On our PBO Project Boat Maximus we need sonar simply for measuring depth, but the advanced electronics of fish finders and forward-looking sonar can show shoals of fish and give…
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What is NMEA 2000, SeaTalk 2, STng, Simnet and other systems?
NMEA 2000 uses the CAN (control area network) designed originally for the automotive market, but adapted for the marine industry. The older version, NMEA 0183, allowed a GPS or chartplotter…
‘Orcas are playing with the yachts’ – experts’ theories after sinking
Marine biologists say evidence suggests that orca interactions with yachts are ‘playful’ rather than aggressive, but at risk of becoming ‘learned behaviour
Best British cruiser-racer boats: Our pick of the secondhand market
Many sailors tend to steer clear of yachts dubbed as cruiser-racers when they’re browsing classified ads or brokerage lists in search of their first (or next) cruising yacht. I often…
Two pilots rescued from liferaft after plane crashes into the sea
Pilots Paul Clifford and Duncan Laisney were rescued from a liferaft after engine failure caused caused them to ditch their light aircraft in waters off Jersey’s south-east coast. All three…
Video footage of shipwreck identified as steamship Virago
Six divers from Guernsey are celebrating ‘the discovery of a lifetime’ after identifying a wreck as steamship Virago that disappeared 140 years ago.
Channel Hopping: Outer Passage – formerly known as Sailing Panda
Our resident YouTube aficionado Kass Schmitt ponders if “as seen on YouTube” charters could be a new trend.
90 boats, 400 crew and a cat set sail across the Atlantic
PBO was at the start of the transatlantic rally to wave off the boats in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria as they set sail for Mindelo, Cape Verde. “It’s the perfect…
Transatlantic joy as Sweet Dreams sails again after tragedy
“John’s death was very sudden and unexpected,” says Roz Preston, a former special advisor to Tony Blair. “The first time someone asked me what I’d do with the boat, I…
Zeasar: the sailing cat
Cats have long enjoyed a relationship with sailors; living on trading, exploration and naval ships to control vermin, but it’s not often you see them on a 47ft yacht. Weighing…
Boat power management: How to keep your batteries topped up
Now we’d decided on batteries for Maximus the next conundrum was how to keep those batteries charged. Premier Marinas had kindly offered us a berth at Chichester Marina for the…
What battery capacity? Working out your boat’s power requirements
In order to work out your boat’s battery capacity you need to know how much power you’re going to draw, and this requires you to get your head around three…
Boat batteries 101: Which battery is the best choice for my boat?
We’d borrowed a lead acid battery from our marine electrician, Adam McMenemy, which would get the Maxi 84 afloat and through the lock to Chichester marina. However, now she was…
Best boat battery: The pros and cons of the 5 different types of marine batteries
Sometimes (though not on Maximus) there’s a third set of batteries for high power items such as a bow-thruster or electric windlass. Wet lead acid Batteries that have liquid electrolyte…
Musto MPX offshore jacket 2.0 review: As comfortable as it is stormproof
The base fabric has a new generation three-layer Gore-Tex Pro membrane, while recycled nylon used for the face material. This results in an efficient, but impressively lightweight and comfortable, garment…
Boat polishing tips: How we got the PBO Project Boat’s topsides gleaming
After the 2020 sailing season was largely lost to lockdown, Maximus had been ashore at Dell Quay in Chichester for two years when my wife, Ali, and I took her…
Sarum 28 refit: How we completely overhauled this aluminium bilge keeler
Occasionally I’ve said that if someone were to look into one of my ears they’d see daylight out of the other. Owning one boat is questionable, owning two defies sense.…
Boat rewire tips: How we completely rewired the PBO Project Boat
Our marine surveyor Ben Sutcliffe-Davies switched on the instruments of our Maxi 84, Maximus, and I held my breath. Nothing. We hadn’t expected there to be any life in the…
Leaky boat repair: How we plugged the gaps in the PBO Project Boat
Leaky portholes and portlights are common on cruising boats, but there are several things we can try to solve the issue, as we discovered. In his survey, Ben Sutcliffe-Davies had…
How I set a world record crossing the English Channel on my solar-powered boat
Developing the first boat to cross the English Channel powered directly by solar panels (with no batteries) was a rather circuitous journey. It had started a couple of years earlier…