The Excellent Adventures of Island Girl: Port Andrax
I have just realised how long it is since I have updates our blog. My only excuse is way too much happening and too much to see to sit at the computer. And even though we have lots of stretches…
Cruising
Dedicated to Cruising the world under sail including destinations, navigation, sailing tips, safety ideas, yacht & multihull reviews along with stories and insights for the sail cruising life in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Practical boat tips – non-slip mats
Life aboard Banyandah would be difficult without non-slip mats lining the shelves, drawers, and bench tops. Rolls 30 cm wide can be bought cheaply from discount stores in a good range of colours and wider material is available at ship…
Sunken yacht raised using 10 flotation mooring buoys
Penobscot Bay Pilot: By Lynda Clancy CAMDEN — The Loose Cannon was raised off the bottom of Camden Harbor Wednesday, Oct. 1, courtesy of Rob Iserbyt, owner of Rockport Charters. It was raised with 10 flotation mooring balls. “By…
Nautica launches 'Win a trip for two to NYC” competition
Earlier this year Nautica sent the winner of their ‘Sailing Adventure of a Lifetime’ prize, along with her husband, on a dream holiday to the sparkling waters of Hamilton Island. Now the global lifestyle brand has launched a new competition…
USA sees sense on lifejacket label laws
BoatUS: ANNAPOLIS, MD. September 30, 2014 — In a move that’s expected to benefit recreational boaters, on Oct. 22 the US Coast Guard will drop the current life jacket type code scheme — Type I, II, III, IV and V…
Record breakers prepare for Round Barbados Race Series
Race teams planning next season’s calendar could do worse than sign up for the Mount Gay Round Barbados Race Series 2015 which runs from 16-24 January. This event, which kick starts the Caribbean race season, was re-launched in 2014 with…
Practical boat tips: Use old socks to protect on-board items
Old socks make good muffs. Simply cut the sock into two or three pieces depending on length of sock and stretch it over the bottle or drop bottle into the foot part. It is not necessary to have the sock…
Auckland celebrates 175th birthday with regatta
Sailors, tug boat drivers, paddlers and radio control sailors are included in a regatta that marks 175 years since the day that Lieutenant Governor William Hobson took formal possession of what would be come the city of Auckland, in the…
The Excellent Adventures of Island Girl
The day was finally here August 14th 2014. We departed on our long awaited trip to the Med and beyond. The week before had seen Hurricane Bertha causing chaos along the British coast but the wind speed has dropped below…
The Excellent Adventures of Island Girl: Lagos, Gibraltar and Alicante
As predicted we stayed in Lagos for several days as the wind was not playing the game, but this was a welcome rest. The marina is great but we learnt a few lessons. First of all it is best to…
Practical boat tips: Dry food lockers
Some lockers on Banyandah have names. That makes it easy when one of us asks ‘where is?’ I also have an Excel spreadsheet of ‘Banyandah’s stores’ which lists all food stores by each locker. Using Ctrl F (find) and the…
Two Brits missing in Mexico after yacht overturns in stormy seas
The Mirror. By Jessica Best: Two Brits are missing after a hurricane in Mexico overturned the yacht they were living on. Paul Whitehouse and Simone Wood, from Wolverhampton and London, were in La Paz in Baja California when Hurricane Odile…
Sailor texts girlfriend for help after yacht sinks in Bristol Channel
Do you ever get annoyed when a couple sits in a coffee lounge and one of them spends the whole time on their mobile phone, while the other sips coffee and looks bored? Well apparently there is a genuine use…
Two new sailing rallies launched at Southampton Show
Following on from the success of their Christmas Caribbean Rally (CCR) and Baltic 4 Nations Rally (B4N), Sailing Rallies announce the addition of two new events to their 2015/2016 events schedule: Antigua 2 Falmouth 2015 and the Spanish Rias Rally 2016….
Australian yachties dodge 10,000 baht fine east of Phuket
Thanks to Bob Mott of Charter Catamarans in Phuket for sending this link to PHUKET GAZETTE: PHUKET: A 10,000 baht fine lodged against an Australian-owned yacht was dropped after officials confirmed that the vessel was registered with the Phuket Marine…
Practical boat tips: Getting your head around the head
Bathrooms on boats should be light, easy to keep clean and well ventilated. Before Banyandah’s refit there was a cupboard below the sink and if a sudden wind gust put us on our ear before we had a chance to…
Has Failte Ireland been lost at sea in recent years?
Afloat Magazine Ireland – By WM Nixon: #marinetourism – Yet another Failte Ireland Marine Research initiative is taking shape to examine the coastal infrastructure for leisure sailors of all kinds, and how facilities might be developed to attract visitors from…
Clampdown on cruising yachts in Phuket clarified
PHUKET: The director of the Phuket Marine Office (PMO), Phuripat Theerakulpisut, yesterday (September 10) gave more details of two shock announcements that have reverberated through the marine leisure industry and among yacht owners in the past few days. One announcement…
Future of Top of the Gulf Regatta assured
PATTAYA, Thailand – Following the successful 10th Anniversary Top of the Gulf Regatta, the dates have been set for next year – 30th April to 4th May 2015 – and organisers are planning for a strong fleet of boats ranging…
Magnificent classic yachts will take part in Regates Royales
Take a famous bay with varied and unpredictable weather conditions. Take an army of genius designers who created the most stunning sailing yachts of the last two centuries. Sprinkle over some sportsmanship, a dose of fighting spirit, add a pinch…
Citizen science model proposed to fill ocean data gap
Despite new technologies, satellite imagery and modern research methods the work of collecting routine, fundamental data about the Earth's oceans' physical, biological and chemical characteristics remains an unforgiving and impossible task that has challenged scientists for centuries. A pioneering approach…
Practical boat tips: Drop-down cupboard doors
Drop down cupboard doors work well in narrow spaces like between forward V bunks. Each shelf has its own door. The bottom doors are designed to clear the floor and lie flat against the cupboard front so they do not…
Hamilton Island Race Week dates set for 2015
In the wake of what many long-time Audi Hamilton Island Race Week participants declared to be “the best ever” regatta in its 31-year history, series organisers have already announced the dates for next year’s event. Audi Hamilton Island Race Week…
Earlier date for ICA’s cruising preparation seminar proving popular
You’ll need to be quick if you want to secure your place at the ICA’s Cruising Preparation Seminar in Auckland later this year. Spaces are filling up fast for the two-day event, which takes place on Saturday 29th and Sunday…
National ballot to be held for Young Endeavour world voyage
The Governor-General, His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd) today launched a national ballot for a world voyage in 2015 by the Sail Training Ship Young Endeavour. At the Navy Heritage Centre in Sydney, Sir Peter…
Practical boat tips: easy access to hull and fittings
Easy access to hull and fittings is essential. Most every part of Banyandah’s hull, both below and above the waterline can be inspected quickly as a regular routine. Especially useful in an emergency. Shown in the photo, the depth sounder…
Cruising couple rescued off Florida a week after they were reported missing
NBC News: The Coast Guard rescued a couple stranded 10 miles off the coast of western Florida early Saturday — nearly a week after they went missing, officials said. Bogdan Makowski, 69, and Elizabeth Makowski, 61, were found at about…
The first Australian to sail through central Russia
We called Vytegra Radio on VHF to request permission to enter the shallow, narrow and busy river which is the start of the Volga-Balt waterway system. According to Maxine, the operator’s cheerfully irreverent response translated roughly as “oh Christ, a…
Regular servicing of your tender outboard is a must
A trip on the Myall Lakes some years back did not quite become a disaster, but our holiday was certainly interrupted when water stopped spurting from the tell-tale on the outboard engine. We were in a remote location and faced…
Take a trailer sailer through Queensland's Hinchinbrook Channel
World Heritage listed Hinchinbrook Island on far north Queensland’s east coast has become globally renowned for the tranquillity and beauty of its rainforest-cloaked ranges, network of fishladen waterways and tropical sand beaches. You couldn’t ask for more sheltered and scenic…
New atlas of Southern Ocean marine life released
A new atlas, providing the most thorough audit of marine life in the Southern Ocean, was published this week by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). Leading marine biologists and oceanographers from all over the world spent the last…
Southport Yacht Club accredited as an International Clean Marina
The Southport Yacht Club (SYC) on Queensland’s Gold Coast has today been accredited as a Level 3 Clean Marina. The International Clean Marinas environmental program is administered by the Marina Industries Association (MIA). Achieving a Level 3 accreditation requires a…
Cruisers and multihulls add to Hamilton Island Race Week
It was the year of the cruisers at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, though the word ‘cruise’ is misleading. A cutthroat finish to the regatta on day six, Saturday August 23, 2014, brought out this division’s competitive edge at the…
Practical Boat Tips: Anti-skid on stair treads
Instead of non-skid tape, these treads have been sanded. Sand is more durable than anti-skid tape which tends to wear unevenly and can look scruffy in highly trafficked areas. Unlike anti-skid tape that sometimes lifts at the edges, there’s no…
Visit Pacific paradise Vanuatu, an exotic and exciting land
It’s the people. If I were to end with that sentence alone I would still not have missed the essence of our experience in Vanuatu. Certainly when assessing a nation as a cruising destination, one must include the white sand…
Shag Islet Cruising Yacht Club invites you to join the party
A group of yachties who are big on fun but low on pretence are turning the traditional notion of bricks and mortar yacht club membership on its head with a club motto of ‘exclusively non-exclusive’ and a nick name widely…
Products launching at the 2014 Gold Coast International Marine Expo
A huge range of new products have been confirmed for release at the 2014 Gold Coast International Marine Expo from October 17-19. Details of more new releases would be announced closer to the Expo date. “The exciting range of products…
Practical Boat Tips: Noodles to stop cups rattling
Jude Binder has more than forty years experience finishing and maintaining vessels and fine timber furniture. She is also an accomplished sailor with 150,000 miles under sail, so she knows what stands the test of time. She learnt how to…
Panama Canal is now 100 years old
One hundred years ago today, on 15 August 1914, the Panama Canal opened after 23 years of construction work. A century later it is still considered one of the largest and most successful engineering feats ever built. One of the…
Watch out! Turtles about
Cruising Helmsman contributor Rosemary Jilderts would like to pass on the latest warning from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Summer turtle breeding season is coming the GBRMPA says and with marine turtle numbers rapidly declining we must be…
