Jon

And they wonder why they can't get fleets Sometimes you have to commit to things and even invest to make them grow Don't think I'm just knocking here as I'm the RO for the only offshore race in NZ in 2017, sure it starts and finishes in Alk but if you haven't done the RNI you may think it's easier than sailing offshore

Raced around it 4 times now Most times there have been boats anchored either just north or south of NE point which has been the widward side but they were in flat water and no wind in close The heat coming off it defiantly creates its own micro climate, often no wind up to a mile out, I wouldn't worry about the Sulfur unless it's actually erupting, but equally I wouldn't anchor downwind from the crater either Next time I go it will be to fish, there is always lots of sea life about.

Dropping your anchor between two boats and hanging back is a a good rule in tight anchorages I prefer to cockpit the boat in front, effectively drop your anchor about a boat length from the boat you wish to hang behind, but something else we always try to do is anchor with similar boats eg yachts with yachts etc as launches will often hang to a light breeze but yachts will hang to the tide in these conditions Another thing is not just type but size, we are 52' so try to anchor out with the larger yachts not right in close but then often just on dark you will get a 30ish ft launch arrive and

The B ones also go rusty around the seam in like 6 months Brisco's was cheaper, whistles and hasn't rusted yet in 12 months

Yes KM but Snail is going to make the start line for the RNI Will you make the solo T ?

Nice !!!!!

You've all got it wrong "Bananas are for the blender" Plus any or all of the following Ananas Mangos Limes Pompalamus Papaya But non optional the following Ice Ron

Go diesel BP I sailed a 66'er down from Tonga a couple of years ago with one We fired it up about two days out and warmed the boat really well Safer,drier and you already carry lots of the correct fuel that's easy to get re filled Just my thoughts Not that I've ever used a lpg heater but have had a few dodgy times with gas califonts barking at me when lighting them.

I'll have to come over to the Marshal and take a look

Immm Maybe ours was f-ed as there was a voltage drop or .3 volts across it Doesn't sound much but that's a big part of your charge when you think that 12.8 is a fully charged battery and 11.8 is flat

Nice report Smithy I bet the to-do list for RNI is a lot longer now !

VSR's are a good simple way of connecting batteries for charging but you are pushing ergs through a diode and this reduces the flow to your house batteries. On my last yacht I setup a solenoid that connected the batteries, it was powered off a spare terminal on the alternator that only livened up once the alternator was up to speed so therefore didn't overload the engine on startup I also feed the freezer compressor and a small bilge fan off the same feed That way you didn't need to remember to turn it on or more importantly to turn it off if you go for a manual system

I'd go the 100w as they never work 100% and the controller just dumps any excess. The Flexi panels look good but at $800 for a 100w approx / $8 per watt or $160 for 100w solid panel at $1.60 per watt I've had a 60watt solid panel for 5 years on my last yacht and just split some small tubing to stop it marking the boat and a bungy on each corner, it stayed on the cabin top unless we were racing then in stayed in the car at the marina or for club racing we just put on a quarter berth. I'd find it hard to justify the flexible ones but I think I paid probably close to the $800 for the 60w a

But maybe if you built 6000 one-off yachts per year and branded them all with the same name then you could have the odd failure as well

Ive been using online guides like noonsite and cruisers forum plus Wikipedia Read them prior to departure and then copy and paste to notes on my iPad so I've got it off line to check and reread on approach Plus the user info on navionics is often useful as well, just don't rely on one source as info can be out of date but so are cruising guides once they are printed also, example below Tonga - Formalities Clearance The Q flag must be flown. The captain should contact the Harbour Master or Customs on arrival (prior to docking/mooring), who will give instructions where to berth fo

Sorry but it needs saying "Fugly " But it would do the job and its others that have to look at it, I'm sure the view from onboard would be stunning in the right location.

No you don't have to have floorboards for any Cat, but if you do the following applies. The rule is all objects that could cause injury in an inversion incident must be secured or words to this effect

You can borrow my Irridium Go if you get stuck

There's a range, upto 15kgs per clip If you used 4 then you would need a halyard to lift it http://www.fastmount.com/en/clip_system/standard%20range#

This goes a way to help http://www.fastmount.com/clip_system

Thanks Smithy just what I've been needing How many did you use per board ? And do they just release with a pull or do you have to use a tool ?

Hinano

Yes YB trackers all the way, just finalising the deal now, 10min pings updated every 30min

Sign corp did a great job for us also Not cheap but couldn't fault the work

It floats Breeze on !!