We were sailing along a few years ago, racing in one of the winter series yacht races at Naval Point. We must have been doing ok on this particular day as we weren’t too far behind Legacy II one of the faster yachts. They had rounded the mark in front of us and had hoisted…
When you are out in the middle of nowhere, it is so good knowing that you have got people back home who are able to assist when you need them. We were recently sailing in New Caledonia, and were anchored inside a small reef and the sun was going down. It was a lovely spot,…
There is a saying about a child wandering along a beach throwing the starfish back in to the sea. A man comes along and says “what are you doing? There are thousands of starfish here and this beach is miles long, you can never make a difference” The child picks up another starfish and throws…
So you’ve been invited to go and stay on someone’s boat? Awesome! The next best thing to having a boat of your own is having friends who have boats. It is much cheaper and just about as much fun. So to increase your chances of having a fantastic time – and being invited to come…
If one of your friends knocked on your door right now and said “Lets go on an adventure – you’ve got 1 minute to get ready” could you do it? No one likes waiting around for people faffing about when you are trying to get out the door for an adventure, nor do they like…
Yawn… I can hear you already! Yes yes I know insurance isn’t exactly exciting – until you come to make a claim! Then you really want to know all about what you are covered for don’t you? Insurance can make up a reasonably big chunk of any boating budget. So before you go buying a…
I am back to studying my Ocean Yachtmaster course today. Its pouring with rain outside and after listening to an incredible rescue story this week, I thought it was timely to do some research on EPIRB’s For my faithful non-sailing readers (thanks Mum) EPIRB stands for Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. By the way Mum,…
Skippers – both recreational and commercial, have always been responsible for the safety of their vessels and the people on board in the eyes of the law, but what exactly does this mean in practice? The first thing to note is that in New Zealand there is no requirement to have any kind of license…
Rule #2 of sailing according to my friend Vaughan, is: “Shit will happen” Generally it happens when you are sailing along minding your own business, having a great time, thinking about how great things are and then whammo – all of a sudden someone nearly slices off their finger, the kite gets stuck at the…
Just what does the Ocean mean to you? For me the Ocean is my playground. It is somewhere that I love to go and enjoy my spare time and it is somewhere I want to live. It is a method of transportation – when I sail my boat across the waters to other destinations. I…
Astrolabe Sailing 