My unit of the RCMSAR had 87 calls in 2015, making it the busiest volunteer marine SAR station in Canada. It’s a situation that motivates a tech enthusiast and advanced crew member like myself to think about better tools and procedures.
I’d been following this boat project for years, knew that it motivated Kees’s valuable CANboat work, and given that CANboat helped birth Signal K, I figure that Merrimac may earn a special spot in marine electronics history.
Digital Yacht was understandably hesitant about developing a gateway for Signal K apps and services that hardly exist yet, but the Signal K universal boat data concept — open source, entirely free, and created by unfunded volunteers — needs a commercial level NMEA gateway.
The bluewater brand from Down Under splashes a nimble weekender primed for coastal excursions.
The crew of Celt, a Nordhavn 43, explore Australia and Indonesia on their multiyear circumnavigation.
All the right things, in all the right places.
Bearings from the Editor’s Desk
Devising a safe, easy way to get our dog on shore from an anchorage required some innovation.
Before you go to sea, know how to access telehealth services, acquire medication refills and get medical care.
Planning for loss of steering and engine control requires familiarity, not new equipment.
A set layout is paired with an impressive list of standard equipment on a proven hull design.
When you can’t go any faster or slower, there are other options to help you arrive safely.
Let’s bring back these nautical words and terms. They’re better than the way we communicate today.
