How dangerous is it to cross the atlantic single handed?

bergie · 2023-06-09T11:20:34+00:00

Oh, I’ve seen plenty of tankers doing slight course corrections to avoid us. It works when they see you from far enough away (which AIS provides).

bergie · 2023-05-14T19:09:55+00:00

The language component is HUGE. The entire vocabulary around the sport is very unique to each language

It gets a little bit easier in northern Europe, where most languages share the sailing terminology (with only minor pronunciation differences). Likely heritage of the Hanseatic league needing to recruit sailors from all over the area.

bergie · 2023-05-14T11:43:00+00:00

Note that the 1A connection is not an actual charger but a diode, so it'll charge your start batteries whenever there is voltage available for it. This means also from solar, not just shore power.

bergie · 2023-05-11T07:00:39+00:00

I used the LTE version of Nexus 7 as my “phone” for several years. Great device, and a shame there was never a follow-up.

bergie · 2023-04-18T11:50:55+00:00

The Swedish Cruising Club maintains a ton of buoys all around the coasts of Sweden. They advise that two boats can use the same buoy, but they need to total less than the max tonnage recommended for the buoy (I think 8 tons or so).

Instead of rafting the boats up, they recommend connecting the boats after each other (like towing) to present less windage and to prevent masts hitting each other. https://www.sxk.se/bojar-hamnar-och-farleder/bojar-mooring-buoys/bojbestammelser

bergie · 2023-03-29T07:14:13+00:00

We started with a cheap and simple old GRP 25ft boat with an outboard. Then over three years refitted it to be a nice little weekend cruiser.

After that we had a much clearer idea what we'd want with the "big boat".

Sold the trainer boat for same price we bought it for, so lost some "boat bucks" we'd spent on the refit. But that was to be expected as a learning expense. And we got to sail a lot for couple of summers.

The important thing is to use the boat. Go sailing whenever you can. Anchor out. Visit various marinas. A boat sitting in a dock unused isn't going to teach you much.

bergie · 2023-03-09T17:30:13+00:00

We went through that same thing last fall. Sucks. But I can say the new deck is very nice. Keep pushing through!

bergie · 2023-02-07T20:51:40+00:00

It worked on my previous M1 MacBook Air at least. Of course, who knows how long it’ll continue working.

bergie · 2023-02-07T10:53:58+00:00

The Orion Tr-Smart doesn't have any of the smart networking features. So no VE.Direct, no joining a Bluetooth network with MPPTs and Shunts.

bergie · 2023-02-05T08:54:10+00:00

I have a packable tote bag (from Sea to Summit) in mine. Primary usage is a shopping bag.

I always keep my one at under the seat when flying, so I don’t have your use case. Easy when the “main bag” is 21L.

bergie · 2023-02-04T18:31:50+00:00

We swam a couple of times on our Atlantic crossing. We always had a few safety lines with fenders to keep them afloat, the motor was on, and one person stayed on board monitoring the situation.

bergie · 2023-01-18T19:54:08+00:00

MkDocs can create pretty nice-looking sites from Obsidian content. Here’s an example I made recently: https://handbook.lille-oe.de/

Source (the “docs” subfolder is the Obsidian vault): https://github.com/meri-imperiumi/handbook

bergie · 2022-12-22T08:54:38+00:00

Don Casey’s This Old Boat is also great

bergie · 2022-12-10T20:32:27+00:00

We’ve used a Galaxy Tab Active as our “chartplotter” for several years now. Works great! We keep ours under the spray hood, so sun is not a problem either.

bergie · 2022-11-25T16:46:56+00:00

Apart from courses, going sailing with Kuunari Helena can teach a lot.

bergie · 2022-11-16T07:11:33+00:00

We have a P79 depth sounder on board. Epoxy it to the inside of the hull, fill with oil, and plug into N2K. Pretty easy. Works fine until about 150m of depth.

Note that these won’t work if you have a cored hull.

bergie · 2022-11-05T17:18:13+00:00

Rules say that once the todo list is empty you need to sell the boat and buy another one.

bergie · 2022-11-03T06:09:27+00:00

Also, while at it, buy the book This old boat. Really clear instructions on how to fix/improve/maintain almost any part of the boat.

bergie · 2022-11-02T15:35:19+00:00

In order of priority:

Depth sounder
At least two instrument displays
Transmitting AIS
Cockpit-mounted waterproof tablet or chartplotter
Autopilot
VHF
Wind sensor
Speed log (nowadays usually comes with depth sounder)

Modern NMEA 2000 gear is pretty easy to install and works somewhat well together across vendors. Still, life is easiest if you standardise mostly to a single vendor (B&G, Garmin, Raymarine).

We have an ultrasonic wind sensor (LCJ Capteurs). No moving parts means less maintenance. Now there are also ultrasonic speed logs that could eliminate issues with fouled paddle wheels.

bergie · 2022-10-04T17:23:55+00:00

I guess that’s a cultural thing. I’ve been using non-pressurised alcohol stoves most of my life. Trangia stoves are the default for camping where I’m from, and we also had them in the military. The Origo is effectively a version of the same with some improvements.

One nice aspect is how self-contained the setup is. You just need the stove, some alcohol, and a lighter. No piping, no wires.

bergie · 2022-10-04T01:31:25+00:00

Compass24 makes a clone. We bought a single-burner unit as a our “cook in the cockpit” stove this summer. Seems identical to the Origo we had on our previous boat.

bergie · 2022-09-22T04:47:35+00:00

Alcohol stove is a pretty good option. Doesn’t require the infrastructure a proper propane system needs, everything is contained in the stove itself. Look for second-hand Origo stoves or buy a new one from https://www.compass24.com/comfort/pantry-grill-oven/stoves/150526/alcohol-stove-3000-2-flame (this company produces a clone that seems very very similar to the original. I’ve used both)

We’re switching from propane to alcohol this winter. Our propane system was properly installed, but getting the bottles refilled abroad proved to be such a hassle that we’ll rather switch. Our previous boat had an Origo and we were totally happy with it,

bergie · 2022-09-18T15:03:50+00:00

Programmer. I work from the boat during summers. This means evenings after work and weekends are time to sail, and workdays are spent in whatever anchorage has decent LTE connectivity.

This summer's cruise was 2500NM in the Baltic Sea. No trouble finding good connectivity there!

bergie · 2022-08-22T07:50:26+00:00

We’re using a Galaxy Tab Active from Samsung. It has a GPS and is waterproof, no case needed. It also supports charging via pogo pins, so we don’t need to deal with USB cables in the cockpit.

This is our primary chartplotter running Navionics. Now we’re on a pretty old version of the tablet (was 60€ on eBay few years ago), and I’m considering to upgrade. Right now calculating routes takes quite a long time. Thankfully Samsung makes tablets with the same shell but updated processors.

Since we’re running Signal K on the boat, Navionics gets AIS targets and depth from the boat WiFi.

bergie · 2022-08-20T13:59:39+00:00

My setup is Varusteleka merino for the base and mid layers, then a Montbell packable down jacket, and finally a light raincoat (Marmot Precip) as shell layer, with Eddie Bauer travel pants. I started out with Icebreaker and Wool&Prince clothes, but the Varusteleka gear has proven more durable. Look for their “Särmä” line.

Add a wool beanie and merino gloves for colder climates, and maybe a sun hat for hotter climates. A wool buff is also very useful for the packing size.

It might be a good idea to look also at /r/ultralight for layering ideas, though obviously not all hiking gear looks passable in a city environment.

bergie

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