Sail Far Live Free

Can chart plotting and navigation on the iPad replace more traditional marine electronics?  I've been using a combination of electronic devices for navigation over the last couple of seasons and thought now would be a good time to review one of my favorites, Navionics HD for iOS on the iPad 2 . For reviews of another great mobile chartplotter app, see my review of MotionX GPS . I have traditionally used a Garmin GPSMap 76cs Plus handheld plotting GPS and more recently added a netbook computer running the free OpenCPN chartplotter software tethered to the Garmin.  You can see this system in action here .  More recently, I've put the Garmin in a back-up role and begun using the Navionics HD app for iOS on my iPad 2, along with a suite of  other great navigation and sailing apps . Chart screenshot from Navionics HD Let's get some iPad basics out the way first.  The iPad's size, touchscreen and brilliant display are excellent for looking at charts.  However, t

 Snow blob  We finally got some accumulating snow here in the Great Lakes , which has got me looking at pictures and videos from sailing seasons gone by. Multimedia has a remarkable way of changing my mental climate like a fast approaching low pressure system out on the water.  So to contrast the first picture and give myself and excuse to try out iMovie for iOS on the iPad, I whipped up the following video.  Take a quick one minute sail aboard  Island Bound ...

I was once told by an old salt that you can't really claim to have any gunkhole experience until you've run your sailboat aground.   I'm not sure I agree with his statement, but it did force me to think about my course of action if I ever do run aground. Photo Credit: Jeff Chew / AP Depending on where you sail, running aground can be the result of several mostly avoidable circumstances.   First and foremost, it is imperative to know the accurate draft of your vessel, even under different crew and cargo situations.   Secondly, you need to know as much as you can about the water you're sailing in.   That means having some combination of a reliable depth sounder, quality charts, local knowledge (tides, currents, etc.), and experience.     However, even the best and most prepared captains can make mistakes.   Running aground can be embarrassing at the least and downright dangerous to boat and crew at the worst.   If you do run aground, remain calm.   Your first priority

I originally planned to make a blog post about the “ 10 Best Sailors ” , but I quickly realized I ’ m in no way qualified to assemble such a list.   However, I can confidently say which famous sailors have most influenced and inspired my own life.   My list focuses on famous sailors known to many.   Truth be told, there are many more ordinary “ everyday Joe/Jane ” type sailors who have inspired me every bit as much as those in my list below, but they ’ ll be the topic of a future blog post.   And so, I present to you my personal list of the World ’ s Top Ten Most Inspirational Sailors.     10) Francis Chichester : The favored route around the world by cruisers today is by far the east-to-west "milk run" that roughly follows the trade winds near the equator.   Chichester instead sailed solo around the world from west-to-east in 1967, rounding all of the great capes (Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin, and Cape Horn) via the "clipper ship route".   Not only does t

The following is a reprint of one my articles that was recently published in Good Old Boat magazine (November/December 2011 issue - Thanks Karen!).   I originally titled the article “Awakening from a Cruiser’s Dream”, but the editors went with “A Cruise Feeds the Soul”.   Some of you may have already read this article in the magazine, but it’s some of my most inspired and honest writing so I wanted to also share it here on my website. A CRUISE FEEDS THE SOUL By Kevin Walters The docklines are once again tied and my feet plod once more on solid ground.   My body is back in port, but I don’t know if my sailor’s soul will ever make it back to the dock.   Perfectly peaceful anchorage in Baie Fine, Ontario Before we left, I did my research.   I read all I could and talked to everyone who would share their experiences about the pros and cons of taking an extended cruise on a small sailboat.   Now that we’ve returned, I realize most weren’t honest about the most difficult part of cruis