| The process of getting ready to go cruising can sometimes seem like the Hyrda of mythology: as soon as one group of tasks gets lopped off, three more groups grow in its place! It can seem like the more we do, the more there is to do. At times the experience is overwhelming, and it may seem like those damn dock lines will never be untied! Well, take heart. You're at Take Her Sailing now, and between the camaraderie of The Virtual Anchorage, the THS and Capt'n Pauley booklets series, an our teleconsultations, we'll get you onto the water as quickly and as prepared as possible! The THS Short Shots are another source of inspiration and utility for your cruising preparation. I came up with the "short shot" concept in the course of writing my second booklet (Messing About with Boats, Part 1: Choosing a Cruising Boat). As I wrote about the factors that go into a cruising boat, I started thinking about all the little things that go into managing a cruising life. I've told landlubbers who are fascinated with my "weird" life that living on a boat is like having a car, a plane, and a house all rolled into one...and that's true! So my original concept for Short Shots was to provide short downloadable documents that target very specific aspects of managing the lifestyle. That concept is still an element of the Short Shot products, and there will be a growing list of tools in the form of lists and spreadsheets that you can choose from. The first Short Shots, though, are a bit different. The first shot, A Year of Cruising Tips, evolved from something I gave Skip to count down his days to retirement. I compiled 101 quotes from all kinds of sources that had to do with sailing, adventure, and living a different life, and put them onto numbered postcards. Starting at number 100, he turned over a new card every day, until Day 0 ("Free at last! Free at last!), which was his last day of work. Remembering how those cards were fun and a source of inspiration for him, I decided to offer you something similar. To keep you inspired and excited in the midst of all the work, I have compiled a set of cruising tips--things that I have learned over my two decades of roaming the seas--and accompanied each tip with a cool cruising quote. The tips range across a whole bunch of topics--provisioning, health, safety, and on and on. You'll get one tip delivered to your email inbox each week for a year. The second shot is an offer of convenience more than anything else. If you have read the "Cruising Places" area of the Free Stuff section of this site, you know that I have provided a lot of material that was published in my cruising guide to Panama back in the 90s. If Panama is on your itinerary and you find that information useful, I suspect it would be easier for you to download my material as a cohesive document rather than as web pages. So I've put a slightly updated version of Panama By Water together and offer it here at a nominal cost.
Take Her Sailing Short Shots Shot #1 - A Year of Cruising Tips at an introductory price of $9.97
Get some inspiration along with useful info! A cruising tip and a cool cruising-related quote delivered to your email box once a week for a year. Buy now Shot #2 - Panama By Water all in one document for $4.97
The same cruising information found on THS's "Cruising Places" pages, put together into one downloadable PDF document. Buy Now COMING SOON!
Short Shot #3 - Electric System Spreadsheet
This preprogrammed Excel spreadsheet allows you to list all the electrical components of your boat's systems and calculate your predicted usage in different scenarios. Besides allowing you to see the big electrical picture of your boat, this tool will help determine the size and type of electrical plant needed to run everything. | 
