Among my humongous list of things to do is to figure out how to carry more diesel fuel. The Tartan 41 was always intended to race, so only had a 27 gallon tank. On Alchemy, the previous owner had replaced that with a 40 gallon tank. With a 1,500 mile crossing to get to the Caribbean, I suspect that might not cut it.
USCG vs SOLAS Flares for Offshore Sailing
Still working on our safety gear list, I have been turning my attention to flares and signalling devices, and in about five minutes, I was confused.
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) sets rules on what signalling devices and flares you need to carry.
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Gear Review: Mantus Chain Hook
Cruising is a strange word when applied to living aboard a sailboat. From my limited experience, most of the time (especially with kids) is spent in the same place. Perhaps a better name would be “anchoring”.
If you are using a chain rode, a critical part of a successful anchoring is to use a snubber. This is some kind of line that stretches that can take brief shock loads as your boat twists around at anchor. A couple of interesting articles in Practical Sailor gave some insight into the shock loads that a snubber system must absorb. Most cruisers anchor-ers opt for three strand nylon as a snubber. It’s affordable and effective.
But how to attach it.
New Sails: Local Loft vs Rolly Tasker
The engine of a sailboat is its sails, and we need new ones.
These things are not cheap, for a 41′ boat like our Tartan, you can shell out $4000 – $9000 for a single mainsail. For a budget conscious outfitting like ours, we need to think hard about the cost, it will be one of our biggest purchases.
My Children Are Worth $2,600
Or are they?
With the beginning of our trip 8 months away, we are doing more and more gear buying as we work through our lists of needs. One of the lists I have been working on this week has been safety gear. Specifically, I have been figuring out the scope of what I need for my motley cabin crew.
Sailing With Kids 