Here, we had an impromptu opportunity to tour a quite new Dufour 430 sailboat that was currently being chartered but for sale by the owner. It’s a nice example ...
Sailing Talisman
After our sporty passage from St Thomas to Bermuda, it’s now time for the second half (unless we want to be stuck there). People might think we spend a lot ...
The difference between a dedicated bluewater boat and lightweight charter type boat becomes clear (again) as we leave St Thomas for Bermuda. Although the whole ...
So here we have some simple sailing footage, as we bring Talisman from French Marigot Bay, in French Saint Martin, over to Simpson Bay Lagoon in Dutch Sint ...
A little of this and a little of that. The location is part Dutch Sint Maarten and part French Saint Martin. There's some repair work for the guys who like ...
This is a continuation of our boat maintenance and disaster prevention series. But it starts with some great footage we took skiing moguls and trees at Winter ...
After suffering some teething issues following the reinstall of our spars and standing rigging, we set off on a shakedown cruise from Antigua to Dutch Sint ...
Failproofing is an elusive thing. No way to ever fully failproof a boat, but we do what we can. In this episode we repair our masthead deflector, which blasted ...
The title says it all. Getting quality work done to your boat is always filled with risk. Here are some common-sense suggestions for not getting taken ...
Talisman has a date with the dentist, in a way. We suppose that's probably what it's like for a boat. But the spars are newly coated in blindingly shiny ...
As mentioned in the intro, this episode is about the real work it takes to get a boat in the water. Plus, Talisman had her mast off for recoating during ...
It's a crazy time aboard Talisman, as we prepare to haul for hurricane season. First we suffer an engine room fire, which sets us back for a bit. Wendy goes ...
During lockdown in Antigua we found ourselves with time on our hands for projects that we don’t usually have time for. Lacking temptations like drinking with ...
The situation most skippers dread … being pinned on the dock by high winds. So what do we do? In our case we have a big cat behind us and the wind is blowing a ...
The passage between St Kitts and St Barts is 32nm +/- and these gaps between islands can be brutally exposed. You get swells and wind unbroken, with fetch that ...
The Oyster service team in Las Palmas had suggested engine service tasks, but there wasn’t time to do them, so I arranged for the necessary parts to be ordered ...
Squalls are focused small storms, with wind speeds that can approach and exceed gale force. As we get closer to the Caribbean, these become more and more ...
In this middle section of the passage we make the turn west into the trade-winds. We’ve headed almost 200nm south and are now just north of the Cape Verde ...
And then it happens! Departure day arrives and we have a time slot to leave! Our nerves are frayed to the ragged edge, but this is what we came for. We’re ...
As time winds down to departure for the 2019 ARC, boat crews frantically try to finish last minute projects. The ARC opening ceremonies, complete with parade ...
As we enter the second week of prep for the ARC transatlantic crossing, we focus on converting Talisman from a boat that’s bombproof at sea, to one that is ...
The ARC, or Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, has been held every year now for over 30 years. As a vehicle for “safety in numbers”, 189 boats participated in the ...
Tips on Passing the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Exam: These mostly from local RYA instructors. Contact me off-list for a more robust version of what follows. ...
Our race westward continues with a long 860nm passage from the island of Malta, located between the Sicily and the continent of Africa, to Cartagena, Spain. ...