Lifestyle Sailing Blog

Lifting Keel Yacht For Sale

John — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:13:41 +0000

If you are ready to go sailing, we invite you to come to New Zealand and visit this beautiful craft. She is our bench mark for a state-of-the-art live aboard yacht built to serve a couple that is both adventurous and wants the comfort and safety that is possible in a strong modern sailing yacht.

Read on for more details.

(more…)

Why are aircraft safer than yachts?

John — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 19:02:10 +0000

Is it true that flying at 100’s of mile an hour is less demanding on an aircraft than sailing across the ocean at 10 knots. Probably not, but it does seem that we have come to expect planes to fly and yet are never surprised when yachts breakdown, even spectacularly, losing keels, rigs or filling up with water and sinking.

Here are some observations of a sailor who works as an engineer with aircraft. (more…)

Maintenance is good for you (and your yacht)

John — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 21:19:52 +0000

We all know that maintenance is good for boats, that’s how they get to live a long life. But have you considered that maintenance may be good for your confidence, boat handling skills and seamanship?

Let me explain… (more…)

Is the Ocean a dangerous place?

John — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 22:01:05 +0000

Does sailing across the ocean have to be a scary experience? It certainly sounds like it from all the stories we get told.
I do agree that nothing appeals to sailors more than the delight of telling stories and more specifically the delight in telling horror stories of near miss, life and death situations.

I know it doesn’t have the same story telling appeal, but my experience has been one of always crossing the ocean safely and without incidents. (more…)

What is the secret to safe sailing in heavy weather?

John — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 18:00:38 +0000

There are probably as many opinions as there are sailors as to what is the safest way to handle heavy weather. The most popular strategy these days, which is usually possible with accurate weather forecasting, is to stay away from heavy weather.
However that doesn’t answer the question, and doesn’t apply if you take the attitude of lets go sailing whatever the weather. (more…)

The three rules of sailing

John — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 22:23:40 +0000

The three rules of sailing are:
1. Keep the boat off the land.
2. Keep the water out of the boat.
3. Stay on the boat.

Everything else is optional.

Could sailing be this simple? (more…)

What do sailboats hit?

John — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 22:08:21 +0000

Are you confused about the real dangers of hitting things at sea?
Reading the media, it would not be unreasonable to conclude that the ocean is littered with containers and whales just waiting to be hit by you as you sail along. Is this the case?

There is usually a difference between what we talk about and what statistically is likely to happen. (more…)

Live-aboard or cruising, what is the difference?

John — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 06:29:36 +0000

What is the difference between a cruising yacht and a live-aboard yacht?

When you look at a boating catalog, yachts are often described as either a cruiser or racer or racer/cruiser. And this indicates the intended use of the boat. Racer yachts are obviously intended for racing and cruising for cruising. The thing they all have in common is that all these boats intended use is ‘recreational’. They are intended to be used in the weekends and on holidays and the rest of the time they spend their life sitting empty in a marina.

Now compare this with the house you live in and a holiday house. (more…)

Why does safety take practice?

John — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 19:00:59 +0000

When I was sailing a lot, I realized that what made sailing safe was that I was sailing a lot.
Because I had lots of practice, I saw situations develop and I knew ahead of time what to do. I knew how all the systems worked on the boat without reading any instructions and could go about the business of sailing night and day without any problems. The secret here is practice. (more…)

How long does a yacht last?

John — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 19:00:23 +0000

Usually most conversations on the topic center around the choice of hull material and how each material deteriorates over time.

Instead I suggest that a yacht will last as long as someone loves it. (more…)