Top things to do in Malta and Gozo. Caves, horse riding on the beach, nightlife, Valletta, fishing village in Malta, Blue Lagoon.
US Inland Navigation Rules, for U.S. Waterways, Great Lakes, Canada
This is part of the series of blog articles called “A Writer’s Guide…”, check out this article by writer Cinaedh Vik on Boats and Ships.
If space is tight or the weather looks unsettled, and you intend on anchoring a boat, it’s worth having a few skills up your sleeve
the give way hierarchy at sea – who gives way to whom? It is important for all boat skippers to know the give-way hierarchy at sea to help avoid accidents. But how similar are the rules of the road on land and at sea?
A rig check reduces risk of failure at sea. For sailboats, do regular checks of the rig - spars, rigging and fittings - before or after a major passage.
This card is required if you want to rent a boat, Jet Ski or WaveRunner while on vacation in Southwest FL.
A little infographic to understand how to explain sailing to your guests on board... A nice image made by Cruising Outpost.
Sometimes I design things which might be useful to other people. So here they are. I'll add more things from time to time. Click pictures to enlarge. Feel free print off anything on this page for your own personal use. This includes to use at home, in a classroom, at a charity event etc... Feel free to pin on Pinterest. Please don't sell them, or publish them in any form, without permission. © Kirsty McAllister. All rights reserved. Fun arty stuff Face Painting Designs Costume Designs A costume suitable for a 1st century man. Ideal for Nativity plays etc. Sorry - tunic only at present. Will add cloak drapery when I have time. Basically, the cloak is a rectangle of cloth wrapped round. Puzzle sheets & colouring pictures 'Jesus gives new life' caterpillar & butterfly bookmarks. Print on thin card & cut out. Back to school colouring picture. Crucifixion & Resurrection spot the difference. How to...
Dave Selby describes the tortuous boat-handling processes which led to him being rear-ended by a pontoon
STEM and STEAM challenges for kids are popular now a days. This DIY rubber band boat STEM activity is a fun way to explore potential and kinetic energy.
Online boating Rules of the Road quiz 60 second challenge
Hola! Headed to Morocco today, which is the first step in crossing off a big bucket list item: visit Africa. Obviously Africa is huge, and there is so much more to see, but Morocco is in Africa, so it's a baby step. Anyway, today I'm sharing my tips for how to avoid the common mistakes I
Your sailing trip to the BVI is getting closer, and you still don't know what to bring and what not to bring. Yes, it can be stressful and confusing to think about these details, there is no need to worry! After reading this article, you'll discover that it is much simpler than you thought! However,
My YouTuber <333
For centuries, the sea has captured the spirits of sailors and adventurers all over the world. In his poem "Sea Fever", John Masefield claimed that all he needed was "a tall ship and a star to steer her by" to feel complete. Breaking into...
A 10-point guide to make sure your electrical circuits make the grade.
A motor boat is a boat powered by an engine instead of a set of sails, and they are some of the most fun and convenient watercrafts you will ever set foot on. Whether you are at the helm, or sittin…
What kayakers should keep in mind when learning this self-rescue technique Contributed by Dan Seaman Learning this self-rescue technique can allow a paddler to turn a flipped boat upright (usually a kayak, but also a canoe) without ever getting out of it. There are lots of different rolls, and for...
Algarve bucket list. Best things to do in Algarve, Portugal. Best beaches, best towns to visit, map, photos, expert tips, when to go.
David Harding helps a PBO reader figure out how to rig a spinnaker on her Contessa 26 - part of the PBO Sail Clinic series.
Van Dam Boats Van Dam was founded in 1977 with a singular purpose - to build the best wooden power and sail boats in
Daysailer Ginger built by Brooklin Boat Yard. Photo by Alison Langley
This family of 13 left their jobs as farmers in Tasmania to live aboard a 43' sailboat and travel. Could you live on a boat with that many people?
Want to learn how to tie a knot? Survival expert Jim Baird teaches you how to tie the best and most useful knots for the outdoors.
Visit Victoria, British Columbia and chances are you'll lay aside all your assumptions about this city on the edge of Vancouver Island: you know, it's too small and a city of seniors. But what if I told you there’s far more to Victoria than the picturesque parliament buildings and inner harbour, or that it’s filled with both locals and visitors of all ages? And here are some interesting, little-known facts from Statistics Canada: Victoria is the cycling capital of the country, as well as Canada’s fittest and most walkable city. Take my advice: Victoria, BC and its surrounding areas deserve
I love taking a look inside other people’s boats given the opportunity. Each one is so unique and I love to see the different ways people make their boat's their home. I think this desire to “look behind the curtain” is pretty common among boaters, as most sailors love a good peek 'down below'; there is always a new boat hack to be learned, interesting gadget to check out, and, lets face it, there’s something intriguing about seeing how folks make the most out of a tiny space. I always enjoy how people express themselves in the decor (or lack thereof) of their boat, and the stories their boats tell. And so now I want to show you ours. As our boat is not only a cruising boat, but our home, I have done my best to make it first and foremost, functional, but also comfortable and welcoming. I have written about the art of making a boat a home before, but times - and decor - have changed since then, so I thought I’d revisit. It's been a work in progress and I really love how she looks and works down below. As comfy as she is, her decor is also super functional...when we are sailing, everything stays put and we don't have to worry about projectiles and general mayhem down below. Living in this boat's belly is cozy and, despite being a pretty tight space for a family of five, enjoyable. For more technical information about our boat like what make she is and why we bought her, please visit this page. But for the grand photo tour of how she looks today, stick with me. Ready? Let's go... We’ll start at the pointy end and work our way back... Starting from up front, this is called the "v-berth" and is where the twins, Haven and Mira (Meer-ah) sleep. You can read more about how I designed our girls' sleeping arrangements here, but the twins really enjoy sleeping and playing up here. I wrote about decorating their room, specifically, here. I really, really love how it turned out. They seem to like it, too. Here are some more pictures of their sleeping space. To the left (port side) is where both girls sleep, together. They have a few stuffed animals (including their beloved lovies) and snuggling blankets in there. It's roomy and cozy. On the right (starboard side), is a small gear hammock for their books and a few stuffed toys. The mirrored cabinets above this are where all of their clothes are stored. I have a portable changing pad that I put down in this space to change diapers as well. Who says you need a changing table?! Connected to the v-berth is an ensuite bathroom, or "head" as we boaters like to call it - which can be accessed from both the v-berth or the salon (there are two doors to it). It's small and simple, but it works and has plenty of storage for most of our medicines and spare toiletries. It is also where my most favorite quote in the world lives. If you don't know this quote, you should definitely read Desiderata. Moving aft of the v-berth is our main living space, often called the "salon" or "main cabin". I love how bright and airy it feels, something that's not always easy with a monohull where you are technically living "below ground". To the left are all our physical books which are mostly reference guides and children's books since Scott and I have e-readers. Underneath and behind all those white cushions you see is storage. Tons of storage. We keep food, beverages, spare parts and all sorts of stuff in those compartments. Also worth noting (because everyone who sees pics of our boat asks "How do you keep those cushions white with small kids!?!), the cushions are made of vinyl (starboard) and ultra-leather (port), meaning anything that gets on them - from markers to spaghetti sauce - wipes right off, piece of cake. Pretty clutch if you have small kids aboard. (Note: They are different materials because when we reconfigured the salon seating, ultra-suede was too expensive so we opted for vinyl). Here are some more pictures of our salon. The picture on the left is looking aft (back) from the v-berth, the others show the salon from other angles. "A place for everything and everything in it's place" - that's my motto down below. Keeps life tidy and simple. This is our kitchen or galley. The two rectangles you see are our fridge (left) and freezer (right). Since we eat vegetarian on our boat we don't use our freezer and it, too, has become more coveted storage space. The open cupboard to the right of the stove is a new pantry area we made by removing our old microwave that we used exactly never. So nice. Our boat does not lack storage, and we love her for that. Can you spot my trusty copy of The Boat Galley Cookbook? (wink) Here are some other views of our galley. As much as I really hate cooking and everything related to it (provisioning, grocery shopping, food prep, meal planning, etc.) I do really love our galley. For being the size of a small hall closet, it's very functional and has a great layout with plenty of counter space. This are is directly across from our galley and is our navigation station, "nav station" for short. Our SSB radio, VHF radio, FM radio, modem, inverter controls and battery monitor live here. As do all of the children's toys. What you see there is just about all of them, minus the craft stuff which lives in a cupboard. We keep the boat tidy and organized by keeping a policy of cleaning up after ourselves before moving on to the next toy. It works. Sometimes. Either way, the kids can keep themselves pretty well entertained for chunks of time in this area. The drawers to the left are huge and deep and we keep electronics in the top two, and the bottom is a huge file-like cabinet where we store our onions and potatoes. All our cupboards drawers and cabinets latch shut so the boat is more or less baby proof in this way, which is nice. Moving aft beyond our companionway stairs is the walk-thru to the aft cabin. This is also where Isla sleeps, but each day we break down her bunk and stow it because this is also a high-traffic and very functional area as this is where Scott stores pretty much all his tools. You can see the mast steps Scott installed so Isla can climb up to her bunk in the picture on the right. The counter top of this area flips up to expose what has become our sort of "junk drawer". We store all sorts of things from battery chargers to simple everyday tools to charts in this area so we need access to it daily. The large opening doors you see on the port side are our engine room access. Plenty of space to do oil changes and work on our generator and engine. Big bonus. Here's what the walk-thru looks like when it's all set up as Isla's little bunk bed. She loves it up there and the set up and break down takes all of three minutes. Emerging through the walk-thru is our aft cabin, or the master suite where Scott and I sleep. Our bed is more or less king size and the fact that all sides but one are contained mean morning pile-ons with all the girls happen here...a lot. The large top drawer you see in the center is where all of Isla's clothes are. The bottom one is where our air conditioning unit lives. The mirrored side cabinets are more clothing storage. More shots of our aft cabin. The picture on the upper right is looking back to the walk thru from our bed, and the two bottom pictures show where Scott and I keep the bulk of our clothes (mine are kept in the cabinets pictured left, his in those pictured center - yes, I have more storage space than he does - but only slightly so!) This is our aft head or "bathroom". It's pretty small and cramped and if I am to be honest it's my least favorite room on our boat, but it works. And, hey, it's a bathroom so big deal. We have a separate sit-down shower stall which we hardly ever use (we chose to shower off the back of our boat unless we are at a marina) and it works well enough when we need it. Not much more to say about this room. Lots more storage, blah blah blah. And here is our cockpit where we spend a huge amount of our time. It's our front porch, back porch and living room all in one. Ours is pretty spacious, super comfortable and kind of perfect for little ones. We love it. The views are great. So there you have it, our boat from front to back. Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our home!
Headed to Ireland soon and want to visit Skellig Michael, but it's all booked up? Here's how to get on a boat to Skellig Michael without a reservation -- plus lots of pictures of this gorgeous island off the coast of the Ring of Kerry.
I’ve finally got our Internet access working the way I’ve always wanted. Now, whenever we arrive at a new destination, we can flip a single switch on our main panel, sniff out a nearby WiFi network…
US Inland Navigation Rules, for U.S. Waterways, Great Lakes, Canada
The boat tour on Western Brook Pond in Gros Morne National Park, NL is one you won't forget. You'll see waterfalls & cliffs over 700 m high.
Yacht Island Design's "Tropical Island Paradise" is a 90 metre island with a top speed of 15 knots. The main deck is a beach "cove" of cabanas surrounding a massive ocean view swimming pool, with a waterfall falling nearby from the volcano.
Milford Sound tour, New Zealand | A review of our full day trip by coach from Te Anau or Queenstown with Awesome NZ tours
It's hard to believe that engineers were able to carry boats through the air more than 200 years ago!
Here in New Zealand, there are strict rules on the safety equipment that boats need to carry on board if they are competing in any yacht races, and also if they are intending on sailing offshore (b…
