Skype now standard 'comms' for cruising sailors
by
Nancy Knudsen,
4:54 AM Sun GMT
‘How long has this been going on?’ that’s what a cruising friend said to me recently when I showed her my Skype set-up. I had to admit I didn’t know the answer to that, but it certainly must be every cruising sailor’s dream.
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A day in the life of a coast guard volunteer
by
Blackwattle Studios, ,
10:46 PM Sat GMT
She's on the bow, watching as they pass through the river delta. He is steering.
'Ok you're doing fine, good good.....now go to starboard - starboard!'
pause
'Starboard I said. You're not going far enough to starboard. SEE MY HAND - THAT WAY THAT WAY. STARBOARD. FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, S T A R B O A R D!'
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Sailing Incident Series - Can you identify the lessons?
by
MAIB/Sail-World Cruising,
9:58 PM Sat GMT
Judgment is for God, but the best mistakes to learn by are other people's. This is especially so with sailing.
In this anecdote, the first of a series, we present a real sailing situation which was investigated by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), and some lessons deduced. Can you identify the lessons?
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Give us this day our daily bread - sailing style...
by
Neil and Ley Langford, ,
1:44 AM Sat GMT
Ley and Neil Langford, long time cruisers on their yacht Crystal Blues, are embarked on serious maintenance on their boat in Thailand. This gives them time to think about the bread-making that has stayed a prominent part of their daily life as a cruising couple, and to offer YOU some good recipes:
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Seven yacht crew released but boat burned
by
,
7:30 PM Fri GMT
Last week there was rejoicing for the seven sailors who were released unharmed by Somali pirates and flew home to the Seychelles. However, celebrations turned darker when it was discovered that the pirates had burned their yacht because insufficient ransom monies had been paid.
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French Navy saves New Zealand family with six children
by
Des Ryan,
4:17 AM Fri GMT
While French footballers may not be so popular in New Zealand after a French rugby player in New Zealand was recently found to be lying about his injuries, the French Navy has redeemed their nation with the New Zealand sailing fraternity after they came to the rescue of an Auckland family on a dismasted yacht.
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'Done Ireland, off to Scotland!' - it's Hilary
by
Nancy Knudsen, ,
9:28 PM Thu GMT
'Done Ireland, off to Scotland, talk to you when I get there.' It sounds like an SMS to one's parents, but there's such a difference - Hilary is a quadriplegic sailor, and she's sailing solo!
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Corals facing a stormy future
by
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies,
1:54 PM Thu GMT
As global warming whips up more powerful and frequent hurricanes and storms, the world’s coral reefs face increased disruption to their ability to breed and recover from damage.
That’s one of the findings from a new scientific study of the fate of corals in the wake of large climate-driven bleaching and storm events.
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ARC Rally closes six months early - Escaping recession?
by
Peta Stuar-Hunt/Sail-World Cruising, ,
8:29 PM Wed GMT
Is the economic doom and gloom so great in one's home country that it's best just to go sailing? Things have never been better for the organisers of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), who have a full list of 225 boats registered for the transatlantic rally almost five months before the 2009 start date.
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Down the Amazon in a bath tub, now 48 hours in a GP14 dinghy
by
Al Constable,
12:25 PM Wed GMT
Five years ago Dublin sailor Rob Dowling completed a marathon 24-hour sail, sponsored by his local club.
Spurred on by its success, Rob then sailed solo, in a plastic bathtub down the Amazon River. Last year he completed a three-day 114-mile raft race, again down the Amazon in Peru.
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How to steer clear of Trouble this 4th July from BoatU.S.
by
BoatU.S.,
1:28 AM Wed GMT
Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) has surveyed its nationwide towboat fleetand reveals its recommendations for boaters on how to stay out of trouble when viewing crowded July 4th Fireworks displays.
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Father and pregnant daughter lose yacht and home
by
This is Cornwall/Sail-World Cruising, ,
8:56 PM Tue GMT
The yacht they lost was their only home. A British man travelling with his heavily pregnant daughter lost their yacht and only home when they sailed too close to the shore on a journey from the Isles of Scilly to Cornwall.
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Profile of an adventure sailor - Natasza Caban
by
Nancy Knudsen,
10:52 PM Mon GMT
She is beautiful, very beautiful. On first sight you could think she is a cover-girl for a fashion magazine, a slick high-heeled business chick from New York or a party girl in the fast set in London. The even features, the long lustrous hair, the slim perfect figure could make her any of these - But no, she is doing none of it - instead she is sailing round the world, solo.
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AIS Watchmate - simply for sailors
by
Blackwattle Studios,
10:13 PM Mon GMT
A collision with a ship at sea is one of the cruising sailor's worst nightmares.
While AIS technology has revolutionised one's ability to locate and identify most vessels that could be of danger, the interpretation of the technology into a simple solution, JUST FOR SAILORS, was left, by default, to two off-shore sailors Jeff Robbins and Deirdre Schleigh
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New Product of the week: Weather-proof marine fan
by
BW Media, ,
10:15 PM Sun GMT
We all know that water and electronics don't mix, especially salt water and electronics. So the new weatherproof fan designed by well-known marine fan manufacturer Caframo is welcome news.
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Russian luxury yachts offer pirate hunting cruises
by
Des Ryan,
9:56 PM Sun GMT
When I first heard it I thought it was a sick joke, and while the evidence is building, I still hope it is. Ananova reports that luxury ocean liners in Russia are offering pirate hunting cruises aboard armed private yachts off the Somali coast.
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Teen circumnavigator update - Zac, Mike and Jessica
by
Nancy Knudsen, ,
9:23 PM Sun GMT
Zac Sunderland, in his final coastal sail to his home port, was sent scurrying into Puerto Vallarta with a cracked bulkhead and away from a tropical storm that was promising to end up as a hurricane. With the help of his father Zac's boat Intrepid is repaired and on his way again.
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Ancient Balangay sailing vessel sets out on four year saga
by
Mindanao Examiner/Sail-World Cruising,
7:07 AM Sun GMT
A replica of an ancient Philippines boat called a balangay, has finally been launched in Pasay City in Manila after many months of effort by a group of adventurers intent on showing the world the old mariner skills of the people of the Philippines.
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Skipper relives fatal yacht voyage
by
WA Today/Sail-World Cruising, ,
6:43 AM Sat GMT
The skipper of the yacht Excalibur that capsized after its keel snapped off says it was the most terrifying experience of his life, and that he had prepared himself to die.
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Skyros - The Northern Sporades, Aegean Sea
by
Amanda Church and Mark Farrell,
11:40 PM Fri GMT
Amanda Church and Mark Farrell continue with their tales of sailing northwards along the coast of Turkey on their yacht Balvenie, a 47foot fractional-rigged centre-cockpit sloop
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World's first totally green superyacht
by
Nancy Knudsen, ,
9:24 PM Thu GMT
When I see a luxury motor yacht these days, I can't get past wondering how many gallons of fuel it uses for an afternoon picnic. However, here's a 58 metre, $33 million superyacht that is, to put it gently, quite quite different.
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One-armed Japanese Sailor found safe after two months
by
BW Media, ,
8:10 PM Thu GMT
Akio Yonago, the one-armed Japanese sailor on Emu II arrived safe and well in Thailand after being reported as missing almost two months ago.
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Sails greet the sun in Shanghai for Annual Summer Sailstice
by
Event media,
4:27 AM Thu GMT
The 9th Annual Summer Sailstice weekend on June 20-21 increased worldwide awareness of this international sailing holiday among both mainstream sailors and the sailing media, expanding virally through social networking, and deepening Summer Sailstice traditions with continued strong participation by the general public
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Gear Bans can help save reefs
by
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies,
3:45 AM Wed GMT
Banning or restricting the use of certain types of fishing gear could help the world’s coral reefs and their fish populations survive the onslaughts of climate change.
Around the world corals have been dying at alarming rates, due to unusually warm water events resulting from global warming.
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'E-passports' for yacht safety - is Emirates leading the world?
by
Haneen Dajani, The National/Sail-World Cruising, ,
9:34 PM Tue GMT
Abu Dhabi's new and revolutionary boating regulations that require all yachts to carry an E-passport has run into trouble with local yacht-owners because of the battery-power the new system uses.
Boat owners will be fined if they do not fit electronic trackers used to help coastguards find them in an emergency, security officials said yesterday.
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Mystery yacht found floating without crew
by
Globe and Mail/Sail-World,
10:26 AM Tue GMT
There was just a light breeze by the time the Belgian yacht Genesis spotted the white-hulled sailboat adrift in the middle of the Atlantic.
The drifting boat, a French vessel named L'Actuel, was upright, the mainsail still on the mast. The headsail was torn and partly furled. Lines trailed in the water.
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Pirates report seven yacht crew released
by
Alertnet/Sail-World Cruising, ,
12:09 AM Tue GMT
Reports are rife from several sources in Africa that the seven crew of the yacht Indian Ocean Explorer, kidnapped at the end of March this year, have been freed and are on their way home.
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Buying a new outboard - warranties and maintenance
by
Martin Peters/Sail-World Cruising,
10:46 PM Mon GMT
Having your outboard break down just when you're in the middle of a cruising adventure is likely to spoil your day, if not your whole holiday.
So when the time comes to buy a new outboard for your dinghy, you certainly want to have some assurance that it is going to work as the manufacturer promised..... but you have some responsibilities too..
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Quad sailor Hilary Lister - North along the Irish coast
by
Sail-World Cruising, ,
8:52 PM Sun GMT
Hilary Lister is aiming to be the 1st disabled sailor to sail solo around Britain. She started in 2008, but mechanical delays caused a delay over winter. She has begun again this year, sailing from Plymouth on the 21st May 2009. Hilary is currently sailing northward along the Irish coast reaching Howth on 21st June.
Here is her account of the testing sail across the Irish Sea to Arklow
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Yacht crew thrown overboard, yacht stolen
by
ANSA, ,
12:33 AM Sun GMT
The chic Posilippo district in the Bay of Naples was the unlikely scene of a 'pirate' attack this week. An armed gang stole a yacht in the Bay of Naples Thursday night after ramming the vessel and throwing its occupants overboard, police said.
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Venezuela - check your insurance for war-risk policy removal
by
Eric Watkins, Penn Energy/Sail-World, ,
12:06 AM Sun GMT
Cruising sailors who have the intention to transit Venezuelan waters or spend the hurricane season there, should check with their insurance company after the announcement this week about London's withdrawal of war-risk policy for the country.
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Expedition ship Phoenicia sails into the pirate zone
by
Blackwattle Studios,
9:15 PM Sat GMT
The Phoenicia Expedition, Captained by Philip Beale, an English ex-Navy sailor, is attempting to recreate the first circumnavigation of Africa, accomplished by Phoenician mariners in 600BC, in a replica Phoenician/Mediterranean vessel, called, appropriately enough, Phoenicia. They have just completed a four day sail from Hodeidah on the Red Sea coast of Yemen to Aden on the southern coast.
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135 yachts gather in Darwin for Sail Indonesia Rally
by
Nancy Knudsen,
10:01 PM Fri GMT
There's a lot of painting and cleaning and boat repairing going on in Darwin at the moment. As July 18 gets closer there'll be much partying as well, as 135 yachts gather in the northern port. They are gathering to join the Sail Indonesia Rally that allows them to enter and sail the magic coastlines and islands of Indonesia with a minimum of fuss - they hope.
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