(published May 2014) Thirty-five years passes in a blink when looking back. Cell phones were non-existent. Few beyond the Department of Defense had a computer—and those […]
Dressed to the Nines
Getting the Best Wi-Fi on the Water
Understanding Wi-Fi boosters and antennas (published April 2014) Along with GPS, satellite phones, and SSB radios with PACTOR modems, Wi-Fi boosters are another miracle of communications […]
Blowout!
Sail repairs at sea are not a matter of “if” but “when”…since sails that are used hard offshore will eventually need your tender loving care (published […]
ECS without GPS
How to use your electronic charting system for navigation, even if your GPS fails (published March 2014) We might assume an electronic charting system (ECS) is […]
When Your Steering Fails
The best way to avoid steering problems is to maintain the equipment. But you also need to have a Plan B if it does fail. (published […]
Herd Instinct
Deciding when to head offshore can be tricky, and subject to the opinions of those around you (published February 2014) It had been a rough passage […]
Navigation System Backups
Know where you are when your most important systems fail (published January 2014) It’s a question of if, not when your main navigation equipment fails. Of […]
Limitations of GPS
Why we should learn to navigate (published January 2014) If you rely solely on GPS to navigate in the fog, you will not know if it […]
North to South: Pointing the Way
How magnetic compasses work in the real world (published January 2014) It was a bitter cold night. We left Newport, R.I. at 0300 that morning, and […]
Moving Pictures: Tall Tales and Seascapes
How to get the most out of sharing your sailing experiences using modern video cameras (published December 2013) Since the very beginning of sailing, sea stories […]