I recently did a first aid course, where the main thing I learnt was how to dial 111. (or 911 or 999 – for goodness sake why can’t the world agree on one emergency number!?!) We didn’t even get to bandage anyone up. Just dial 111 and give the person a plaster, we were told……
According to my friend Vaughan, there are three golden rules of sailing. These rules have nothing to do with COLREGS… nor will you find them in the international racing rules of sailing, however if you really want to be a sailor, then it is good to learn and apply these rules at all times…
If you haven’t yet been involved in either being towed or towing someone, then you are either very lucky or your time is about to come! Being towed is not cool. Aside from the obvious humiliation, Wildwood does not like being towed, she slews around all over the place in a most uncomfortable fashion. As…
So you are bobbing about at sea somewhere and realise there is no wind, and you’ve run out of diesel and beer and you are about to get dashed on the rocks. So you call up someone to get rescued (or at least deliver some beer and diesel) you get towed back to port only…
There are so many stunning places to discover in New Zealand, you just have to be prepared to get off the beaten track, drive over rutty shingle roads, walk for ages and get your feet wet to find them. The Sawcut Gorge is one of those places. Flipping through a dog eared magazine in a…
“And don’t look like a muppet…!” These were the encouraging words that Craig had given us that kept ringing in our ears as we were floating about in a big rib attempting to wrestle with a massive “Mr Blobby” buoy for the Young 88 South Island Champs. Not sure that I had ever seen Miss Piggy in…
The RYA – Royal Yachting Association has produced a great online course for people wanting to get a commercial endorsement on their sailing qualification. The PPR course stands for Professional Practices and Responsibilities, and means I can use my current leisure qualifications to upgrade to a skipper or crew on a commercial vessel. I thought…
I’ve got a confession to make – it won’t come as a surprise to the people who know me, but for the benefit of everyone else – “I am allergic to supermarkets”. I can’t stand the unsteerable trolleys, the whinging children, the dawdling people, the quadruple handling of the items, the polite conversation with the…
Whether you are planning on buying a yacht and sailing off in to the sunset, or if you have no intention of doing that but you do plan to retire at some stage – then this post is for you! Saving for your retirement is a hot topic here in New Zealand. At the ripe…
Here in New Zealand we are constantly being reminded about the dangers of skin cancer and the importance of getting your moles checked. New Zealand and Australia have the highest rates of melanoma in the world. As sailors who spend a lot of time outside and in the sun, we are particularly vulnerable, I booked myself…
Astrolabe Sailing 