Is Robert Perry actually the greatest cruising boat designer of all time, or is the "Perry Legend" just clever marketing from the Taiwan boat era? Today, I am putting my 18 years of living aboard and 60,000 miles of Navy submarine navigation experience to ...
Boats from the late 1970s can be exceptional—but they come with specific risks tied to material changes during the oil crisis era. Osmosis issues aren’t guaranteed, but they’re common enough that every buyer should know how to assess them.
📗 Get ...
A lot of sailors delay leaving because they’re waiting for everything to be perfect—but that moment never comes. Offshore experience is built by going, not by endlessly preparing, and understanding that shift is what gets people moving.
📗 Get My Bo...
Systems fail—and when they do, your crew needs to be able to operate without them. Training under stripped-down conditions builds the instincts and confidence required to handle real failures at sea.
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https://bethecaptain.com
Learn exactly how to pickle your Seawater Pro water maker to protect your membranes during storage. Get the award-winning book: https://bethecaptain.com/
#sailing #watermaker #sailboat #desalination #sailboatlife
Even minor, unseen damage to a lithium battery can lead to internal failure—especially in a marine environment where impact and water exposure are common. Once that process starts, it can escalate quickly and without warning.
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https://...
Not all used boats are equal—and it often comes down to the owner. From minimal maintenance to full bluewater refits, understanding who owned the boat before you is one of the most important indicators of condition and value.
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Some boats stand out for their unconventional design—but that uniqueness can become a major limitation offshore. If a vessel can’t be easily serviced or understood by others, it requires you to be far more self-reliant as an owner.
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...
🏆 AWARD NEWS: Be The Captain is officially a finalist for the Eric Hoffer First Horizon and Foreword INDIES Awards! Grab your award-nominated copy here: https://bethecaptain.com/
Most people buy the wrong boat for the wrong reasons, and they get buried...
Being a captain isn’t about certification—it’s about mindset. The responsibility begins the moment you decide to take people out, and your crew will look to you for decisions when it matters most.
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https://bethecaptain.com
The first few days offshore are when fatigue is at its worst—and when decision-making breaks down. Without proper rest and watch structure, even experienced sailors can make poor calls that lead to bigger problems.
⏰Printable Watch Schedules:
https://...
A well-maintained boat tells a clear story. From upgraded rigging to structural decisions like removing teak decks, the details reveal whether a vessel has been thoughtfully improved—or neglected.
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https://bethecaptain.com
June 10th, 2024. sv Theros leaves Halifax bound for the Azores. Three days later, 34 miles southwest of Sable Island — the graveyard of the Atlantic — their AIS goes dark. The boat is never found. Four weeks later, the crew washes ashore on Sable Islan...
From the southeast trades to the milk run, through the ITCZ — the doldrums — up through the northeast trades, and then into the westerlies at 35-40 degrees north where it gets serious. Big lows form over Russia, roll across the Pacific, and feed the Al...
Most people searching for the perfect bluewater sailboat will never see one like this. My book is about EXACTLY this kind of decision-making: 👉 https://bethecaptain.com
In this livestream, I walk through a 1979 Hans Christian 38 MkII listed for $129,00...
Motion breaks things. Fatigue makes you stupid. Stupidity feeds fear. Fear feeds panic. Offshore failures don't come in ones. They compound. Recognize the chain.
3 weeks without food, 3 days without water. Most sailors have emergency water somewhere on the boat — but can you grab it in 5 seconds before you step off? 10 gallons aft, last thing to go under. Simple system, costs almost nothing. Check it before every...
It's cheaper. It's also a different chemistry — one that burns at 2,000° and generates its own oxygen. Your extinguisher is irrelevant. Your exit becomes the inferno.
Get the offshore manual: https://bethecaptain.com/
The amygdala has one job: keep you scared. Here's what to do about it: The Physiological Sigh. Full video on the channel. #sailing #offshore #sailinglife
On June 10th, 2024, SV Theros left Halifax bound for the Azores. Three days later, their AIS signal went dark 34 miles southwest of Sable Island. Four weeks after that, Parks Canada found the crew on the beach. They had washed ashore in their inflatable di...
The tragic story of the Cheeky Rafiki. During a delivery from Antigua to the UK, a catastrophic structural failure caused the grid to rip the fiberglass hull apart. Without a keel, the boat capsized instantly, leaving the crew with no time to escape. These...
Most production boats from 35 to 55 feet share a hidden construction secret: the structural grid. Instead of building piece-by-piece inside the boat, manufacturers build an internal "skeleton" separately, install the interior systems, and then drop the ent...
This is the introduction and first chapter of the Be The Captain audiobook, read by the author.
Chapter 1 is called Think Like a Captain. It's not about sailing techniques or gear. It's about command, and the mindset that separates people who make good de...
40 knots. 150 miles offshore. Floorboards floating. Bilge pump dead. Batteries dying. This was the night I quit deliveries for good.
Get my book for more.
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