Here’s the scoop on our solar power installation on a sailboat – Sailboat Britican. We are five years into our liveaboard lifestyle and we still cannot say we are experts about the power systems on our boat. But it has been enough time for us to determine that a solar power installation was in need.[Read More]
How To's
Racing An Oyster Yacht
Most people buy an Oyster Yacht not because they want to race in regattas but because it’s a beautifully designed heavy displacement ocean going beast of a boat. It’s most definitely THE boat that will look after you and your family for an around-the-world voyage. Oysters are functional to the highest standard yet elegant and[Read More]
How To Service A Diesel Generator On A Sailboat
In this video, Simon will show you how to do a yearly diesel generator service. This service includes changing the air filter, oil filter, oil, belts, coolant, changing any bad hoses, impeller, cleaning the heat exchanger and putting on a new anode. When we first got a boat, we let others service our engines for us. Time after time we were disappointed to find that things were done wrong or not done at all. Discover how you can service your generator yourself!
Boat Life – Dirty Water, Loud Music & Engine Failure
In this episode, we finally get out of the dirty water in the commercial harbor to what appeared to be a beautiful quiet bay. We couldn’t have been more wrong. The noise forced us to weigh anchor and move. We then had engine failure. This time it was in the middle of a shipping channel,[Read More]
Boat Life On The Hard & In The Water
Did our on the hard anti-mold preparations deliver good results? What boat jobs did we get taken care of while away from Britican? And is it possible for masts to hit in a big swell when tied up on a jetty? Watch our latest video to find out answers to all these questions.
15 Ways To Avoid Failure When Becoming A Bluewater Cruiser
What factors contribute to the success or failure of becoming a bluewater cruiser? Over this past year, we’ve seen an increase in couples and families that make the leap into bluewater cruising only to quickly determine it was the wrong choice. Read these 15 points to avoid failure when becoming a blue water cruiser. Some have risked[Read More]
20 Tips For Provisioning For A Long Sailing Trip
Provisioning a boat can seem like one of the most overwhelming jobs when preparing for a long passage. There’s quite a bit of pressure on the person stocking the boat with enough food, water, and necessary ancillary products (think toilet paper) to survive.
What foods are best to have? What veggies will last a month and what won’t? What can and can’t be frozen? How can you make food prep, while under passage, fast and easy – especially when the seas are sloppy? And how can you ensure that all the passengers are fed and watered properly?
After your first week-long or month long passage you’ll surely be much wiser as to what to do and what not to do. Wouldn’t it be invaluable, however, to learn from those that have already done it? Wouldn’t it be less stressful if you could make that first passage a massive success rather than a mediocre learning experience? With the following 20 tips, you’ll certainly have a greater chance of enjoying provisioning success. Read on.
Provisioning Dry Goods And Freezer Inventory
Sometimes the best way to learn is to see exactly what someone else has done, take what you want, and then customize it to suit your needs. Before we crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and an 18-day passage from Gran Canaria to St Lucia, Caribbean, I created several inventory spreadsheets. These spreadsheets were created to help remind me, and our guests, as to what and where meals, dry goods, beverages, and paper goods were located. I called them my provisioning dry goods and freezer inventory spreadsheets.
Within the ‘Atlantic Crossing Dry Goods Inventory’, you’ll find a list of all the shelf-stable items I packed including canned goods, kinds of pasta, grains, jars, sauces, beverages, mixes and so forth in addition to the quantity and the place where I stored the goods.
On the ‘Atlantic Crossing Freezer Inventory’, you’ll discover what meals I pre-made in addition to all the other items I chose to freeze. This spreadsheet also has instructions as to how to cook some of the meals.
Furthermore, I’ve also included a document that you can use as a basis for a shopping list. It provides all the meal provision groupings to ensure you cover all bases. Download these spreadsheets and change according to your specific needs…
To access this post, you must purchase The Britican Club.
After Passage Checklist
Onboard Britican we have laminated checklists to help our guests learn the ropes. One of our shorter yet still valuable checklist’s is the After Passage Checklist. This checklist helps our guests have a role and know where to help out. We also use other checklists including Below Deck Pre Passage, Saftey Pre Passage, Above Deck Pre Passage and Systems On Pre Passage checklists when heading out to sea. Copy this checklist, alter it to suit your needs and use it on your boat 😉
Sailing Terms You Need To Know
Are there sailing terms you need to know? And if yes, what are they? Allow me first to step sideways for a moment before I answer that question…In London, over the course of eight years, I built up a successful company. To quietly grab market share from the top three competitors in my marketplace I simply did one major thing that my competitors did not. My competitors all used industry lingo while trying to sell to ‘normal’ people. While researching my rivals marketing materials and sales pitch I realized that the everyday person would struggle to understand what the company was truly offering.
I changed the industry lingo to everyday plain language and watched my market share increase exponentially. Normal people, like you and I, like to understand the environment we’re in. We like to feel at home with the language being used.
Similarly, in the sailing world, there is a massive amount of industry lingo.
