Recently in Cruising resources Category

One of the members who regularly sends me interesting links is Chris Daly. I suggested to him the other day to collect links to some of his favourite sites for the benefit of fellow cruisers. Here's the result (also published on the Bluewater list ) [MC]

"The definition of cruising is working on your boat in exotic places"

There are so many sail cruising websites out there. Apart from the many tantalising travelogs, there is also a wealth of incredibly useful information covering all aspects of sailing/cruising a yacht. Sometimes you need to dig deep to find the good stuff. Following is a review of just a few of the many sites on my list.

We moved Rob's Passage Planner to a new high profile spot at http://skipr.net/notebook/east-coast/robs-passage-planner.html

For those who intend to participate in festivities on Sydney Harbour this Australia Day, here is a PDF document with information for skippers. You can get the information at www.australiaday.com.au

I'm heading up to Moooloolaba today to help bring Legless back to Sydney. And of course those ashore will be able to follow progress via the Skipr site. Meanwhile, Belage is about to take off North and I understand Peter will also use the system to track their progress.

Just to be clear, the system is available for anyone to use. If you'd like to report your boat's position via Skipr, simply register your boat (here's how) and start using it. It's free and easy to use. The only provision is that you need internet access to be able to log positions. But even if you don't have a "little green box" but only a mobile phone, you can probably find someone ashore who will enter your position at whatever interval makes sense. And if you're on an extended trip north, even just reporting from internet cafes might be fun...

Anyway, the system is there, why not use it?

Click below to find how you can access a full portfolio of charts online for free.

Not all of us devour every local sailing magazine from cover to cover. So I thought I would occasionally post here about items of cruising interest both in paper magazines as well as from online news and information sources.

Google has quietly updated its maps for our home cruising grounds with higher resolution imaging. Here is the destination for this weekend's cruise:

Check it out at Google Maps or at Skipr

This week we'll have a look at the CCC website. It has recently been redesigned and look quite professional. It is regularly updated and features a few sections  which we should think about incorporating into a future version of the Alfred's site.
One example is the Buy/Sell/Swap section on the CCC web site. Interestingly, a key success factor of such a section is to have a range of items for sale  and regular visits from  potential buyers, in other words to have critical mass. It may well be an area where we can cooperate by cross listing items between our web sites.
Regular cruise reports are a feature of the CCC site and are evidence of very active participation by club members.
The CCC's web master should be congratualated on a professionally presented and comprehensive site.

I have a keen interest in websites about cruising. Our site here is far from what it could be.  As a way to expand my own horizons and to (in)validate some ideas, I've been actively looking for  examples of useful websites. I hope to list at least one site per week here and give a short review of the site as well as a link to the site, of course. Your comments and pointers to other sites are welcome, of course.

This week, I had a look at the website of the RMYC at Port Hacking. Their cruising site seems to be managed by cruising members, clearly with a passion for cruising as well as their local area. The Port Hacking Cruising Guide is an ambitious project for a group of volunteers. While incomplete, it already looks to be a valuable resource for anyone planning a cruise to Port Hacking. There is much more to Port Hacking than just Jibbon Beach.
While there are some things which we need not emulate (navigating the site is a bit haphazard, showing members contact details online), they don't take themselves too seriously, which is something  we can occasionally only aspire to!

I like the site and its spontaneity. It makes me want to visit Port Hacking.