Do you remember your parent’s old screw-in fuses? You know the kind that blew on Friday night when everyone was home creating lots of electrical demand. But because they did not have a spare replacement, maybe some folks used a penny to complete the circuit, bypassing any protection that a fuse was designed to offer….well, Read More
Written by Chris & Alyse Caldwell We work with many new boat owners who want to know how to anchor without yelling. We all agree that good communication is the key to a happy crew. But while we are cruising coaches, marriage counseling is a bit out of our wheelhouse so, here we will teach Read More
Written by Chris & Alyse Caldwell The Bitter End is a clever name for a Caribbean Bar but to the seasoned mariner it is a functional and valued description for the end of a rope, actually the end of the anchor rode, chain or rope. This defines how the rode is secured to the boat Read More
Written by Chris & Alyse Caldwell There are many methods of measuring and marking your anchor rode including commercially available tags. Since cruising and anchoring is a two person passion we prefer to PAINT our chain and rope. Generally there are two people involved in anchoring and anchor recovery so we prefer the larger easier-to-see Read More
Not since Elvis Presley crooned an ode to his dinghy, “Love My Tender,” has the world shown so much affection to our lonesome ship-to-shore transportation. Okay, so maybe I didn’t fully understand the lyrics to that song, but our often abused and rarely waxed little boats are a very important part of our cruising lives, Read More
Written by Amanda Delaney Many mariners have heard the saying, “red sky at night, sailors’ delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.” Although there is some truth to this saying, how many times have you heard good weather predicted the following day, to then wake up to an ominous sky? Which clouds or Read More
DEVELOPMENT OF MICROBIAL GROWTH IN FUELS Microbial contamination is not specific to any one fuel type – marine, aviation, automotive and home heating fuels are all susceptible. Similarly there is no single specific organism that can be identified as being responsible for degradation and spoilage. As a general rule, wherever fuel and water come into Read More
Written by Amanda Delaney It’s early winter and another migration is coming to an end. In this case we are not talking about birds, but mariners in the northern latitudes who are heading south into ports along Southern Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean. These regions are desirable in avoiding the cold and snowy weather, Read More
Written by Amanda Delaney There is nothing worse than hearing the news that a tropical storm or hurricane could potentially threaten your location. Not only does it ruin your plans but it forces you to make critical decisions such as, can I get the vessel out of harm’s way in time and, if I can’t, Read More
Written by Amanda Delaney Usually May kicks off the start of the New England and Eastern Canadian Maritime cruising season. By then, the gale track shifts to the north and temperatures warm, luring mariners back north from the tropics. Although summer and early autumn are the best times of year to travel in New England Read More
