Routes from Florida to the Bahamas are as short as 50 miles, but they all involve crossing the Gulf Stream and hopefully arriving during daylight hours and early enough to clear Customs. For most sailors, this means an evening or night departure with an overnight sail, which is what we were doing when voyaging from Palm Beach to West End, Grand Bahama. Unfortunately, one of our steering cable ends broke off in the middle of the Stream, with a stiff wind blowing and a lumpy sea — in the pitch dark. I had a sick feeling while hanging upside down below the steering box, peering at the loose cable end by the dim light of a flashlight. Then I noticed that the steering chain the cable was attached to had…
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced sailing organizations around the country to adapt to social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home policies. Here’s how two are dealing with the problem. We recently received feedback from one of our regular contributors, John Kettlewell, who is also executive director of Sail Martha’s Vineyard, “a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and perpetuating our island’s maritime heritage, culture, skills and the sea that surrounds us.” Like most community sailing initiatives, Sail MV’s big programs involve sail training for children and adults. With the ongoing pandemic, Sail MV has had to make major adjustments. Back in late April, Kettlewell wrote in an email, “We decided to cancel our regular summer programs, and we’re now trying to figure out how to fundraise enough to be back in 2021.”…
Oil is oil, right? Wrong! Have you experienced the dread of searching for the correct engine oil in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language? Your little pocket dictionary won’t have the translation for, “I need API CJ-4 15W-40 diesel oil.” Pointing at the bottle on the shelf might work, but be sure you are pointing at the correct container! To complicate matters, outside of North America you will find different prominent codes on the container related to other standards organizations like the ACEA (Association des Constructeurs Européens d’Automobiles), and you may see manufacturer-specific codes as well. Luckily, major oil suppliers tend to include a wide variety of codes on their labels, but you may find it to be information overkill. A typical oil label on the back…
We’re not quite there yet, but the era of Star Trek-like communicators is mostly here — though many of us are impatiently waiting for the day we can beam ourselves between home and the boat. In many ways, the smartphones we use every day are more sophisticated than the basic flip-phone communicator that Star Trek imagined, but most of us are still limited by the distance to the closest cellphone tower. However, that tie to terrestrial towers may soon end. Hundreds of satellites for Elon Musk’s Starlink are in orbit and capable of providing limited Internet coverage. It is claimed that by the end of 2020 there will be some sort of coverage over North America. The company says, “Starlink will deliver high-speed broadband Internet to locations where access has…
Editor's note: Some thoughts on belonging during trying times from voyager, author, executive director of Sail Martha's Vineyard and frequent ON contributor, John Kettlewell. With the COVID-19 virus emergency getting worse each day, we are beginning to read of communities, islands, regions and states attempting to shut their borders to outsiders, and those of us who travel by boat know that we are almost always "from away." So, what does a long-term cruiser or live-aboard do during an emergency? Obviously, if you live aboard and are in your home port, you should expect to be treated like a local and receive the same rights along with the same responsibilities. Sadly, this is not often the case in my experience. Live-aboards are considered close to homeless people by some — and if your…
Alarm systems come in three basic varieties: stand-alone systems that utilize sound alarms to alert those nearby, cellular network-based systems that can also alert you, and satellite-based systems that can provide worldwide coverage. Most companies offer a combination of local alarms and some type of connectivity, with some products that can utilize both satellite and cellular networks. You might assume the advantage of satellite systems would only be needed by those voyaging boats that head well offshore, but in reality there are many coastal areas with poor or no cellular data service — as many of us who have cruised the Maine coast or the Bahamas can attest. If your primary needs are in a marina with Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, however, the advantages of satellite communications may be overkill.…
While enjoying my usual evening libation in the cockpit, I often grab a cellphone or laptop to find out what is happening in the world, what messages may have come in that I can ignore, and whether or not thunderstorms are likely to wake us at the usual 2 a.m. With the wonders of Wi-Fi and cellular phone service, these joys/chores of modern life have become necessities for most cruisers, and there are many ways to achieve the state of “connected” bliss on board. For many boaters, regular cellphones and Wi-Fi-enabled laptops (and other devices) provide plenty of connectivity when close to shore and in marinas. While coastal cruising from Maine to Florida, I am frequently within good cellphone coverage — even over to the Bahamas. Yes, there are big…
Most voyagers depend on an array of digital assets, from the basics like email, the Internet and assorted important documents, to more nautical essentials like charts, weather information and cruising guides. Many also carry digital books, movies, photographs and other items to make onboard life easier, safer and more pleasant. It is easy to store a lot of digital stuff on board on portable hard drives, USB sticks and DVDs. You will likely also have data stored in the cloud using some service such as Google Drive or Dropbox that requires a communications link to the Internet. The question is how to manage this storage so that the essentials are not only safe but backed up and available when your hardware fails — and it will fail! Check your assets…
Frankly, I am a bit of an experimenter when it comes to anchors. Before setting off on a two-year voyage to Panama and back, I purchased a little-known option to grace my boat’s bow: a Bulwagga. Based on mostly a few vague test reports and the strong testimonial of a friend who was using one, I took a leap of faith, which indicated I had some lingering doubts in the back of my mind about the traditional equipment used in many anchoring dramas. Drama is not something you want when anchoring! Old faithfuls First, it has to be recognized that there is a lot more to anchoring than simply tossing over the latest touted design to compensate for your inadequate technique. People like the Hiscocks, the Roths and the Pardeys…
To the editor: I’ve anchored in Cuttyhunk Harbor, Mass., hundreds of times over many different seasons. I like to joke that I just drop my hook in one of my old holes and I know all will be well no matter what. I’ve ridden out one full hurricane, Bob, and numerous close brushes by other hurricanes, tropical storms, nor’easters, etc. Knowing a lot about this harbor, its bottom characteristics and what it has meant for various generations of my own anchoring gear, this is a nearly ideal testing ground for new (to me) anchoring equipment. A few years ago, I acquired a Mantus 45-pound anchor for my 38-foot motorsailer, and I have been gradually testing it during my cruises in southeast New England. I have been impressed with its nearly…
