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]
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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]
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]
What’s The Best Sailboat For Cruising?
If I told you that there was one particular monohull or catamaran that is absolutely perfect for cruising would you want to know which one it is? Unfortunately, there is no perfect cruising boat that suits everyone just like there’s no one-size-fits-all answer about what you should do with your life. Different people have different likes,[Read More]
Solar Power Installation On A Sailboat
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 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!
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 😉
