Recent content by merlin

While we've been living aboard away from home we had a relative who was able to handle all our UK paperwork. This is no longer the case so we wondered how other people handle all the boring paperwork that crops up throughout the year while they're away sailing. The trouble is that a lot of it...

Two of us have lived very comfortably on a Moody 33 mark I. We converted the aft cabin to a very large athwart double berth by just replacing the trim along the sides of the in line twin berths with 3x1 for support and putting slats across. Including the foam and an extra cabin light half way...

We are considering spending winter '05 in Malta and would appreciate information from anyone who has experience of this. The RYA ´Foreign Cruising' Part 2 doesn't seem to suggest time limits to stays in Malta (we are liveaboards and would need to allow a stay of up to 8 or even 9 months for...

Thanks to everyone for their useful information (and history lessons). Further research (of the semi-anecdotal type i.e. from those who should know, but undocumented), reveals that allegedley the CE requirement is 8 litres for each CE 'registered' berth (CE categories for newish boats). Also...

We are currently cruising around the Med in our british registered yacht and want to fit a holding tank for use in anchorages. We are currently in Spain and hope to cruise through Italy and Greece to Turkey. Does anyone know of any regulations for holding tanks, or any guidelines for sizing? We...

Does anyone have any information or tips on how to adjust the compass on a steel yacht? Any tips or sources of information gratefully received. Thanks, Merlin <hr width=100% size=1>

Good idea - the existing 'non-slip' is a bit glass like after all those years! <hr width=100% size=1>

Thanks very much for the professional sounding advice. As you say, not what I wanted to hear but at least now I know the score and won't waste time mucking about looking for other solutions. Time soon to sharpen that scraper and get on with it! Luckily we do liveaboard so we have a bit more...

Oh bugger! Thanks for the info anyway. The boat in question has a light blue deck and as you can imagine after over 20 years the colour has faded to different shades in different places. The manufacterers can't be very precise about the colour and it wouldn't matter anyway since it's all been...

I have a 1978 boat which is in generally good shape. I have noticed several patches on the deck and companionway hatches where the surface seems to have pinpricks in, some larger than others. The patches look like they have been there for some time and are the sort of thing that could have been...

Look at franksingleton.claranet.co.uk for lots of information on weather forecasts, sources and uses. Do a websearch for jvcomm for some excellent software that's a free demonstrator with a very good tuning aid. If you continue to use it you can pay to stop 'demo' from cropping up every so...

Re: marine v ham We've been in the Med since September last year. We found the reception on navtex patchy to say the least. I've used the rx only ssb we have to listen on 518Khz and heard music being broadcast, albeit faintly, so I now have an idea why! We came down from the Rhone to Barcelona...

I would try a search on the internet for a local chandler who may be able to post something suitable via an online 'shop'. If you're going somewhere different presumably a small dictionary would be useful, so some sailing terms in the local language could be used as a basis for the search...

I asked a similar question last year before I came down to the med in my boat. The replies were similarly mixed (a euphemism). The pilot books and RYA booklet 'Going Foreign' have some information on the G5 tax - officially it's light dues. This is not a large amount and also not the question...

I'm interested in using my PC to provide a supplementary charting system that has more detail than the UKHO charts and covers wider area than the pilot books chartlets. Having looked at some chartplotters available they would seem to be like peeking through a letterbox at a chart so it would...