Nuts & Boats
A bimonthly newsletter for to-be and already-are cruisers

• What are some cruising strategies to know about?
• Where are people going on their voyages?
• How are they getting there?
• What gear is good to include? What is not good to include?
• How expensive is cruising in different parts of the world?
• What are some hazards to watch out for?
• What are some good cruising destinations?

There is so much to talk about and to learn when it comes to cruising. It doesn't matter if you are just starting out or have been on the water for years. I, for one, love to engage in conversations about cruising, and Skip (my husband) will tell you that I love to talk and that I am full of opinions!

In the twenty years that I've been part of the world's largest village, a lot has changed. Improvements in gear, electronics, and communication have impacted many areas of the lifestyle. More and more people are joining the village, and their itineraries and cruising styles are more varied. Once uninhabited anchorages have been populated and built up.

A lot has stayed the same too. The trade winds blow in the same patterns, the Gulf Stream still carry warm tropical waters north off the U.S. east coast, and the Intertropical Convergence Zone continues to move up the globe every year, providing the ingredients to spawn tropical storms and hurricanes. Anchorage characteristics, the natural aspects at least, are much as they were decades ago.

"Nuts & Boats" is my way of engaging in a conversation with others in the cruising village. Sent twice a month via e-mail, it covers practical matters and ideas that are intended to spark your thinking. I keep the newsletter short and in text-only format so that it can be read no matter what email transmission mode is used.

Based on my own experiences, "Nuts & Boats" present a variety of topics--some informational, some editorial, and some (perhaps) controversial. Depending on article length, each newsletter contains one or two pieces. Examples of upcoming articles include:

• Ditch the Wind Vane!
  How necessary is a self-steering vane, really? I share my own thoughts on whether or not this item is a must-have aboard a cruising sailboat.
• Dock Talk: As the Anchor Drags
  Calling the cruising fleet a "village" doesn't just describe the neighborliness of its residents. It also applied to their nosiness as well, and the gossip that runs around any village where human beings live.
• It's Not a Telephone!
  It's easy to treat the VHF like a telephone, but beware! There may be others listening in on your conversations.
• Top Ten Tools for Reluctant Single Handing
  Skip recently reluctantly single handed on a couple of legs on our trip through Florida. These are the top ten things he made sure were within arm's reach whenever he was underway.

Special Offer for Subscribers on HF Radio, cellphone, or PocketMail
If you are using a "slow" text download for your e-mail, you can receive a Nuts & Bolts in a different version. I will split up each issue's two articles into separate messages and will omit the instructional text normally at the top and bottom of each issue (e.g., how to unsubscribe). If you want this version, send me an e-mail requesting the "Slow Text" Nuts & Boats.

Join the conversation! Subscribe by e-mail or use in the subscription box above to start receiving "Nuts & Boats" twice a month!