We’re starting to see some terrific photos on Skipr boat pages. So we thought we’d encourage even more of you to put your best foot forward by having a small competition.

At the end of this month (31 May 2012), we’ll have a look at the photos of all boats on the Currently Cruising page. The best picture wins a prize ( a copy of Marilyn Graham’s “Coastal Cruising Companion“) and will be featured on our front page during June.

The rules are simple:

• The picture has to be uploaded to your page by 2000 hrs GMT on 31 May 2012.
• The picture needs to include your boat or part thereof ( not another boat of the same model)

And as they say, the decision of the jury is final!

In recent years, it has become pretty easy to enjoy full fledged Internet access on boats. Much of the coastline is covered by mobile broadband and most of us have learnt to take advantage of that in coastal waters. Dedicated wireless broadband “dongles” are economical to use or we can take advantage of the data-plans which are included with modern smart phones.

Further offshore or on a cruise to the islands, the options narrow. While various companies offer dedicated internet access via Satellite Transceivers, their cost is a barrier to most of us, particularly for casual cruisers.

Thankfully, there have long been economical options for email at sea. Here, we’ll look at a two such solutions, using HF radio and Satellite telephones. And with the introduction of Skipr Plus, it is now possible to  report a position on the Skipr system with just email access. [...]

It’s been a while since we’ve had a newsletter for users of Skipr.net. A bunch of things have happened since we “spoke” last. For most of you, this will be the first newsletter, as we’ve more than doubled the number of boats on Skipr.net since the last one!

In this Newsletter:

Skipr Plus
New Features
Boat Photo competition
Notable Tracks
Island Cruising

[...]

Over the past couple of years, Skipr.net has developed into a service which is valued by an ever increasing number of boat owners, their friends and family. Since this time last year, we’ve doubled the number of registered users, introduced the first version of our Smartphone/iPhone App, built more social features into the boat pages and implemented many “under the hood” enhancements.

Skipr.net has been a ‘labour of love’ since 2005 and the plan is to continue to expand its reach and functionality. While we feature some advertising and sponsorships (thank you, Boat Books), we now need profesional assistance with the website, which is beyond what we can afford with only modest advertising income. So we’ve been considering various options for getting funds to invest in the further development of Skipr.net.

After much deliberation, we have decided to:

• Continue to offer use of Skipr.net for free, we want to be open to all comers.
• Implement a Skipr Plus programme with additional benefits for those who are willing to contribute to the continued operation of Skipr.net
• Offer special for-a-fee functionality for clubs who run special cruise events.

Here is something to add to your boat’s bookshelf, the Coastal Cruising Companion. And before you ask, no it has no direct connection with the ‘CCCA’. The author, Marilyn Graham, cleverly calls it a Cruising Companion, to differentiate it from cruising guides like the iconic Alan Lucas cruising guides.

Cruising Guides are tricky, we expect them to be accurate, complete and compatible with our own level of experience. Marilyn Graham has taken the bit between her teeth and has written her Cruising Companion from the perspective of a novice cruiser.

In doing that, she has produced a terrific guide, worth having on any boat, novice or experienced.
[...]

We’re all familiar with Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacons (EPIRBs). Yachts venturing further than 2 NM off the coast are obliged to carry them on board. In addition, some of us may also carry Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs), attached to our life vests to help find us in a man overboard emergency.

Both EPIRBS and PLBs send a signal to overhead satellites to set off an alarm at the Rescue Authority, in Australia that is AMSA. While these beacons have a proven track record in saving hundreds of people in emergency situations, they still suffer from some limitations. For example, EPIRBs can only send an “all out” Mayday message, with no possibility of indicating the level of emergency, nor can rescue authorities acknowledge or establish return communications. PLBs will only send a mayday and position to the rescue authorities, rather than to those closest to the incident, usually surrounding vessels, who are in a position to provide immediate assistance.

A variety of alternative beacons and Man Overboard devices have come on the market and I thought it would be interesting to highlight two new types which overcome some of those limitations. [...]

On Australia’s East Coast, many cruising yachts now are on their way South after “wintering” in North Queensland. Many will decide to bypass NSW ports and make a 3 or 4 day passage direct to their home port.

When night sailing, sleep deprivation can be a safety issue unless managed thoughtfully . I liked this article from gCaptain, which  provides some useful information on the way we sleep and some interesting hints to manage micro-sleeps.

How do _you_ stay awake?

For those interested in tracking technology, we’ve launched a sister site to Skipr.net at  tracknsend.com. Over the next few years, we’ll see a whole range of interesting devices designed to facilitate reliable communication at sea and letting others where you are at any time. These might be dedicated tracking devices or satellite phone with additional features.

Some even propose that a new generation of satellite communicators may obsolete  EPIRBs.  No doubt there will be much debate before that is accepted! So, if you’re interested in communications technology and safety gadgetry, join us at Track & SEND. By the way, SEND stands for Satellite Emergency Notification Device !

This winter, I have had the pleasure of ‘crewing’ on the boats of a number of friends who were making their way North. It has been a privilege to sail with them, to see how others sail, trim and navigate. One insight was the wide range of equipment and approaches to navigation among my friends.

It prompted me to reflect on the rapid evolution of navigation instruments on our boats, from handheld GPS and PC based chart displays to dedicated chart plotters, smart phones and iPads.

When I started doing coastal passages on our first boat, it was a matter of purely visual navigation (I never mastered the skill of using a sextant). That was among the reasons why we didn’t venture far from our home port. The nineties saw the rise of the handheld GPS, which gave us accurate positions to plot on traditional charts and the confidence to do longer passages.

GPS units soon gained plotting and charting capabilities. On our boat, we started using software at the chart table, using a laptop which was connected to our handheld GPS. Last year, before our cruise to the Whitsundays, we installed an 8 inch colour chart plotter near the steering station and thought that was the “ultimate solution”. But is it? [...]

I have had a few questions lately regarding antennas for Mobile Phones / Mobile Broadband. As it happens, the “rules” for getting the most out of your connection are the same for other “line of sight” signals such as VHF radio. That’s because your mobile phone / mobile broadband set is basically exactly that, a radio.
So, as with your VHF set, it really comes down to three factors:

1. Distance from base station
2. Effectiveness of the antenna
3. The connection between the antenna and the set.

Let’s have a look at each of these factors in turn. [...]