Offshore Log: Robertson AP 300CS on Trial. Bob Earns His Keep
Our trip from Venezuela to Bonaire was the first real test of Bob, our Robertson AP 300CX autopilot. He passed with flying colors.Although I...
Jeppesen and The Cap’n Top Picks For Electronic Charting
It wasnt very many years ago that the only tools a boater needed for navigation were a compass, some paper charts, a pair of...
Nexus Best Buy in Integrated Instruments
Today's systems are generally excellent, but sorting through them is very confusing.
Buyer’s Guide: Simrad CP32 and RayChart 520 Top Gray Scale GPS/Chartplotters
The Simrad CP32 and Raytheon RayChart 520 have the best combination of features and displays of 10 gray scale units tested.
Top 10 Products for 1999
Our annual selection of outstanding equipment, headlined this year by the Spade anchor, Nexus instruments and the Isotemp water heater.
Inexpensive E-mail: Magellan GSC 100 vs. SASCO OceanMail 2000
We prefer the SASCO OceanMail 2000
In-Your-Pocket Email
PocketMail is a current favorite of coastal cruisers. It’s inexpensive and reliable. Of two PDAs tested, we prefer the Sharp TM-20 over the BackFlip.
Close As A Pencil Point
On May 1, President Clinton announced that the selective availability (SA) system used to degrade GPS (global positioning system) signals was terminated, effective at...
Offshore Log: Essential Forecasting Tools
Our years of sailing in New England and the Caribbean, with their stable, predictable weather patterns, left us ill-prepared to deal with the vagaries...
Winterizing Your Boat’s Water System
Much of your winterizing success will depend on the initial condition of your existing water system. If it is nearly sterile (effectively chlorinated water), there may be too few bacteria and fungus present for infection to start. However, if you use less than 20 percent alcohol or glycol (after dilution with water left in the system) you are at risk of biological growth; the lower the concentration the greater the risk. This is the reason why vodka and other alcohol-based winterizing fluids should be avoided. In our testing these solutions acted like an invitation to a microbial feast.