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Third boat I know of that was lost this season. A sailboat that recently converted from diesel to EV reported some issues the day before. As he was backing out of his slip, he heard a loud pop and then fire broke out. He was a full time livesaboard and lost everything except the shorts he was...

I realize this has come up before, but not for a while. I have my depth sounder offset set to feet beneath the keel. Seems intuitive for my wife. I recently entered a channel as lead where the other two boats had significantly deeper draft. So I was giving them depths but had to constantly...

I won't even try to introduce Bruce Kessler to those who have never heard of him. But he's passed at age 88. He was a rock star for early TrawlerFests with his Spirit of Zopilote, a 70-foot Delta steel trawler in which he circumnavigated in the mid 1980s, essentially before Nordhavn hit their...

We left Ensenada MX (80 nautical miles – nms – south of San Diego) on October 30th 2023. Our boat is a 1970 Willard 36-foot displacement trawler designed by Bill Garden. She is powered by a Perkins 4.236 75 hp diesel with a top speed of around 7.5 knots, and a cruising speed of 6.3 knots where...

We will need to update our Liability insurance once we head south out of Mexico waters in a month or two - Pacific side of Central America and up the Caribbean.I have one quote but it excludes Colombia with no explanation why Liability-Only insurance would exclude anyplace let along a country...

Interesting App (Android or iPhone) I started using a month ago at suggestion of a fellow cruiser. No Foreign Land (NFL). It shows boat location as reported by the owner and includes local information similar to Active Captain. In the Caribbean, they have a link to CSSN security/Piracy database...

Anyone know of a source for svelte turn-latches such as these I spied on a Nordhavn? I'm told they're available from a supplier for aircraft and well over $100/each. I could use a couple dozen. NOT these though - they are fine, just won't work for inside cabinet retainers Thanks in...

20 years ago when I was delivering and thinking about taking the trip were now taking, "Weather" was the dominate topic with cruisers. Dominated every conversation. Now, the dominant topic is charging related with "alternator" having top honors. Sail, power, all of them. On the morning VHF...

I have a Magnum 12v 3kw inverter 125A charger that is about 3 years old. It's has a minor issue since say one that hasn't been more than a nuisance until recently. Every few minutes, I hear a very audible relay click. Apparently, the 120vac drops out momentarily which I found out when running...

It's midnight and I'm on watch halfway to Zihuateneo, a 200nm/32 hr run. Listened to an interesting podcast about a 1994 salvage of a tug and tow - goes through much of the maritime law behind salvage rights. I found it an interesting 30-min listen. Thought I would share HERE Here's a...

A sailor Bruce Balan has recently updated his "Chart Locker" website (HERE) with updated charts for Mexico and Central America. My guess is he has a ton of time invested in providing this incredibly valuable resource to cruisers at no charge (he does have a PayPal donation button). Peter

Recent threads on stability, CE Rating, and going from Maine to Alaska (including suitability of a GB42 for Caribbean) got me thinking about how often difficult seas are encountered by active boaters such as TFers. For those who did some cruising this year, what was the worst conditions you...

I have a Magnum 3kw Inverter/Charger. It does not have a LFP setting, but does have ability to set custom settings. I found this video off a DIY Solar site. Slow start, but gets interesting. He seems to suggest using a custom setting where charger charges LFP bank, then goes into 'silent' mode...

For you Great Lakes boaters twitching for a boating fix, here's an interesting 1-hour documentary by National Geographic on scanning floor of Great Lakes for shipwrecks. Focuses on three ships lost in 1914 with 28 crew. https://youtu.be/CULF6vzesPI?feature=shared Peter

Bit of a 'dear diary' of currently cruising stuff. In Mazatlan MX (Wx: mid 60's at night, low/mid 80's during the day). Tomorrow will be Day 14 since we arrived. About a week of that though was recovering from a cold and an ear infection. A couple days ago I went to an Otolaryngologist...

We’ve been anchored off La Paz’s Malecon for 8-days. The anchorage is wide-open with quite a bit of wind and current so while not awful, isn’t an idyllic Baja anchorage. By far, the most attractive part is Marina de La Paz, an incredibly cruiser-friendly marina with large dinghy dock and...

It's been 3-weeks since we left Ensenada with the Baja Ha Ha fleet and we are now anchored in La Paz, something close to 900 nms away from Ensenada. Time for some random thoughts. Weve averaged around 6.4 kts, burned around 1.4 gph. I don't track these very closely so best-guesstimate...

Had to grab a few pics of these two Nordhavns side by side. One is a N62, the beast of the PAE line circa 2000. Not sure the model or vintage of the one next to it, but approximately the same LOA but a helluva lot bigger. Never thought an N62 would look small. Funny how boats warp...

As a resident of Florida for 17 years; one that has evacuated three times to escape a hurricane; and as a re-inspired cruiser, I was particularly struck by Hurricane Otis. We moved to Florida from San Francisco. My wife likes to say she'll take an Earthquake over a Hurricane anyday. It's...

Recent thread on a boat with DDs that spilled a slight sheen with TowBoat US asking for an astronomical cleanup fee got me thinking. What percentage of boats run a dry bilge? As in not a drop of anything? It's been an expensive and hard fought goal for me. But I have a small engine with decent...

I have a Balmar 612 Dual regulator and new Faria Tachometers. This is a new install of new Tachs (Faria 33842 Issue is that when the regulator goes to FLOAT, tach reading drops-out. Balmar tech support says this is a known issue without a work-around. They suggested putting a sensor on the...

Prototype satellites launched. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/06/amazon-launch-project-kuiper-satellite-internet-prototypes.html Peter

It’s 4am at the San Diego Guest Dock and the sea lions are bellowing. Planned departure to return to Ensenada is 5AM. Goal for the 5-day, 65-nm run up and back was for a longer sea trial and to knock the dust off our cruising skills. Yesterday, we spent the day running into San Diego Bay along...

I'm on a 10-hour run from Baja (MX) to San Diego. First longish run of systems. My Simrad MFD has developed a 25-degree difference between steering heading and course to waypoint. Screenshot attached tells the story (course to waypoint is correct compass reading, steering heading is incorrect)...

Circa 1998 Sailrite Thompson Mini-Walker (LS-1) $650 San Diego. Purchased this almost 25-years ago new from Sailrite, back when the machine was still branded a Thompson Mini-Walker. It has had light use over the years. I just had it serviced by a Derek's Sewing Machine Service & Repair in San...