To cruise the Med, one has to get there. Scott and Mary Flanders share their thoughts on that in this third post on general Med cruising.
Hopefully, it will give you some ideas and perhaps even some inspiration.
Monday Minute - When the Outboard Goes Overboard
EGRET TALES OF THE SEA - The Med - Part 2
EGRET TALES OF THE SEA - THE MEDITERRANEAN, WHY, AND HOW - Part 1
Monday Minute - Extending Anchor Chain
Taking Care of your Mechanical Steering
Taking Care of Your Hydraulic Steering
Monday Minute - Air Separation in Diesel Fuel
EGRET TALES OF THE SEA - Cruising Regions, Why and How
Scott and Mary Flanders reflect on their world cruising adventures and highlight those areas they found most appealing to North Americans. Not everyone has the means to travel the world in a full displacement passagemaker, and this cruising couple explains us how we can explore the world in a way that is more attainable.
Surveying An Engine Room
The value of an engine survey can't be overstressed when looking for your ideal cruising boat. A separate effort from a general boat survey, an experienced mechanic's skill at judging the overall health of a boat's engine(s) and generator gives you the ability to decide if the boat is right for you, or if you should keep looking. More so than any other element of a cruising motorboat or trawler, the engine room is the most important space on the boat.
Monday Minute - Form Must Follow Function
Selecting the Right Boat 3/3 - The Hard Questions
Monday Minute - Cruising to Stay Close
The struggles of many of today's young parents are quite a contrast to the families who choose to take the family and go cruising. The dynamics of living and working together on a boat are more intimate and focused than the hurried routines of family life ashore.
Perhaps more people could benefit from the synergy of living together aboard a boat.
The Ultimate FPB 3/3 - Engine Room Details
Create a Speed/Fuel Burn Curve for Your Boat
Rather than guess what speed you should run your boat, it is important to develop real-world numbers of the speed and burn consumption your boat reaches at various engine speeds in open water. Depending on how your boat is equipped and loaded, and the propeller(s) you have, it is a straightforward process to develop a speed/fuel burn performance curve that will identify the sweet spot for running your boat at cruising speed.
Along the way of determining this ideal speed envelope, you will also get an sixth sense of when the hull and engine is in harmony as she glides through the water with maximum efficiency and reasonable fuel burn. This is a satisfying project every boat owner should create for his or her boat.
Monday Minute - Summary of the Navy's Official Incident Review
We've heard the unbelievable reports of Navy warships colliding with merchant ships, with loss of life among the Navy crew. How can this happen in our modern world, with all of the technology and control systems at our disposal!?!
Here is a comprehensive review of the four recent incidents in 2017, which reveal amazing issues and problems to be addressed at all levels. Reading these summary review findings gives insight into the complexity of today's warships.
And please take away from this that the initial fears of Russian cyberattacks did not occur, yet such a threat adds a chilling, what-if component to the reported scenarios.
This is serious business in a world that is increasingly dangerous, with threats we have yet to experience.
It’s been a long time coming but we now see tangible progress emerging to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel. If the U.S. Navy can prove that it works, isn’t it about time the concept of the modern cruising boat includes hybrid forms of propulsion?