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Hot new topics being discussed on the Cruiserlog ocean cruising and sailing discussion forum boards. |
M C A warns boatowners using (or advertising for) "Paying Crew"
We have been advising on the CruiserLog Forum against the practice of engaging "paying crews" for a long time, pointing out the legal and insurance implications. The debate became quite heated at times and many advocates of the "paying crew" side unfortunately refused to see the logic of our argument. Well, now the logic has been seen by the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
(Ref. Practical Boat Owner no. 509 may 2009)
Mr. David Lee, MCA enforcement officer, warned yacht owners bending the rules and taking paying crew that their vessels may not have the necessary certification. A number of companies are, at present, under investigation.
The MCA advises all answering ads for mile building, adventurous sailing, transatlantic passages or Yachtmaster Ocean passages to ensure the vessel is properly coded (in the case of UK flagged vessels that means Category Zero) and that the skipper and mate are qualified.
With
April 19th, 2009 |
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One step closer to moving aboard, sold the small boat to make room for the big one.
Well, we've just sold our smaller boat, a Rawson 30, to a wonderful couple who will be giving the boat a good home and hopefully cruising on her in the next few years. The closing is scheduled for early next week. I'm happy to have her off our mooring so we have a spot for our cruising boat! But now, we'll be without a boat to sail for a couple months. We're scheduled to move our schooner back to the water sometime this summer. Earliest possible is late June but it will be dependent upon the boat mover's schedule as well as availability at the travel lift and the visitors' dock at our marina. The dockmaster will give us a month (minimum) on the visitors' dock, which we'll need because ours is a wood boat which will be swelling up during that timeframe and taking on a lot of water during the process.
Full discussion ....
April 18th, 2009 |
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Can you do an extended cruise in a 30' Catalina sloop?
I'm sure you could cruise around the Caribbean in just about anything if you really wanted to, but realistically, is a 30' Catalina sloop an OK yacht to cruise on if you're fine with the small size? How about sailing a boat like that outside the Caribbean, like from the Caribbean to Australia, or Fiji?
Full discussion ....
April 17th, 2009 |
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Boat Stoves
I need a new stove for my Morgan 33 Out Island. Everyone here in Vermont uses propane. A friend who had a blow up favors a Wallas diesel. Any ideas? We will eventually be doing blue water sailing.
Full discussion ....
April 15th, 2009 |
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The Red Sea or Cape of Good Hope Route? The circumnavigator's dilemma
Due to the many incidents of piracy in the Gulf of Aden I would be interested to know if any current cruising circumnavigators are still planning on transiting the Red Sea as opposed to the alternative Cape of Good Hope (Cape Town, South Africa) route for the next Indian Ocean crossing "season".
In your replies, please state whether:
You are now in the region and planning your Indian Ocean crossing next "season";
Or
Planning your future circumnavigation and your thoughts;
Or
Whether you are simply giving your thoughts/ideas on the situation and routes.
Full discussion ....
April 13th, 2009 |
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Mediterranean passages - sailing notes.
Aegean to West Mediterranean Passages:
Depending on the time you would like to complete the passage, your departure point and personal preference, you must decide whether to take a southern route via Malta (south of Sicily) or a northern route along the Messina Strait in Italy (north of Sicily). In general the northern route is shorter and faster than the southern. Also the northern route has shorter legs and more places to stop.
All the routing instructions described in this page can be reversed and equally apply for passages from Gibraltar to the Aegean Sea (see also the East Mediterranean Passages).
The months to be avoided for this passage are from November to April when violent storms are possible. The best time of the year for this passage is either in May - June or in September - October when various ports and marinas are less crowded and the weather is usually benign. In October, however, there is a possibility
April 12th, 2009 |
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Cruisers in Turkey, information requested
The following has been posted to "Latest News" on the Cruising Wiki's Turkey page:
"From 1st January '09, a detailed inventory form is required for entry and exit to and from Turkey. The form must detail all main items aboard such as engines, generators, sails, electronics such as SSB, VHF, GPS, and all items such as bicycles, binoculars, stereos, computers, television sets, etc. This form will be attached to the yacht's cruising permit and the items listed on entry must match those on the list on exit from Turkey. Any changes to this inventory list while in Turkey must be covered with purchase invoices for additions to the list or sales receipts identifying the new owner of the goods if removed from the list. This inventory list is stamped and copied by Customs at a cost of 50 Turkish lira."
This "rule" was in force some years ago and was dropped. Can anyone currently
March 16th, 2009 |
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World Cruising and Sailing Wiki, a free, online World Cruising Guide
A new feature is currently being added to the article pages of the World Cruising Wiki. Co-ordinates are being added in "GPS" format and these co-ordinates are formatted as a link which when clicked, takes you to a page of Geo resources where you can get local photos, chartlets, etc., or go direct to Google Earth, etc., for these co-ordinates. (Wiki editors see the Wiki's "Help" section for the 'co-ordinates" template)
A good example of this feature can be seen in the SAMOS section within the Wiki's Greece cruising guide.
The Cruising and Sailing Wiki is growing very quickly - this World Cruising Guide already has almost 5,000 pages and to date has had almost a half-million page views. LOTS of input is still required, so bring out the hidden "Cruising Guide Writer" in you and add what you can for the benefit of all cruisers who will follow in your wake - share the information on passages, world ports, immigration and customs formalities around the world
March 5th, 2009 |
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Yacht Maintenance Schedules
Daily/Weekly Yacht Maintenance
Electrical and Electronics
Check the battery charge level, in both the engine and the house batteries. If the battery levels are low then charging circuits (battery charger, alternator, etc) will need to be engaged. Remember that leaving a lead acid battery discharged for extended periods of time damages the battery and shortens its life.
Engine
If the engine has been running then these tasks need to be done regularly.
* Check oil level with the dipstick, top up oil if necessary. An engine can use 200mL of oil or more per hour of operation (Pallas p 86).
* Check water level in the heat exchanger, topping up with clean/distilled water and/or radiator conditioner / antifreeze if required.
* Check the state of the heat exchanger cap and replace it if it is broken, worn, or damaged (Pallas, p116).
* Check water level in the salt water strainer, check to see if any dirt/debris
March 3rd, 2009 |
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sv Ultimate - Yacht Missing in the Atlantic Ocean, Crew - Tom Bouter and Theckla Franssen
sv Ultimate - Yacht Missing in the Atlantic Ocean, Crew - Tom Bouter and Theckla Franssen.
Information needed: See Navtex message below, yacht is still missing. Yotreps gives just a little more information. Does anybody have any information? I'm not connected, just concerned. Any information will help.
Full details ....
March 2nd, 2009 |
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Topping Up The Diesel Tanks At Sea
Thought I would share this one with you and ask what others do. As I do yacht deliveries, we often have to carry spare fuel in cans and use this to top up the tanks when making passage.
Pouring fuel can be a difficult job as the fillers are usually outside the rails and, with the boat heaving around, it is hard to avoid spillage. An effective method I have developed is to use an outboard engine hand primer pump (you know, the kind you use with an external fuel tank) with approx 2 metres of tube on each end which will siphon once the flow is established. This gets rid of the need to pour, means the fuel can may be located in the cockpit and eliminates spills completely.
The down side is that it can be a bit slow. The plus side is that it cost me about £15 to buy, it's reusable and it slips into my baggage with no trouble. Any other suggestions?
Full Discussion: ....
February 22nd, 2009 |
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Watch-keeping On A Cruising Yacht - keeping watch on longer passages at sea.
For longer coastal passages and ocean voyages, formal watch-keeping should begin as soon as your yacht has cleared port and is settled down on her course at sea.
What watch-keeping routine do you use? (hours on/off)
Why does this work best for you?
Also see the Watch-keeping section on the Cruising Wiki HERE.
Full discussion ....
February 12th, 2009 |
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Rigging wire / turnbuckle sizes on a cruising yacht.
We have in hand two good quotes for rigging gear to do our 35' cruising yacht with (out of about 8 quotes in total). There are two paths we can pursue from here and some questions that we need to answer. One path is to rig with the same size wires 5/16" all round, except that the inner forestay and upper shrouds are 1/4". The yacht is a Masthead, dual inline spreaders, 12mt stick, 7ton boat, single backstay with no runners, 4 x lower shrouds. The other option is to alter the sizes of the rig wires (& terminals) to strengthen &/or lighten the rig. Fine tuning the design in other words. Does anyone have opinions as to what wires on a rig like ours take the most strain and what wires have the least in the various conditions of cruising offshore ???
Full discussion ....
February 11th, 2009 |
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Catamaran vs Monohull Sailing Yachts, a comparison.
Catamaran vs Monohull is a question often asked - the advantages and disadvantages of cruising on a single hull compared to a multihull? Phil Berman of the Multihull Company, the sponsor of this "Multihull Club" forum board, has written an interesting article on the subject.
More ....
February 8th, 2009 |
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Queequeg Two - search for survivors of the stricken yacht (catamaran) has been called off.
We have learned that they have ended the search for the yacht Queequeg II. We are heartbroken! (daughter of one of the missing sailors).
Details ....
January 23rd, 2009 |
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