It wasn’t until we used our winch one day, and it made a horrible sound, that we discovered that it needed to be serviced. No – we didn’t have a Lewmar winch service checklist to remind us of this job. I suppose we’re not unlike most bluewater cruisers in that we’re always learning as we[Read More]
Blog
High Wind Sailing Techniques
You can’t avoid high winds if you’re going to be a bluewater sailor – squalls and even minor storms pop up unexpectedly. Heck – just last week a Tropical Storm unexpectedly popped up over the top of us and we had absolutely no warning. So…if you’re going to become a bluewater cruiser it’s important to[Read More]
Sending a MAYDAY checklist
One of the first things you need to know BEFORE becoming an active bluewater cruiser is to know how to send a MAYDAY. Sure, the VHF radio is equipped with a red ‘panic’ type button but that’s not necessarily going to save you. Your chances for getting help increase drastically if you follow up an[Read More]
Sailing From A Tropical Storm
After watching a weather disturbance for days we felt confident that nothing more than a bit of rain and wind was coming. Unbeknown to us, Tropical Storm Karen, formed overnight and crossed just north of our current anchorage. Knowing that serious weather bands might cause high winds and a large swell we made a decision[Read More]
Top 10 essentials for living on a sailboat – A woman’s perspective!
Owning, living and traveling on a sailboat requires several essentials – the obvious one’s that come to mind are a working engine, tip-top rigging, good sails, a strong hull and crew that know what they’re doing. Aside from the core basics, however, I have a list of my top 10 essentials for making life on[Read More]
Teak Deck Repair – An Easy-To-Follow 10 Step Process
In this post, I’ll show you what needs to be repaired on a teak deck, the tools and supplies necessary to repair it, the step-by-step teak deck repair process, and I’ll also offer some tips and tell you about what does and doesn’t work. Read the steps and then watch the video at the end[Read More]
How to get a B1 B2 visa for sailors in and around America
About the B1 B2 visa for sailors…If you’re like me and you’re an American, you don’t need a visa to sail to America. But, if you’re like my husband (Simon), who holds only a British passport, or like our crew member (Eve), who holds a New Zealand passport, you will need to sort out a[Read More]
How To – Mooring Ball & Mooring Buoy
In this video, I’ll show you how to easily tie onto a mooring ball (otherwise know as a mooring buoy), how to release the lines and leave a mooring ball and at the end I’ll give you a little know technique about how you can prevent a mooring ball from hitting your hull (making a[Read More]
How To Leave A Dock (The Easy Way) – Video & Checklist
Newbie boaters often find success or failure in their bluewater cruising dreams based upon their first few experiences, not with sailing (ironically), but with getting the boat in and out of the marina. Time after time, I’ve seen dreams shattered due to a bump, crash, and/or a full-on anxiety attack. If you can learn how[Read More]
CopperCoat Antifouling Nightmare
We had CopperCoat Antifouling applied to the hull of our Oyster 56′ in 2016. Since then we’ve had nothing but problems. To get the full story, to date, watch the following video that highlights: our first CopperCoat application in North Carolina a haul out in South Carolina for CopperCoat USA to inspect issues and instigate[Read More]
