Handy Cruising Links
Updated and substantially cleand up 17 April 2007

The world loves a contrast. From 40 feet to 28 feet, from utter luxury to the curious pains and pleasures of do it yourself, we have Nigel and Nickysetting out on Rusalka Mist. I found their fitting out section fascinating and a bit intimidating; so much to do, so little time to do it! And I loved their story of the Cockpit Tent. They invented it, their sailmaker was skeptical but game, and in the end, everyone wanted one. Maybe you will, too. [25 April 1999]

The further adventures of Rainbow Chaser [First added 20 November 1997; updated 17 April 2007]

The Mid-Life Cruising Sabbatical features advice and tips from Jim and Diane as they sail their Endeavor 40 around the Carribean. An oldie but goodie, with lots of useful information. [20 November 1997]

Phaon and Sarah sail across the Atlantic to the Carribean, and - as always - change their lives in the process. Lots of helpful tips on how to prepare your boat for an extended cruise. [29 June 1997, URL updated 30 November 1997]

Don and Destiny Calls, his 27 foot sailboat, are on their way from Canada to the Carribean. Follow along with their light-hearted adventures as they progress at a snail's pace. This exerpt should give a flavour of the piece [23 November 1997]

Here is the normal procedure is for a power boat, let's say a mega yacht for purposes of illustration, to pass a slower boat, in this scenario, Destiny Calls. The Mega Yacht, registered in Delaware as a legitimate business expense, comes screaming up behind Destiny Calls at about 500 miles an hour, dropping down to idle just in time to avoid a collision yet still be close enough to see me reach for a clean pair of undies. At that point I pull the throttle back on my tiny Yanmar diesel to dead slow position and the skipper of Mega Yacht, gives a me shout on the VHF to let me know which side he's going to pass me on, and to point out the gaggle of chesty blondes laughing at me from the hot tub on his fore deck. Within a few seconds, and with no wake at all, the Mega Yacht passes, then cuts in front of Destiny Calls. The skipper takes a sip of cognac and raises the throttle, pouring 15 gallons per second into hits twin Saturn five booster engines, resuming mauk four in just under five seconds and powers off into the sunset. A perfect pass that only could have been improved if I had been offered a sip of the champagne that was being passed around the Mega Yacht's garden deck at the time!!

The above writer also created the Cruising Cost Guide. Although most of the data is from a few years back, it should at least give you some good rough ideas of how much things are out there..

Housing in San Francisco is not only criminally expensive -- it's boring! So Ken and Sarah move aboard their boat and share pretty pictures and accounts of their life on board. Includeds Sarah's cruising and delivery adventures. [12 October 1998]

The Ugly Yachtsman may not be cultured, but he sure is funny. Watch as he gets bit by the sailing bug, and even goes racing! [28 September 1998]

Go West of San Francisco sails on to the sunset on the way to their circumanvigation. Interesting "what works" information on their gear and outfitting plans. There are also some great pictures of where they've been, including Tahiti, Mexico and quick thoughts on the Baja HaHa. [30 September 1998]

A man with a dream, Dave Hord is ready to sail down to the Bahamas in his modest vessel, which probably cost less than a single electric winch for a larger boat. Dreams truly come in all sizes. [17 October 1997]

The Brazilian Sailing Page contains links to various cruising exploits around Brazil. Unfortunately, almost none of them are in English, so it's impossible for me to determine how good they are :-(. [29 December 1997]

The Cruising Adventures of Heidee includes information about various popular destinations, including the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Virgin Islands, and more. [22 July 1998]

28 foot Cape Dory Kelly Deare visits Bermuda, Cuba and Maine in single-handed style. [24 July 1998]

Sailing Northwest Spirit includes an interesting account of a collision with a merchant ship, and the aftermath. Yes, he - and even the boat - survived. [14 August 1998]

MousePad is an Islander 36 undertaking the great adventure. This site has lots of great information, in the usual What works and what doesn't style, but the web navigation system is no picnic. Be prepared to be bewildered. [2 October 1998]

Boat Preparation & Maintenance

Two for the price of one: A Pacific Seacraft Flicka (20') starts out on her adventures, and her owner dreams of building a new affordable passagemaker. [20 October 1998]

When we last met Dave, he had just bought a cool CSY yacht for a bargain price. Now, he's about to move on board, which just goes to show that not all restoration projects have unhappy endings. Here is the account of hos he fixed it up to get it operational for the big cruise. There is also some additional information on CSY Yachts. [18 October 1997; revisited 18 September 1998]

The MacNaughton Group is a family owned and operated business that does boat design and owns a boat yard. If you check out the rates in our next link, they'll look downright cheap, too. More interestingly, however, there are lots of great essays on living aboard, buying and fixing up boats, and so on. Look for them in the 'catalogue' section. An outstanding site run by some very friendly people who have been extremely helpful to me in email. [6 December 1997]

Keefe Kaplan Maritime, Inc is a boat yard with a keen sense of humour. Even if you have no interest in dealing with a boatyard in the San Francisco Bay Area (one of the most mind-bendingly expensive areas of the nation), you may want to visit their site to get an excellent explanation of boatyard policies, and rates that will probably make you want to stay whereever you are.

An extract from their policies section, just to give you a taste of the occasionally outrageous things that go on in the Bay Area:

YARD STORAGE FEES
When we perform the majority of the work, meaning working on your boat 4 hours or more per day or 20 hours per week, there will be no daily storage charges. If you are here to work on your own vessel, daily storage fees will apply. These storage charges accrue regardless of holidays, weather or natural disaster. If however, you become abducted by alien space creatures and unable to work on your vessel, you will not be charged during your period of absence (proof of abduction will be required).

Classic Boat Works of Maine makes and restores those lovely mahogany launches that have so much charm. [17 April 2007]

Capt. Billy Bones sells reproductions of charts and gives some advice to cruisers starting off on their adventures [23 November 1997]

The Seven Seas Cruising Association and the Westsail Owners' Association are how this man spends his time. [23 November 1997]

Free scaled-down charts and maps ("not for navigation") available from the NOAA for download. [31 October 1997]

Tropical American Cruising features books and zipped copies of charts. [28 July 1997]

Want to cruise in Cuba? Here's the official government line: Don't spend money there.

YOTREPS Voluntary Position Reporting Service lets you tell the world (and your loved ones) where you are and what you're up to. Cool service. [12 October 1998]

Cruising Publications & Info

Steve & Linda Dashew are highly experienced cruisers who build beautiful boats with price tags that, if they were only on this page, would probably cause me to faint dead away. This also has information on their beautiful new book, the Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia II. Even if you don't have a few spare million in your wallet, this is a great place to visit and a superb book. [21 October 1997]

The Liveaboard and Cruising Page has some interesting tips on living aboard your boat on a permanent basis [27 June 1997].

Betty Maxey recommends Coastal Cruising, which has as its slogan "The Magazine of Affordable Dreams". She writes: "They are out of Beaufort, NC, and every month they highlight a different port, mostly along the ICW- Annapolis, Charleston, lots of smaller towns also. Overall a really good read for dreamers/sailors." I found the most interesting section to be the out of print articles now reproduced for our enjoyment. In particular, don't miss 'Surviving Hurricane Andrew'. Note that this publication appears to be quite East Coast-centric and is probably of little use to Western cruisers. [31 July 1997]

Cruising Sailor proposes to provide a world-wide cruising guide free, based on input provided by their audience. I think this is an excellent idea, but there wasn't much here when I visited. Perhaps in time this will become an excellent resource. There are some great sailing stories, though. [30 September 1998]

Sister Sail reveals the woman's point of view of sailing. [5 October 1998]

The rec.boats burgee lets other rec.boats readers recognize that you're one of them. [5 August 1997]

HF Radio will from gorgeous SGC SSB radios to the sleekest in contemporary satellite communications gear. [23 November 1997]

West Marine is the Fry's Electronics of boats - that is, they sell just about everything you would ever want for your vessel. Unlike Fry's, they have a reputation for excellent service. Be sure to check out the West Marine Advisors, which are quick tutorials on a number of detailed technical subjects.

The GPS Store will let you buy and learn about the latest in GPS technology, including the Magellan combination GPS/E-mail system. [6 October 1998]

The S Files is a massive compilation of sailing-related links, including every boating-related company they could find. [15 August 1997]

Consumer Advice & Information

The original and official rec.boats FAQ, as maintained by John F Hughes. [20 October 1997]

Bluewater Cruising Association includes links to assorted sailing pages, including the hard to find rec.boats FAQ. It hasn't been updated in a couple of years, but still has much useful information in areas that aren't really touched by this document. [22 September 1997]

Jack Horner, a marine surveyor, reviews used boats, warts and all. This is the best boat review page I've seen to date, since Jack pulls no punches when reviewing boats he considers substandard. Generally owners (see the next link) are considerably kinder towards their investments than they often deserve. [6 December 1997]

Boatcheck lets you check out owners' opinions on the boat you're considering. No substitute for a survey - conditions of individual boats vary dramatically - but still well worth visiting as an initial "reality check".

Sailnet is the sponsor of Boatcheck and a number of other fine resources for boat owners and dreamers. [15 March 1998]

A veteran yacht surveyor in South Florida gives some excellent (and very detailed!) advice on boat safety and maintenance issues. This site now includes some excellent boat reviews that make often sobering reading. [8 August 1997; updated 18 September 1998]

Redbeard Yacht Systems is a bit heavy on the old-time sea talk, but comes through with some fascinating articles and the occasional joke. [27 November 1998]

Don't buy Island Gypsy! Island Gypsy bad!. This is Malcom Oakes' cautionary tale: He buys a brand new Island Gypsy trawler and it falls apart on him. I talked to numerous people investigating this story in an effort to find the real truth about Island Gypsy and Halvorson, who otherwise seems to have a decent reputation. I did find an account of another Island Gypsy with similar problems, but the owner got satisfaction from Halvorson and would still consider getting another. I think that, especially if you buy direct from the manufacturer (bypassing dealers, who could otherwise be advocates for you), you probably need to be somewhat more tactful than Malcom was. One person's suggestion is that you get a survey done even if you buy a new boat. A reputable surveyor would have been able to spot these problems, and would have been able to deal with the yard in a more businesslike manner.

After much effort, Malcom finally managed to sell the boat, so - alas! - the link no longer contains any information. Interesting story, though, so I've kept the link up for the sake of the commentary. Note that a 40' Island Gypsy Europa isn't much bigger inside (to my taste, anyway) then a Grand Banks 36 - and they cost about the same. You'll have a much easier time with the Grand Banks, methinks, and the price is exactly the same. [18 September 1998]

The Liveaboard Lifestyle

Before Robert Doty bought his 38' Hans Christian to live aboard, he asked a lot of questions. Here are the answers. [26 November 1998]

QT lives on board a 32' powerboat. She tells us about the glamour and the heartbreak of the liveaboard lifestyle, something that intrigues me a great deal. After all, my slick but overpriced offices are in The Building, overlooking Marina del Rey, but on the wrong side, so I see only a busy street and the hospital. Boo hoo. I need a boat. :-) She also includes a few of her artworks, and some pictures of her beloved pets. [24 September 1998; rec.boats.cruising newsgroup]

Learning how to sail

The Guide to Sailing is an excellent introduction to the sport, albiet a shade incomplete. It gave me an understanding of a large number of concepts I had not yet grasped. [19 August 1997]

Specific Boats & Manufacturers

Note that these pages were included because I thought they were well done, but no endorsement of specific information is implied.

Hallberg-Rassy makes incredible, offshore capable performance cruisers for surprisingly low prices (which they have asked me not to publish on the web). Be sure to check out the guestbook and the lovingly compiled information on past models.

Hinckley makes some of the highest quality boats the world has ever seen. Warning: Mind-bendingly expensive. [18 September 1998]

NorSea makes the near-legendary NorSea 27, a pocket-sized work of art. It's even trailerable - if you have "a good-sized truck" to pull it with. More recently, the Nor'sea 37 has joined the family. You can buy these boats at various levels of completion, to satisfy the thrifty, anywhere from $ 21,000 (bare hull and not much else) to $ 83,000 (complete 27). Check the web site for details. These boats are known for exceptional quality, and retain their value very well. (An older 27 still tips the scales at around $40,000). [22 March 1999]

Westsail boats are known mainly for their durability, comfort and legendarily low speed. However, knowledgeable Westsail owners are more than happy to share knowledge, and one of those things you can learn is how to make one run a lot faster than others think it should. Although the company has long since gone out of business, it appears to be one of the best-supported boats around. [24 November 1997]

Columbia is a fine old maker of sailboats that is now long gone ... but the boats live on, and they're pretty good. Learn about Columbia happenings here and join the mailing list. [15 March 1997]

Allied may have limped financially, but they were well-known for making well-designed yachts that can take it. Lots of interesting information about the boats, including links to other Allied owner pages. [28 November 1997]

Yorktown is not a brand that gets much respect in the marketplace, which means you can get a lot of boat for your dollar. They were well-built boats, with decent performance, but most observers - and even the owner of the company! - think of them as ugly ducklings. If you want the beauty of a Swan, you're not going to get it here. But if you want to pay $ 20,000 for your 70s used boat instead of $ 120,000, Yorktown's worth a look. [28 November 1997]

Catalina 34 National Association is a haven for fans of the Catalina 34 and other yachts from this prolific Southern California sailboat manufacturer. The FAQ on this page is quite interesting and includes information on the pros and cons of converting a 34 into a "real" ocean cruising yacht. The bottom line: The basic hull is sound, but the interior and major systems would need considerable work. [23 September 1997]

Hunter Owners' Web is a comprehensive resource, including plenty of interesting reviews of Hunter boats. By reputation, Hunter is a second-string manufacturer, not a genuine sleek maker like some of the other companies, but if it can get you out on the water, it may look like the best boat on earth [27 June 1997].

Boats for Sale

Yachtworld has a comprehensive list of boats for sale, including a very nice search engine. Especially good for the more expensive boats. [18 September 1998]

Yachts Online has private party classified ads for yachts. There are plenty of free ad services available, but this one has an excellent presentation format in its favour, and appears to have good support from buyers. [14 October 1998]

Equipment

Monitor Windvanes are explained and compared to autopilots in this comprehensive page. The information is obviously biased towards windvanes because that's what they make, but the advice given mirrors what I've heard from many sailors. Read Steve Dashew's Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia for the pro-autopilot case. [19 November 1997]

BoatDiesel.com has valuable information and listings of marine diesel engines and gensets for sale. Includes a very nicely done diesel troubleshooting guide. [6 October 1998]

Software

X Map for Linux. Want to defy the Windows empire by using Linux? Amazingly enough, yes, you have a choice. This program reads industry-standard BSB maps and displays them on your Linux system. [7 November 1997]

Fugawi does the same thing, but using the dreaded Windows95 platform, if for some demented reason you would want to do that. [7 November 1997]

Security

Counter Piracy Web Site run by a security firm specializing in ship and yacht security has some very scary statistics about piracy and yacht theft. There is also information on piracy by region; visit here and find out what places to avoid. [28 September 1998]

Miscellaneous Stuff

DejaNews is a search engine that lets you type in a few words and search the last few years' worth of USENET postings for answers. It should be particularly useful for rec.boats.cruising due to the high signal/noise ratio. So if you have a question, try typing in a few keywords and see what you get. Note that you may have to query the "old" as well as the "current" news database to get full information.

If you'd like to find out more about me, my personal web page should give you some ideas.

Now that you've gotten to the end, recommend a link of your own!

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