It’s been 2½ years since I took my Yachtmaster Coastal and I felt ready to move on to the offshore qualification. Last time, I made the conscious decision to take it in unfamiliar waters so as to force me to be thorough in checking out the local hazards. Continue reading Yachtmaster Offshore Exam
All posts by Paul Blacknell
Windchat takes force 6, gusting 7, in her stride
A day out on the water in February isn’t top of my list and so as our confidence in the forecast for strong winds grew as the day drew nearer we wondered if we’d live to regret it. Continue reading Windchat takes force 6, gusting 7, in her stride
Round the Island 2016 on Windchat
This year we’re crewing on Pete the Knot‘s Marcon Cutlass 27 Mark III ‘Windchat’. Built by his dad and two mates in 1973 two years before he was born, Pete bought it in 2015 for £10 and has spent considerably more restoring it in the boatyard she was built in. Continue reading Round the Island 2016 on Windchat
Comparing our Estimated Position with GPS fix
On a recent crossing from Portsmouth to Honfleur I was interested to see how significant the error was between our actual GPS position and that recorded in the logbook using time & distance covered through the water by dead reckoning or estimated position. Continue reading Comparing our Estimated Position with GPS fix