One of the greatest gifts to the cruising sailor was the introduction of affordable GPS units. How many wannabe cruisers headed off into the wide blue yonder because they now had a reliable means of fixing their position is anyone’s guess but I’ll bet it’s a large number. It was President Ronald Reagan who made …
Towing an inflatable dinghy is best accomplished with a towing bridle that attaches to the dinghy at two points on either side of the bow. This helps to ensure the dinghy is pulled in a straight line and doesn’t yaw about crazily. Some inflatable dinghies have towing rings on either side of the bow and, …
Many boats will have their masts down at this time of year and this provides the opportunity to take a look at the integrity of your vhf antenna system. It’s a good idea to remove the antenna and take it home for safe keeping. Good quality antennas have a mechanical connection at the base, usually …
Sunday was a glorious spring day up here in the northwest so we went for a little tootle down the Lancaster Canal on Minnie, the yacht that thinks it’s a narrowboat. There were few other boats about which is typical of this waterway at any time of the year – we enjoy the relative solitude …
A bout of bursitis in my knee this week got me thinking about the physical and mental effects of long term cruising. Bursitis is caused by repetitive movement and pressure on the joint. As a result, carpet layers, footballers and housewives are more likely to suffer bursitis in their knees than is the general population. …
I wonder why we in the English speaking world pronounce kilometre as if it rhymed with speedometer? A kilometre is a metric unit of length, not a meter for measuring something. We don’t treat millimetres and centimetres this way. Try saying millimetre with the same emphasis on the second syllable. Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? Why …