Gwyc

Sailing the French Atlantic coast is one of the most enjoyed activities if you want to tour the stunning continent of Europe. This is because the region's several coastlines have been regarded by many as one of the most beautiful places in the world. In fact, millions and millions of tourists visit France's Atlantic district every year. The origin of France's name is still unclear even at present. However, some European historians stated that it it is derived from the word "Francs" - a name of a tribe that once live in Germany. On the other hand, others have remarked that France's name was from the Latin word "Francia", which has been translated as "the land of the Franks". German scientists also...

Did you know that telltales along the luff of your sailboat cruising Genoa are just one of the places that apparent wind indicators will help you sail better? Follow these three simple tips to pump up your sailing performance for faster passages - or blow away the competition on race night! 1. Install Luff Telltales on Your Headsails Keep the wind flowing smooth and without turbulence across your Genoa of jib. These sails receive the wind first, so it's super important to trim them right. Luff telltales help you do this. Your sailmaker may have installed these when the sail was built. Or, add your own in a jiffy with these simple steps: * Measure the luff of your headsail. Divide this length by 4...

Do you know which chart symbols describe the best type of sea bottom for anchoring? Would you rather anchor in rock, mud, coral, or clay? If you go aground, would it be safe to back off of a shoal or could that action punch a hole in your boat? Learn the secrets of the sea bed to help you make these vital decisions. Your navigational chart breaks sea bed characteristics down into type, texture, and color. You will always see the type of bottom on your chart. Texture or color is often shown to give you a better description of the bottom type. Type of the Bottom Choose a hard mud or clay bottom for the best, worry-free overnight anchorage. Your boat anchor could drag in bottoms that indicate grass...

The Norwegian coast is a heaven for sailors with picturesque small towns and a coastline especially on the south coast filled with islands. The fjords and the mountainous landscape gives you the possibility to create interesting itineraries that are unique along the 1.200 nautical miles long coastline. The beauty of Norway doesn't only depend on its mountains and fjords but also on the diversity of its islands, which makes sailing in Norway truly enjoyable. All you have to do is charter a yacht, and then you can give yourself one unique and memorable holiday for you and your family. One of the most fascinating places to visit in Norway is Bergen. It is a small town, the income of which is much...

Does your small sailboat have a boom vang? If not, you won't be able to put the right sail shape into your mainsail on reaching points of sail. Use this easy 1-2-3 step guide to install and use a boom vang on any small cruising boat. Whether you call it a boom vang or kicking strap, you need one on your small cruising sailboat or racing sailboat to give you peak performance. This simple sailing gear ranks right alongside the mainsheet in importance. Imagine that your mainsheet and vang operate just like runners in a baton race... One runner (the mainsheet) starts the race and dashes toward the other runner (the vang). The baton is handed off and the second runner dashes homeward. That's just how a...

Have you ever had your Genoa sheet fail to grip your sailboat winch? Or maybe those turns jammed onto the winch drum when you were tacking up a narrow channel. Follow these three secrets to learn how to sail a boat better than ever before! Imagine trying to reign in a 200 square foot Genoa in 15 knots of wind by hand! You can determine just how much muscle power this would take with a simple calculation. Multiply the sail area (200) by the square of the wind speed (15 x 15) and divide the result by a factor of 232. In this example, sail force would be 194 pounds! (200 X 225 / 232 = 194). Your sailboat winch serves as a powerful workhorse to save you effort--and a strained back. But how can you put...

For most of my life I believed that the most frightening thing that could happen on a yacht would be a major fire. And I certainly don't wish to downplay the seriousness of having to deal with a fire onboard. However a boating accident some years ago made me rethink. I now believe that losing the keel is the one nautical emergency that nobody can plan for. The most worrying aspect about being on a yacht that's lost its keel is how little time there is for people on deck to understand what is happening. At first it must seem as though the rig is absorbing a wind gust. It would only be when the angle of heel became completely out of proportion to the wind that suspicions would begin. There could be...

Today, sailing is no longer seen as the rich person's past time. Nowadays, anybody who knows how to commandeer a boat can sail! And that can only be good news because if we're to take the comments of those who go sailing, Why You Should Get Into Sailing It's relaxing. You know that song by Christopher Cross called 'Sailing'? If that song alone was not able to convey how relaxing sailing can be for you, I don't know what will! Seriously though, sailing is really an extremely relaxing thing to do. There really is something to be said about 'being in touch with nature' and how it calms you inside and out. Sure, taking a walk in the woods can do that too but somehow sailing brings it up a notch higher...

Did you know that you have a choice of three types of marine sailboat anchor chain? But unless you know what look for, you may end up paying for poor quality chain that becomes a weak link in your ground tackle system. Use these tips to give you the edge so that you can make the best choice every time. All boats need to have some chain attached to their anchor rode. If you use a combination of rope and chain, attach a piece of chain equal to your boat's waterline (or longer) to the boat anchor. Next, join the bitter end of the chain to the rope rode. The weight of the chain will help prevent the anchor from dragging. And, it protects the rope part of the rode from the sharp edges of rock, coral, or...

Are you the true master and commander of your small cruising sailboat? If you want to take your sailboat cruising skills to the next level, you need to know how to make most any maneuver under sail--not engine! Get ready to pump up your skipper skills to new heights with the magic of the close reach! Did you know that of all the points of sail, only the close reach offers so many advantages for that ultimate goal of all true sailors--complete control. As sailing Olympian Steve Colgate said, "To sail well is to have complete control over the sailboat at all times". So how can the close reach provide you with this total control? Only the close reach provides you with all five of these super benefits...

There is no place further removed from the stress of every day life than a sail boat trip through the Grenadines. This archipelago of over 600 islands and cays, stretching from St. Vincent in the north to Grenada in the south, is still largely unspoiled by development. We recently joined several of our great friends, along with several now new dear friends, aboard the sailing vessel Flagship under the command of legendary Captain Roger Bagga. Along with the ever-efficient first mate, Coastman, and the aptly named galley mate Angel (pronounced Ahn-jel) whose delicious fare is still a topic of discussion amongst our group, we were well looked after for the entire day. Our party of ten left Barbados...

You've decided you want to learn how to sail. Now you just need to choose a boat to learn how to sail in. There are a lot of choices, and several things you need to consider. There are several different kinds of sailboats to choose from. There are wet and dry beginner sailboats. There are also more advanced kinds such as catamaran sailboats, and there are cabin sailboats as well. On Wet Beginner Sailboats, you can expect to get wet most of the time. You sit on the deck or on the floor. These boats are easier to manage so they are good for beginners. On Dry Beginner Sailboats, you will stay dry most of the time (in good weather). You sit on a seat or on the gunwhale. These boats make you...

The debate between wind generators, towed generators, solar power and the so called 'gensets' has been raging for years. The fact is that in these days with all of the environmental issues surrounding us, installing a genset is just a non issue. A combination of air, solar and water power generation is the only solution for most cruising sailboats. By most, we are referring to yachts up to 50ft. approximately which would comprise 90% of cruisers sailing our oceans. All these options draw their energy from the natural elements we are passing through whilst sailing - with a nil carbon footprint. They take up little room (excepting solar panels) and are silent - perfect! Stack this up against the...

History of Nautical Signal Flags: The International Maritime Flag System has been used for over 150 years by sailors and boaters to signal between ships and shore. In 1857, the British Board of Trade published the International Code of Signals for the means of maritime communications. The original Code included 18 signal flags, which could communicate as many as 17,000 different messages. In 1932, the Code was expanded to include six additional languages: French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Norwegian. By 1969, Russian and Greek languages were added and each of the alpha-numeric nautical signal flags was assigned a meaning under the International Code of Signals. Besides providing maritime...

Everyone wants the best of everything. The best house, the best cars, the best spouse, the best kids, the best digital camera. Hang on, maybe that last one doesn't really belong in this category, but hey, I'm just trying to make a point. What the point is, I'm not sure, but we'll get there. The best of everything, including digital cameras is something we've all be conditioned to look for. We all want to get value for our money. No matter what it is. The thing with cameras though, is that the technology changes so quickly, that by the time I finish writing this review, the next great batch of great cameras will hit the store shelves. Only too soon to be quickly followed by manufactures announcing...

Grenada is a spectacular beautiful island that has golden beaches; crystal water falls, flourishing green mountains and aromatic spice trees, which give this island its nickname as the Isle of Spice. From the months of January and March, you can see the hills blazing with flowering immortelle, bright-orange trees. The Grenada Yachting act is using the red light returning rule or IALA B rule. Unless you have drawn over ten feet, you no longer need to consider the 2 large ship channels floating outside the St. George or make use of the leading marks. The Grenada Yachting act also gives emphasis on the arrival of yachts. The rule states that arriving yachts are required to display their yellow Q as...

1. Planning a trip to a Spanish speaking country. There is certainly no shortage of exotic and fun places to travel to, where Spanish is a popular language. Mexico, Spain, Cuba, Panama, and Argentina are just a few. Just imagine how much more enjoyable a vacation in any of these countries would be if you could converse with the locals in their native tongue. Possibly even discover some secrets not revealed in the generic travel brochures. 2. Falling in love with someone who speaks Spanish. They say you can't pick your family, but you can pick your friends . . . and lovers. Maybe that cute Spanish speaking guy or girl you ride next to on the bus every day, would really be impressed, if you were...

Nikon digital camera suggestions might include a SLR digital camera or a compact point and shoot camera. The Nikon D3digital SLR camera is a nice little camera for the professional photographer. The body alone can cost about five thousand dollars and then you will need to buy the lenses, which could run you hundreds of dollars for just one. If you just need a camera for every day use, you might find the Coolpix digital cameras suited for your needs. The Nikon digital camera suggestions for the Coolpix digital cameras include the P1500 and the S700. The P1500 has 12.1 megapixels, four times digital zoom and 3.5 optical zoom with a two and a half inch viewing screen. This is a great camera for the...

Image stabilization Taking a shot of a vehicle in motion with a low end consumer camera can be quite tricky and frustrating: the resulting image will most likely be blurred due to the slow shutter speeds. To balance this, a lot of camera manufacturers incorporate the image stabilization feature their models, resulting in a better quality of the picture. This is definitely a feature to look for when buying a digital camera. Red Eye Reduction We all know how horrific red eyes look in pictures. Digital cameras got smarter and are taking care of this issue, we don't have to use a program like Photoshop to correct red eyes anymore. The red eye effect is due to the light of the flash reflecting from the...

Who has the time to shift through reams of product reviews, or spend a half a day driving around malls talking with salespeople? Half the time, you don't know what or who to believe, and all the tech talk seems to turn a simple purchase into a major event. If your looking to get the best digital camera available for under $200, you've come to the right place. There are a couple of good cameras (3 at most) to consider in this category. The remaining 90% of models in this category can be safely ignored. Over last Christmas, I had to make the same type of purchase. I didn't have a lot of time, and the wife thought a digital camera for her parents would be a great idea. As much as I'm a lover of...

Before showering praise or criticism on any specific telephoto lens, it may be worthwhile to expel a few words on exactly what a camera telephoto lens is, and what it does. In a nutshell, a telephoto lens brings the subject targeted by the photographer, closer to that said photographer. And as a result, produces a still photograph or video for any subsequent viewers that is larger, more detailed and exhibits greater clarity then could have been achieved without the benefit of an additional lens. A somewhat more technical definition would be a lens that is built from a rather long focal length lens, but where the actual tangible length of this lens is less than the desired focal length. That is not...

The best digital SLR camera for beginners and professionals is the Canon EOS Rebel XTi, however when the Canon EOS Rebel XSi comes out in April it will be the best camera for digital photography. Right now, the XTi is the best camera on the market. The camera is easy to use and has a superior performance. The camera is affordable for anyone wanting to take quality photos. The CMOS sensor was redesigned to match the new features of the camera. The camera has a 2.5-inch LCD screen with a cleaning system integrated within the camera. The camera is lightweight and continues to deliver the perfect images every time. The Canon EOS Rebel XTi offers three frames per second shots with a 0.2-second start up...

The Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III and EOS-1D Mark III have some of the finest features, but the IDs Mark III is a 21.1 megapixel full frame SLR digital camera while the ID Mark III is a 10.1 megapixel SLR digital camera. The IDs shoots five frames per second while the ID shoots 12 frames per second. The comparison between the camera s for RAW images and full resolution pictures is 12 RAW and 56 full resolutions for the IDs and 30 RAW and 110 full resolutions for the ID. Both cameras have a three-inch LCD screen. The best camera between the two is the EOS-ID Mark III. The Canon EOS 5D Digital, EOS 40D Digital and the EOS 30D Digital cameras have different features and prices. The EOS 5D shoots 60 full...

Isn't it the most wonderful feeling in the world: out in the open water on a warm summer day with the sun out and a cool, gentle wind blowing, the sea calm and everything moving about at a slow, leisurely pace. If you agree with the above statement, maybe it's time for you to invest in a sail boat and fulfill this little fantasy. But rather than shelling out thousands of dollars on a factory manufactured boat, why not build your own sailboat? It's the ultimate DIY activity, and if you are handy with a hammer and know even a little bit about carpentry, you'll find that building a sailboat is far easier than you imagined. And of course, the joy that you'll get from a boat that you built with your own...

Mexico, also known as the United Mexican States, is part of North America. It's located near Guatemala and Belize. There are also several bodies of water that are found in the area. These are the North Pacific Ocean in the west, the Caribbean Sea in the southeast, and the Gulf of Mexico in the east. Its location near the Tropic of Cancer makes it a pleasant place to visit all year round. The seas, meanwhile, is just as inviting for some sailing in Mexico. During your vacation, make sure that you can pass through the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez). It's located very close to several islands, such as Granitos and Mejia. From these islands, you can continue to Sail Rock and Window Rock, which is...

The square knot has a reputation as the "black sheep" of knots. But did you know that it has a rightful place on any small cruising or racing sailboat? Read on to learn the secret of when you would use this famous marine knot. If you've banned the square knot from you on-board "must know" list of best knots, hold on! Add this variation the next time you need to reef your mainsail. Learn to tie the slippery reef knot. It's nothing more than a square knot finished with a slip knot. This useful nautical knot has been used for hundreds of years on sailing ships and small sailboats to hold the excess sailcloth of a reefed mainsail. On the modern mainsail, the sailmaker places reef tie-points across the...

There are three main types of sails that can be seen on dinghies and yachts and that you will always here about in sailing. They look different and do completely different things. They are... - The Mainsail - The Genoa/Gib - The Spinnaker/Gennaker The Mainsail The mainsail is the work horse of the entire boat and provides the power for the boat to move. It must be properly trimmed at optimized to get the most out of it. If you are beating the sail should be fully in, reaching half in half out and if you are running fully out. In order to optimize the sail correctly, simply let it out until it begins to flap and then bring it in a bit. It is now trimmed for this current course and with the current...

Crossing a bar to get into a safe harbour can be a very dangerous part of sailing, and many accidents have been put down to unexpected heavy waves at the wrong time, unexpected shifts in the current, when the real cause of the mishap is the skipper's failure to observe simple rules. The majority of accidents incurred when crossing a bar are on the way into a harbour, rather than leaving it. This is because people plan the time when they want to leave, even the day, to catch the tide at the right time. They can sit comfortably at home and wait for the right time to go. Unfortunately, with all the planning in the world, you cannot guarantee that you will arrive at the harbour entrance at exactly the...

Yachting clothing is available in many different styles and can be found through multiple online retailers. As a part of your yachting hobby, dressing the part can help others on the docks to recognise you, as well as to help you feel more professional about your time spent on the boat. When you are on your yacht in jeans and a tee shirt, it doesn't really represent the image of a professional yachter. However, if you are in a great put together outfit complete with Helly Hansen port jackets and high fit trousers, everyone on the dock will know you mean business. Wearing Evolution technical shorts or trousers in a variety of colours along with an Evolution X-Static shirt will help to protect you...

How many times have you needed to heave a line a long distance to a dock or to another boat? How far could you heave a line to a person in the water? Make this sailing rope skill one of your top priorities on your small cruising boat. Follow these five easy steps for super accuracy... 1. Make the coil Use small diameter nylon or dacron line. If you are going to pass a heavy dock line, attach the smaller line to the eye of the docking line. Coil 100 feet of small line clockwise. Make sure it's free of knots so that it goes out in a smooth, easy motion. 2. Break the coil Hold the coil in your non-dominant hand. Pick up one third to one half of the coil with your dominant hand. Keep the bitter end of...

The gearbox on a friends' yacht started playing up recently. It is a simple Hurth box with a three position gear lever - forward, astern and neutral - which is all you need for the average sailboat. From time to time it would slip out of gear when going forward and then a few seconds later it would grab again and go back into gear. This was ok for a time, but it was noted that as is always the case, these malfunctions gradually deteriorate and become worse, never better, and that at some point in the future it would need some attention. Sure enough it gradually got worse and was staying longer out of gear before going back in again, to the point where the decision was made to take some positive...

The hardest competitive sailing of all, whether in the ocean or inshore, is when there is very little wind. In a moderate wind most sailors can perform well. In a strong wind fewer can. In a very strong wind, still fewer. But when the wind is really light is when the good sailors stand out. That's because not many can do it. There are some basic sailing techniques which will help improve your chances. Of the five ways listed here, the most important is the last -- concentration. 1. Ease off the backstay This lets the masthead move forward and loosens the forestay. Some years ago we were reminded of this technique by a prize-winning Canadian dinghy sailor. Using it, we sailed low but got the boat...

Do you know the secret to docking a boat with one line? Did you know that you can use this technique with a small sailboat or the largest super yacht? And it works on any boat every time! Use these seven steps to take your skipper-skills to new a new level today! Tap the magic power of a spring line Spring lines always lead in a diagonal direction from the boat. Those that are attached to the bow are called bow springs; those that are attached to the stern are called quarter springs (the "quarter" of a boat is near the stern). Springs that lead from the bow to a dock cleat or piling aft of the bow are called after bow spring lines. Use an after bow spring line for this docking maneuver. Seven simple...