Sail Far Live Free

You may not need an anchor swivel between your chain and your anchor, but a quality swivel can help your anchor perform its job even better and store more easily. Shifting winds, changing tides, currents and swell can all make your anchor pivot, twist and turn in its set, potentially compromising the ability to hold firm. An anchor swivel minimizes the impacts of boat movement on the anchor set. It also allows the anchor to position itself in the right orientation when you bring it up to your anchor roller on the bow. Typical anchor swivel design John over at MorgansCloud actually swears against using swivels because the more traditional designs end up being a weak link when sideways torque is involved. One of the two screws can give way with heavy side loads or quick, jerking motions. Mantus recently introduced a new uniquely designed swivel that is stronger than the corresponding Grade 40 anchor chain, potentially making it the strongest link in your anchor/rode/shackle co

"Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake up and live!" - Bob Marley My favorite genre of books is, no surprise, non-fiction cruising/sailing books. But I've got to be in the right frame of mind to read and actually get something out of it. If it's not quiet or I've got other tasks looming, I might as well forget about reading. My mind just won't focus under those circumstances. However, the latest wave of cruising/sailing videos is there to fill the void. Often I'll put on my headphones and let my mind drift while watching YouTube just before bed. I know in a sense this is burying my thoughts and escaping the reality of a long, cold winter, but I've accepted that in the short term. Our addition (from a few boats & years ago)  to YouTube's cruising annals. Several years ago when I first started blogging (~2007), YouTube was still just an infant and there was little in the way of sailing content. Nowadays, there

Simple solutions. That could be a sailing cruiser's credo. And in that vein, the Scosche Magic Mount is a super simple solution for mounting portable electronics at the helm or the nav desk down below. I've been using the Magic Mount Original for about a week now with my iPhone 6 Plus and have been really happy with the functionality and ease of use. But before I get into the likes and dislikes, what is a Magic Mount? Well, it's essentially a magnetic mount that allows you to dock and undock devices quickly and easily in either landscape or portrait orientation. The base is similar to a lot of other mounting systems and allows for twisting, pivoting, etc. The base of the Magic Mount original (the model I think will be most useful to boaters) attaches to just about any surface using a sticky adhesive pad. If this semi-permanent arrangement is an issue for you, I suggest you consider one of the window mounts that use a suction cup instead. Magic Mount Original from S

Big Skies and Smooth Seas (by Hannah Walters)