Category Archives: Boats and boating

Anchor alarm for iPhone

Posted on December 28, 2011 by

I found this very useful anchor alarm app for iPhone and iPad, made by the Active Captain crew. It’s called DragQueen, and it works using the GPS function to lock in a position while at anchor. When the anchor drags … Continue reading →

Posted in Boats and boating, Navigation, Sailing and Cruising, Technology | Leave a comment

Marine Navigation App for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

Posted on October 15, 2011 by

A great tool to view marine charts on iPad or iPhone. I used it while sailing in Thailand, and it works like a charm. Check it out: iNavX

Posted in Boats and boating, Maritime & Navy, Navigation, Sailing and Cruising, Technology | 1 Comment

17 million RMB yacht sinks immediately after christening

Posted on October 14, 2011 by

Found on chinaSMACK, no comment: http://www.chinasmack.com/2011/stories/17-million-rmb-luxury-boat-sinks-immediately-after-christening.html

Posted in Boats and boating, China, Cluster fucks, Ship Building | Leave a comment

Mainlanders join the yachting set

Posted on May 6, 2011 by

From SCMP: Caprice Lam took 90 minutes to close his first luxury-yacht sale – from the time the customer stepped aboard the 62-foot (19-metre) vessel on Hainan Island to the moment the bank wired the 35 per cent deposit. “I … Continue reading →

Posted in Boats and boating, China | 3 Comments

Shanghai Boat Show 2011

Posted on April 14, 2011 by

Just a heads-up for the coming weekend, packed with sailing and sailing related events. First of all from today till Sunday April 17, the Shanghai International Boat Show is being held in the exhibition center on 1333 Nanjing Xi Lu … Continue reading →

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A flag for Waratah

Posted on August 6, 2010 by

Now it’s official. Last week I received the registration and flag certificate from the authorities in Germany. Waratah will sail under German flag, and her home port is Hamburg, the place where I was born.

Posted in Boats and boating, Dix 43 project, Sailing and Cruising | Leave a comment

Congratulations, Jessica!

Posted on May 17, 2010 by

And YES, she did it! Congratulations to Jessica Watson for this major achievement, and her safe return!

Posted in Boats and boating, Sailing and Cruising | 1 Comment

In the water!

Posted on May 16, 2010 by

We had a few very busy weeks making everything ready for launch. Lots of electrical equipment and the batteries had to be installed, lots of rework had to be done, stainless steel work, painting of the deck etc. etc. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Boats and boating, Dix 43 project | 4 Comments

A good week

Posted on April 23, 2010 by

We made a lot of progress this week. All the hatches and leaking dorade vents are done, the main sliding hatch is watertight now. The rudder gland packing is in, the anodes are on, and the hull has the first … Continue reading →

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Fighting the leaks

Posted on April 17, 2010 by

Around all the hatches the rust in the gaps between the hatch frames and the deck has been converted, and primer applied. Today the fairing can start. The weather is still dry, so we will continue over the weekend. Found … Continue reading →

Posted in Boats and boating, Dix 43 project | 1 Comment

Getting started

Posted on April 15, 2010 by

Had a productive day yesterday. First I took all of the old exhaust hose and ductings out. Then refitted my water heater, which was installed and connected the wrong way. Placed all stanchion posts, and prepared everything to commission my … Continue reading →

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Durban again

Posted on April 14, 2010 by

I am in Durban again since Sunday to finish Waratah. Got started by going through the list of works with my local contractor. The list is quite big, with most of it rework. Sloppy paint jobs, wrong welds on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Boats and boating, Dix 43 project, Sailing and Cruising | 1 Comment

Year of the Tiger

Posted on February 20, 2010 by

I just came back home from a relaxing week, camping out at Dianshan Lake. Away from the fireworks and noise of the city, that marked the coming of the new year of the Tiger. I did a bit of sailing … Continue reading →

Posted in Boats and boating, China, Dix 43 project, Outdoors, Sailing and Cruising | Leave a comment

Windfinder iPhone app

Posted on January 12, 2010 by

I posted earlier on this blog about the Windfinder web site, useful for wind and weather reports. As an iPhone user I am happy that there is now also an app for Windfinder. There are two versions, that both can … Continue reading →

Posted in Boats and boating, Maritime & Navy, Meteo, Outdoors, Sailing and Cruising | 4 Comments

How to track ships with an iPhone

Posted on January 5, 2010 by

Check out this very cool app for iPhone. It’s called gTrax, and it lets you track ships through their AIS-B transmitter (an automatic identification system for ships, similar to what is being used in aviation). Now it covers the important … Continue reading →

Posted in Boats and boating, Maritime & Navy, Navigation, Sailing and Cruising, Shipping, Technology | Leave a comment