Web Exclusives 2013

Ocean Voyager

Whatever floats your…

Coming to shores of Tokyo Bay, another contender for the fastest thing afloat

This is one loud hailer!

Choose your words carefully, a "long range acoustic device" can project your voice for miles

Web Exclusives

An exclusive club

Gerry Hughes completes a circumnavigation on his Beneteau 42s7 and sets an unusual record

21st Century Marine Network Standard NMEA 2000

The National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) 2000 Marine Network Standard is a big enabling factor driving the ongoing trend toward onboard networking of electronic systems

More AMVER sailor saves

Voyagers in the Pacific and Atlantic are picked up by AMVER program ships

South Atlantic passage

Voyaging couple Jim and Jeannie Foley have a crewmember aboard for a trip from Brazil to South Africa

The ultimate reward?

A USCG search and rescue team gets the satisfaction of a job well done... and cookies

Misled by celestial nav diagrams?

Do the ways we visualize celestial navigation concepts mislead us?

Admiralty anti-piracy charts

Two new security charts join the Admiralty's anti-piracy suite

Instagram your way into Ocean Navigator

Send us your voyaging photos on Instagram and we'll pick the best to appear in ON and on the website

Sea anchor tested for NASA capsule

Fiorentino recently completed sea anchor tests for use on NASA's Orion space craft after splashdown

Norway Cruising Guide hits lucky seven

Voyaging authorities John Harries and Phyllis Nickel have just released the seventh edition of their Norway cruising guide

Hard dodger building logistics

When we first drew up some plans for the aluminum dodger we happened to be located on the southern end of the Baja Peninsula, in the Sea of Cortez — in the vicinity of La Paz.

Dutch tall ship for Omani Navy

The age of sail may be over, but a few tall ships still slide off the ways

Will cuts to weather education affect forecasts?

Budget shortfalls in the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research's COMET Program might hamper weather forecasts

Upside down repairs in the Southern Ocean

Solo sailor Jeanne Socrates does a few gymnastics moves to make a vital repair

Nordhavn 120 launched into test tank

Indian sailor notches solo nonstop first

Indian sailor Abhilash Tomy makes the first solo nonstop circumnavigation for his country

Voyagers can join the ranks of marine biologists

With a white disk, tape measure and a smartphone app, you can participate in a global phytoplankton study

Incredible Sir Robin Knox-Johnston pictures found

An archive of 3,000 images from 1968/9 is saved from being tossed in a dumpster

Mako sharks now satellite navigation equipped

A group of researchers recently tagged sharks with satellite units to better track their behavior

Weather on the other side of the world

Sometimes our weather picture can get very localized. We can become a little too focused on our immediate surroundings. I decided to take a wider look around the world to see what was going on.

Chinese sailor Guo Chuan finishes circumnavigation

First Chinese solo circumnavigator completes passage aboard his Class 40 Qingdao

New Alerion 41 is 650th Alerion launched

Still time to save on Marion Race entry

Save money by signing up for the Marion Bermuda before tax day

Boating Weather

Concrete dock removed from beach

A 185-ton Japanese dock broken free by tsunami crossed the Pacific to Washington

A voyager's art show

Polar sailor and photographer Keri Pashuk has a showing of her prints in Punta Arenas

The importance of antenna placement

International chart from NOAA

Will we see more charts from NOAA that use international notation?

Voyaging the steel ocean

As the seasons change yacht transporter ships ply the routes between popular voyaging ports of call

Chinese solo circumnavigator leaves Indian Ocean

Guo Chuan passed through the Sunda Strait on his way home to China and a Chinese sailing record

Legendary nav tool discovered?

Researchers say they may have found an example of Viking sunstone

A key safety tool

Having a marine VHF and knowing how to use it could make a distress situation run more smoothly

Fighting topside leaks

Those of us northern sailors who have been out cruising in southern waters for a while know that leaks around ports, chain-plates and other deck fittings can be real pains in the neck

A full weekend of offshore skills

Safety at Sea Seminar great way to learn a great deal in a weekend

Jeanne Socrates passes halfway mark

Solo sailor has now put more miles behind her than lay ahead on circumnavigation

Oysters in the Panama Canal

Flags flying, the boats of the Oyster World Rally pass into the Pacific

Nine less pirates to worry about

Nine suspected pirates transferred to Seychelles by Dutch EU naval force

Mysterious Atlantic debris field

A body is discovered after the Coast Guard investigates an unkown debris field 22 miles off Florida coast

British hydro office warns of counterfeits

UK Hydrographic Office has issued a warning concerning counterfeit nautical charts and publications

Anatomy of a blizzard

My last newsletter was about a historic storm, hurricane Sandy, and this newsletter, will be about another historic storm, the blizzard of 2013 (Winter Storm Nemo).

Nonstop solo circumnavigation effort passes Good Hope

Jeanne Socrates continues in her quest for a solo, nonstop circumnavigation record

Three ships around the Southern Capes

Three Dutch tall ships, a barque and two schooners, will sail the Southern Ocean commemorating early Dutch explorers

The myths of Orion

Finishing fourth — without a keel

Jean-Pierre Dick coaxed his IMOCA 60 to the finish with the clever use of water ballast

From a cold and syrupy sea…

Wintry seas serve up ice of all shapes, sizes, and consistencies. This one may prompt cravings for maple syrup

A better chain plate for voyaging boats?

John Harries of Attainable Adventure Cruising makes a case for avoiding stainless steel for chain plates

Interview with Dr. Stanley Paris

Dr. Paris on Kiwi Spirit aims to break the solo nonstop circumnavigation record set by Dodge Morgan on American Promise

Francois Gabart Wins The Vendee Globe

Fastest race and closest finish

Forged steel keels for the Vendee Globe?

After Vendee Globe race boat Virbac-Paprec 3 lost its keel, racer Mike Golding says forged steel should be mandated for keels

New moorings in St. Helena

It's a great time to visit St. Helena, just expect some serious ocean sailing

Vendee Globe- The Final Dash

2,400 miles to go, and still a nail biter to the finish.

Eloran backs up GPS in Europe

The British start broadcasting eloran corrections for ships in the English Channel

Electronic navigation: The path from the past

In a galaxy not so far away and not so long ago, there were no manmade artificial satellites, no communications satellites, and no navigational satellites

Temporary celestial navigation target

A comet visitor to the solar system in 2013 just might be one of the brightest objects in the sky

Solo round the Horn

Solo sailor Jeanne Socrates gets into the South Atlantic in her third effort at a non-stop circumnavigation

Stamm hits UFO

Vendee Globe racer damages his boat and must drastically reduce electrical use

No time to savor Cape Horn

Vendee Globe racer Francois Gabart was more concerned with hitting ice than popping a cork

Coast Guard discovers shark-killer net

The Coast Guard recovers five mile long gill net that killed hundreds of sharks

Swamped! And loving it!

A Rotterdam company offers a surprising new boat design guaranteed to get you wet

EPIRB to the rescue

To an offshore voyager in distress, an EPIRB remains a must have item

Eight bells: Boat builder dies at age 67

After decades of building boats, Jan Gougeon has died at the age of 67 on Dec. 18 in Bay City, Mich.

(Very) Fast company!

The Vestas Sailrocket 2 delivers a jaw-dropping speed record off the west coast of Africa

Boat for seabird conservation

Apprenticeshop graduate launches dory for use by Friends of Maine's Seabird Islands

Look! Up in the sky! It’s…a Space Station!

Thoughts about the International Space Station as a navigational aid

Vendee Globe- The Indian Ocean

And then there were two.

"Land yacht" trailer design

Airstream uses Italian yacht design firm to develop "land yacht' concept

François Gabart crushes distance record

Vendee Globe sailor François Gabart on board Macif sets new solo 24-hour distance record

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