After two years in the boatyard, we’re finally tackling one of the nastier pieces of old equipment aboard ROAM: our rusty, galvanized anchor chain. We’re ...

Annapolis, Maryland is one of the Chesapeake’s best-known cruising destinations—but what’s it actually like to visit by boat? In this episode, we’re putting ...

A little look back at our July. ❤️ From surprising family in Idaho to making memories we’ll never forget. Subscribe for weekly sailing, family travel, and ...

Four miles out, Bermuda radio called us back. Bracing for a paperwork problem, we instead found a kid trying to cross the Atlantic with no ride. So we made ...

Ted Irwin could fit more living space into a hull than almost anyone, and that is why his boats shine in the Caribbean and fall short heading around the world. ...

The Tuamotus earned the name "dangerous archipelago" honestly. Nearly 3,000 miles of ocean fetch slams into a chain of low worn down atolls, funneling through ...

Every insurer has an age where they stop writing full coverage, often 25 to 40 years, and after that most owners self insure the hull. Liability is usually ...

A limited budget does not lock you out of a real offshore boat. Bristol, Gulfstar, Tayana, Pacific Seacraft, and Valiant all built boats that still hold up. ...

This Pacific island closed itself off in the 1930s and decided outsiders only come by invitation. We got there by bringing a local man home to his family, and ...

A boat can have lines you fall in love with and still drain you dry. Cheoy Lees are the example - beautiful overhangs wrapped around leaky teak decks that ...

Black iron tanks were standard on a lot of early Asian built boats, and pulling them means cutting metal out in pieces. Swapping to PEX and plastic tanks is ...

No cruising boat sails like its published polar. The PredictWind data hub records your instruments over time so the algorithm learns how your boat actually ...

An engine that starts clean, runs steady, and doesn't smoke is in good shape. Check the belts, hoses, and pumps, but most importantly...actually run it. One ...

Two years ago, we hauled ROAM out of the water expecting a six-month refit. This week, we finally put her back where she belongs. Getting to splash day wasn't ...

When the engine's acting up, knowing how to sail onto anchor keeps a small problem from becoming a big one. Come in conservatively at the back of the ...

Weather is about structure, not numbers, so what matters is where pressure sits and where wind gets accelerated or blocked. PredictWind ranks models by recent ...

A loose motor mount looks like an easy tighten, but snug the wrong nut and you'll pull the engine out of line with the shaft. Figure out which nut actually ...

A mast over the side isn't dead weight, it's a battering ram that can hole your hull in minutes. Save the boom if you can, but cut the turnbuckles and get the ...

Offshore, your whole job from the dock to the destination is managing risk. The best sailors don't rush. They see what's coming first, then commit. Ryan's got ...

The second a boat touches the water, I check the bilge before I trust anything below the waterline. Then the engines go on and I walk straight to the stern to ...

It looks insane, but a good launch is slow and deliberate, and when your boat is in someone else's hands, your only job is to stay out of the way and let them ...

The French islands are the easy ones, with Martinique, Guadeloupe, and the French side of Saint Martin offering relaxed check-in where nobody's counting your ...

📕 GET THE BOOK: Be The Captain. Winner of the 2026 Eric Hoffer Award. 25 years of offshore decisions in one book → https://bethecaptain.com 🔓 FREE: The ...

Carry a VHF radio operator's license, because you won't always know what a country requires, and remember your boat's flag state sets your licensing rules, not ...