Cruising
There’s an almost limitless number of things to consider when planning an extended world cruise in a sailboat. Some considerations have more, or larger, ramifications than others. Perhaps top of the list is the choice of sailboat. Followed closely by the size of the sailboat.
Scanmar / Mystic Stainless Boarding Ladder
The addition of the Monitor self-steering vane necessitated removing the ladder at the transom. As a result, it was time to consider another option for a boarding ladder.
Monitor Self-Steering Vane Pro Tips
Finally, after long last, got a Monitor self-steering vane installed! Bought it unused from a bloke who used to work for Scanmar and has installed literally hundreds of these over the years. He’s commensurately knowledgeable about the steering vanes, and had these genius tips to share.
Vesper Cortex Review
I’ve been excited about the possibilities for the Vesper Cortex ever since first hearing about it. It just makes so much sense to combine VHF and AIS in one unit. In a nod to this other vendors are now scrambling to catch up. It was also the simplest way for me to get VHF capability…
3M 4200 and BilgeKote CAUTION!
At this time I do not recommend painting BilgeKote over 3M 4200–they appear to be incompatible. Preparation was as follows:
Muir VRC-1200 Anchor Windlass Maintenance
A step-by-step how-to guide complete with photos.
How to Create Sea Climate Maps from Satellite Data
Inspired by a section I read in “Heavy Weather Sailing” by Peter Bruce, I decided to see what sea climate maps were available online, so I could include them in my collection of cruising resources. I was looking for seasonal and/or monthly average and maximum wave height and wind speed maps. Surprisingly, I was unable…
14 Crucial Tips for DIY Standing Rigging with Compression Terminals
Before deciding to do my own standing rigging using compression terminals like Hayn Hi-Mod or Sta-Lok, I did a ton of research… Watching videos, reading online articles and discussions, reading manuals and literature. The experience of actually building new standing rigging, however, taught me several lessons which were rarely mentioned nor given proper emphasis for…