Messing About In Sailboats

Sailing Fans Old Skool

Women sitting on beached skiffs in Sydney Harbour This photo is part of the Australian National Maritime Museum’s William J Hall collection. The Hall collection combines photographs from both William J Hall and his father William F Hall. The images provide an important pictorial record of recreational boating in Sydney Harbour, from the 1890s to the 1930s – from large racing and cruising yachts, to the many and varied skiffs jostling on the harbour, to the new phenomenon of motor boating in the early twentieth century. The collection also includes studio portraits and images of the many spectators and crowds who followed the sailing races. Read more →

A Flemish Coil Done Right

Electrical Issue - Epilogue

Earlier in the week, I blogged about my electrical issues. I eventually gave up trying to fix it myself (not a long trip) and took the boat to the marina where the Great Joel, the excellent contractor who can fix anything, resides. It took Joel a good few hours of poking around to get to the bottom of it. It turns out it was a ground issue, specifically the ground cable back to the panel was the root cause. As a result there was a 3 volt drop between the batteries and the panel. Apparently, the cable was old and knackered (like its owner) and now that it's replaced, I am hopeful that the issue is fixed. Over the last few weeks there were many opinions offered, fairly evenly split between a short or a ground issue. The "grounds" had it. Onward! Read more →

My Favorite App - Marine Traffic AIS on iPhone

My favorite new app is Marine Traffic. (Actually it's not that new just new for me). Basically it gives you AIS on your iPhone or iPad. So long as you are within range of a cell tower you can get full details of vessels within range. It's good on the iPhone and awesome on the iPad. Here are some screen shots. Basically, you use the map to see ships in your area, touch the icon to see detailed information about the vessel. It's availble for iPhone and Droid. Read more →

Cape Horn On A Cat

These two intrepid guys sailed around the islands at the bottom of the world on a 6metre catamaran. They spent 60 hours in ...well, the type of conditions you get around Cape Horn. Chapeaux as they say in France! Read more →