Category: Advice
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Preparing Your Boat For Summer
Our summer plans include leaving the sailboat in the Berry Islands, Bahamas, at Great Harbour Cay Marina. I thought I would share how I prepared S/V Mahi for our absence during the tropical hurricane season. When you leave your boat for an extended time, there are many issues to consider. Here is our main list:…
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Provisioning Mistakes
Since our current trip to the Bahamas was the first major provisioning opportunity for Mahi, I knew there would be a steep learning curve. Mistakes would be made. So, I decided to share what has not worked in order to help future cruisers. In preparation for leaving, I had read multiple books on how to…
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Cleaning Conch
I just happen to love conch… conch fritters, cracked conch, conch salad, and conch burgers. I knew I wanted to learn how to catch, clean and prepare the conch while out cruising the Caribbean. Catching conch is easy, you just have to snorkel and find them. Once you find them, you free dive down and…
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Advice to New Cruisers
Joe and I have now experienced the steep learning curve of cruising- including a boat search, purchase, driving across the country to move aboard, then a refit, then back on board, provisioning, outfitting and now setting off. We thought we would post advice we wish someone had given us- or advice we wish we…
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Installing Your Lifeline Netting
This post is about how we added the lifeline netting on board Mahi. Lifeline netting is an important safety feature on a sailboat when you have young children and/or pets on board. Full disclosure- this was the first time we had put up netting on our boat. If we can do it, so can you. …
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Set a Deadline
When you are planning to cruise by sailboat, it is helpful to finally set a deadline. From experience, I can easily say that if you do not set a deadline for taking off, you and your boat will never leave the dock. With this in mind, Joe and I sat down this morning and set…
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Clean Water on a Sailboat
Good tasting drinking water is something you take for granted on land. On a cruising sailboat, the water on your boat may have sat in the tanks for some time, often in hot, humid climates. It most likely will grow out mold, bacteria, and algae. Something that I certainly do not want to drink or…
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Improving the Smell on Your Boat
When Joe and I were hunting for our cruising sailboat, one memory stands out. We were viewing a 44-foot sailboat for sale, and when we went below, there was a scented candle burning. “What smells are they trying to mask?” I whispered to Joe out of earshot. Once we opened the floorboards, the moldy odor…
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DIY: Foaming Dish/Hand Soap
On a sailboat, where the closest store may be a long distance away, you learn to stretch your supplies. This DIY life hack is great for both on land and sea, but especially helpful for offshore sail cruising. An added bonus is this DIY will save you money, too. Supplies: Large container of Dawn* Dish…
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Favorite Galley Things, Part 1
The holidays are upon us, so I thought I would share some of my favorite galley items. Please note that I am not affiliated with any of these products, nor benefiting from my recommendation. If you are looking for a gift for your favorite sailing or land-based cook, keep reading: Kuhn Rikon Pressure…
SV Mahi 