(1/sep/21) Simrad Yachting celebra su 75 aniversario con una serie de iniciativas que se irán dando a conocer. La marca también rememora la historia de sus principales productos, “Nuestra tradición en la electrónica marina se remonta a 1946, cuando el excedente de radios proveniente de la guerra se adaptó a un uso comercial. "Desde entonces, innovaciones y tecnologías de Simrad se han instalado en cientos de miles...
One of the early starters in the 51st running of the Transpac Race. Right, once competitors get out into the prevailing winds, it’s a downwind ride to Honolulu.
This July is the 51st running of the Transpac Race, the signature west coast offshore race, 2,225 miles from Los Angeles to Honolulu. And for this running of the race, Ocean Navigator is an...
The BoatHowTo site has detailed technical illustrations by Michael Herrmann, like this one of a boat’s electrical system.
Every voyager has a story of how the COVID-19 pandemic affected their boating activities. For well-known boating author, systems expert and ON contributing editor Nigel Calder, the pandemic meant working with two colleagues on a new...
When the right ingedients are present, the atmosphere can cook up a cyclonic storm. Below, Hurricane Eta in Nov. 2020.
As the June to November hurricane season evolves, attention will gradually focus on certain conditions of both atmosphere and ocean — six specific factors, or “ingredients.” Not only are these factors necessary, but their timing needs to be...
Skipper Tips For Every Day
By Fridtjof Gunkel
2021; 204 pp; Adlard Coles; Paperback $20
A friend of mine who served in the Marines used to say that the motto of his branch wasn’t Semper Fi so much as it was, “improvise, adapt, and overcome.” We sailors are a resourceful and thrifty lot, always searching for new ways to kludge a solution to the...
Artist’s conception of a Block III GPS satellite in orbit. Like all GPS spacecraft, these satellites carry multiple atomic clocks. A new type of clock, a nuclear clock, promises to be even more accurate.
An essential element for navigation is time. For navigation via celestial observations, you need to know your time down to the second. When we get into electronic navigation...
During a recent over-the-phone troubleshooting session, a client and I were trying to determine the source, as well as the rate, of an oil leak. I asked, “was it there the last time you did an engine room check, and how long ago was that?” His response took me aback: “I checked the engine room before we got under way yesterday.” You can’t check the engine room too often. Some do them hourly, which is very conscientious, while I suggest no less than every four hours.
Pre-cruise walk-through
When I evaluate a vessel, I carry out a pre-...
Navigation is fundamentally about discovering the rules that govern nature. Unlocking these secrets is one of the most gratifying aspects of sailing; from observing the physics of weather to revealing our position relative to the celestial bodies. Another one of the most rewarding elements of navigation is understanding the tides. And tide considerations became central to the planning of a recent 60-nm passage I made in late summer of 2020 from the Great South Bay on Long Island to New York Harbor.
Tides express themselves in two distinct but subtly...
With the changes in the Arctic, the Northwest Passage (NWP) is becoming an increasingly attractive trip to adventurous voyagers. In April 2020, I got a chance at making this famous journey when Matt Thomas, the owner of the 60-foot steel staysail schooner Terra Nova, invited me to join for an attempt at the NWP, sailing west to east.
I agreed immediately and joined Terra Nova in Poulsbo, Wash., across Puget Sound from Seattle. The plan went something like this: We would depart Poulsbo in mid-May, sail to the Beaufort Sea via Sitka, Homer, Unimak...
For centuries sailors dreaded the aptly named Doldrums. This band of windless, hot, and humid weather near the equator could stall sailing ships for weeks, driving the crew to distraction with the monotony and sometimes even leading to the onset of scurvy as fresh supplies ran out. While sailors today needn’t fear scurvy, most of us still dislike this part of the ocean.
Most voyagers try to minimize time spent in the Doldrums. This strategy starts with obtaining accurate weather forecasts, whether over single-sideband radio or satellite phone connection. Even...
