Sail the world Archives

Blue Water Sailing Magazine just published my article yesterday. Usually Patrick writes this one, but this year, it fell to me. Special thanks to Jeff Carlile for helping with editing, back in July, when an article deadline was just one of many problems in my life 🙂

This article talks about the many things we added to the boat in Richards Bay, at the Zululand Yacht Club, as well as at the Hout Bay Yacht Club in Cape Town, just before Patrick passed from Covid 19.

It includes a review of our GOST security system, our Torrid Hot Water Heater, Coppercoat, Hypervent from Defender Industries, our Manson Supreme and Manson BOSS anchor, our Raymarine Autopilot, and Raymarine Chartplotter with Predictwind, Our Victron Battery Monitor, our Freedom Won Lithium Iron Phosphate battery upgrade, our Balmar Alternator, Regulator and serpentine belt kit, as well as Propspeed, and our Cubic Mini woodstove, as well as our Avon Dinghy/RIB.

Link to Original Article for Easier Reading..(the below may be too small to read here…plus there are other great articles in this issue of Blue Water Sailing Magazine!

Communication Evolution on Brick House : Iridium GO! Predictwind!

Predictwind & The Stormy Weather of Cape of Good Hope/Cape Aghullas!

What happens when a monkey swings from a Redport Halo long distance WiFi antenna on a sailboat in a boatyard in Africa?

We found out today. We are in a boatyard in Zululand Yacht Club…in Richards Bay, South Africa, as many of you know, and a monkey went “ape-shit” on our Redport Halo WiFi Antenna that we use for WiFi, from Global Marine Networks (GMN) The antenna hung there, horizontal…with coal dust heavy on the otherwise white antenna.

Its been a few years now since we put this antenna up..and while we don’t use it all the time, because we often have cellular data..it has proven it’s worth. We arrive to a country and don’t even have to get off the boat to get a new SIM card..and wala…we can get a WiFi signal and catch some internet, often complimentary! Sometimes we even get it Sailing up the coast before we ever arrive! Communication at sea at its best! More about it here

All cleaned up after 2 years and 5000 miles

We crawled up the stern arch, disconnected the antenna and brought it down to the deck. (it’s only a simple network cable, easily replaced anywhere, so if it had no problem!) So we cleaned it up, we applied new tape, and reassembled, tightening the little set screws, and put it back up. ITS WORKING!

So now we all know that a Redport Halo Long Distance WiFi Antenna can get beat up my a monkey in Africa and survive, and triumph!

And look at how stainless the stainless steel looks after 2 years. This thing is built to last!