Scroll down the page to uncover lots of articles
about a range of subjects. Click on the title of the
article to read the article. |
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Using GPS
Do some basic
research amongst friends with boats and you will
find the most popular ‘accessory’ is a GPS, probe a
little further to explore why they have bought a GPS
and things often start to get a little vague with
references to “ so I can tell how fast I am
going” or “it tells me my position”.......... |
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When i was young.....
You
know that you are getting older when the driver next
to you at the traffic lights looks not a day over 12
as he burns off in his souped up Vauxhall Corsa.
What next? Kids racing powerboats and taking
powerboat courses – never!.......... |
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Poole
Harbour
~ St Tropez of the South
Or so says the tourist
literature, a grand claim for somewhere in the UK
but what’s it like as a place to go boating? Paul
Glatzel reports.It’s
that time of the year again and you’re sitting there
thinking about what a new season’s boating will
bring...... |
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Get some
training
I In Jon
Mendez’s previous article he detailed the changes to
the National Powerboat Scheme and outlined the
courses available. But which course is right for you
and what do they each involve? ...... |
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Courtesy of Motor Boats
& Yachting
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Swot team
If you cruise foreign parts, an
International Certificate of Competence is as
essential as your passport and Mastercard. And
there's no better place to take the two day course
than under some French sun...... |
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Courtesy of Racing Days
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Zapped in a
Zapcat?
"Swap your trusty steed for a
tiny little boat down on the Solent for a day. Those
Zapcat thingies, for instance, now
they sound fun!" the
Editor
suggested rather cryptically at
the end of a brain-stormin
....... |
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Courtesy of Boatlaunch
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Successful Launching?
Many
would-be trailer boaters are put off by the
potential difficulties of launching and recovering a
boat, their fears no doubt reinforced by watching
some poor soul
....... |
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Riding the Edge?
A
blustery unsettled day with the threat of gale force
winds promised to put a damper on our test of these
two new attractive looking Regals – or perhaps those
gales were to ....... |
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Paul Glatzel of Powerboat
Training UK
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Boating in Florida
“You deserve a break, go to Florida to check out the
boating there – fly Business Class just spend what
ever you need to” ….. okay the Sportsboat budget ....... |
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Courtesy of Icom UK
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What is a DSC Controller?
A DSC controller is a unit that encodes and
interprets DSC messages. In some radios this is
built-in and in others it is an external ‘add-on’.
There are various classes of DSC controller with
varying....... |
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Courtesy of Icom UK
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What
is GMDSS, DSC & MMSI numbers?
The
SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) International
convention lays down a wide range of measures
designed to improve and maintain the safety of
shipping. It applies to a wide range
....... |
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Australian Marine
Agency |
“Correct
Navigation lights………”
A
straight forward explanation of the correct
Navigation Lights for both powerboats & yachts...... |
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Australian Marine
Agency |
“Diving ………”
A
useful article for those who dive with some handy
hints and reminders ...... |
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Paul Glatzel of Powerboat
Training UK |
“Gone
with the wind …" ~
Windermere Speed Week
104mph
with your face about 6 inches off the water – you
must be mad! No, he’s Nigel Edwards and he’s just
got another new National Record at the 34th
Windermere Speed Week. ...... |
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Australian Marine
Agency |
“Buoyage ………”
If you
want some clear explanations about lateral marks and
cardinal marks then check out this excellent series
of visuals & descriptions...... |
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Australian Marine
Agency |
“Rules
of the road………”
A
clear explanation of the rules of the road for both
powerboaters and sailing vessels...... |
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Paul Glatzel of Powerboat
Training UK |
“Portland Coastguard, Portland Coastguard ………”
If you
boat on the South Coast in the area to the west of
the Solent and monitor your VHF then there’s no
doubt that you will hear plenty of conversations
between boaters...... |
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Quick as
a flash!! ~ A glorious English summer
Quicksilver is not immediately a name you will
associate with a range of powerboats as you may
recognise it as the product name given to the
accessories/spares range....... |
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Paul Glatzel of Powerboat
Training UK |
Cruising
in a sportsboat
Most of us
with sportsboats probably started out in the same
way – skiing, blasting around the local bay, trips
to the beach with friends and so on. After a while
though, and as your confidence grows........... |
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Courtesy of Icom UK
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Why
not to use a mobile phone instead of a VHF?
Modern marine
electronic equipment fitted to a craft, regardless
of size, is designed to operate normally when in
close proximity to other items of marine electronic
equipment. Specifically, marine....... |
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Courtesy of Icom UK |
Choosing a
VHF
This guide is intended
to help you choose the most suitable products to
help you communicate when at sea. It is not intended
to replace guidance from professional radio
resellers....... |
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Paul Glatzel of Powerboat
Training UK |
RNLI
Atlantic Helmsmans course
If
you are ever unfortunate enough to run into trouble
at sea then there won’t be a better sight than a
RNLI RIB heading towards you at speed to take you in
tow...... |
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Winterise your Outboard
It's
that time of the year again. If you live in a part
of the world where the days are rapidly getting
cooler and shorter, it just might be getting close
to being time to put the boat away for the...... |
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So you want to charter a RIB
This
thread is posted following John’s request for
me to start a discussion on the subject. I sincerely
hope that I have not made any mistakes but this is a
bit of a minefield of an area ........ |
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White
Shark boats - Zidane or Ginola?
Just look at the photos, what adjectives would you
associate with White Shark – butch, aggressive,
confident? – and what about a country –it surely has
to be Australia, Canada or the........ |
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A new
boater's experience
“Hi, I’ve just bought a Mariah, I’m bringing it back to Poole from Southampton
and want an Instructor to spend some time with me when I reach Poole,” was the
way I first got to know of Shani...... |
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Stuart McNamara
of Lough Ree
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Killcords - a sobering lesson
We were
shocked recently with what we encountered with two
"spurious" or or "non Yamaha" Yamaha out board
engine Kill cords . During the the last few weeks,
while stopping off ...... |
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Dave Mallett of
Wavelength Training |
Flares
- how to do it and not
do it
When you have been a coastguard for twenty years or so you
tend to think that you have heard it all. However there is always someone out
there to prove the saying “there is now’t as queer as folk”! |
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Paul Glatzel of Powerboat
Training UK |
Rescuing
a craft on a lee shore
It was
blowing up to Force 6 and squally with it - not the
sort of day you would choose for a pleasure trip.
However, dozens of intrepid dinghy sailors had
journeyed from far and wide...... |
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Paul Glatzel of Powerboat
Training UK |
Rough water handling in a RIB
- part 2
In
the first article in this series we looked at how to
handle a RIB upwind and how to deal with beam seas.
We summarised that the key was management of the
throttle...... |
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Paul Glatzel of Powerboat
Training UK |
Rough
water handling in a RIB - part 1
In
the same way that Land Rovers appeal to those who just drive off-road in Tesco’s
car park as well those keen to wallow knee deep in
gooey mud then so too RIBs are bought .... |
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Dave Mallett of
Wavelength Training |
Anchoring
- some tips, hints &
tales
Ask any potential powerboat instructor during his
instructor course what he would do should his motor
fail, leaving him drifting out to sea and he will
invariably answer that he should anchor the.....
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Propellers - Selecting the Best Prop for Your Boat
One
of the primary factors in propeller selection is
choosing a propeller that allows the engine to
operate at the maximum recommended engine RPM at
full throttle. This requires..... |
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'In the balance'
It is a
fact that RIBs, like a lot of other small powered
craft, are subject to being very sensitive to weight
distribution. Trim, a word used to describe the
angle or attitude of a craft when underway.... |
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Propellers
- get to know yours!
The
propeller. It's that metal thing that spins on the
back of your boat to make it move. It is often
overlooked by some boaters - if they have one, and
the boat works....... |
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Dave Robson of
Aquapower
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The new VHF exams.
If
you use any marine band VHF Radio equipment (including hand-held radios), you
are required by law to have an operators certificate, obtained from the
RYA, which authorises you to..... |
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Outboards
- the pros and cons of each type?
With
the increase in environmental pollution and in a
quest to reduce harmful emissions, the various
environmental agencies have been coming out with
stricter regulations on an........ |
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Paul Glatzel of Powerboat
Training UK |
Some
knots you must
know how to use.
No doubt there are entire web-sites dedicated to the multitude of knots that
you can use when boating.
Powerboaters generally though can get by with
just four. Knowing how to..... |
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Sea Cadets
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Canoe
Rescue
In general, canoeists provide their own rescue cover
and are understandably wary of power vessels manoeuvring close by. In some
circumstances however ..... |
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Propellers - ventilation, cavitation
& more.
Propeller ventilation is
caused by air from the surface or exhaust gases being drawn into the rotating
propeller blades. This results in the propeller slipping more than usual due...... |
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The art of safe and successful
anchoring
Knowing
how to anchor your boat safely is essential both as
a safety measure and if you are to be able to relax
fully when anchored in a quiet cove for an afternoon
...... |
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Teeside Nautical Studies
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So
you've got level 2!
Congratulations, you’ve done all the hard work in
choosing a RYA powerboat centre, decided on a
convenient date, bribed the wife (or husband) and
told...... |
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Paul Glatzel of Powerboat
Training UK |
Powerboat
Racing
As highlighted in a previous
Sportsboat article with more and more affordable routes into powerboat racing
there has never been a better time to start in this exhilarating...... |
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Sovereign Sportsboat Training
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How to safely pass
through a lock
A large lock can seem a daunting challenge to any powerboater. Saturday morning in July, twenty boats all gathering to squeeze into a confined
and congested space.......
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Paul Glatzel of Powerboat
Training UK |
It's easy to
throw - if you know how
We've all
done it, picked up a coil of rope held gallantly on
to it and thrown the remainder to the expectant
helper on the pontoon only to see our effort 'plop'
pathetically...... |
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'Heavy weather handling'
Skillfully
handling a small craft in a heavy sea is an art, and
like any art, its fascination is the elusive nature
of its mastery. There is not a seaman alive who can
claim to have..... |
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Towing
at sea
If you use your boat regularly then it's a
sure bet that eventually you will be involved in a towing job of some sort or
another. If you are a careful owner, and very lucky, you will be towing...... |
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Rules
of the Road
If you thought you left the rules behind you as soon as you left the car and
jumped into your boat, think again. Don’t worry though, they're not there to
restrict your fun - knowing the basic......
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How to
launch and retain your dignity
Being able to trail your boat to different venues is a
real benefit, but there are some golden rules to follow if you are to launch it
safely and efficiently, without beaching..... |
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Peter White of Seafever
International |
Get started in
powerboating
I have
spent a number of years working at various Boat
Shows and the different types of people looking for
boats never ceases to amaze me. One thing for
certain is that their type of boating..... |
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'Man
Overboard'
We all
tend to forget our own mortality, and think that the
nasty, things at sea always happen to someone else.
But, remember ..... to the rest of us, YOU ARE
someone else! ...... |
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Towing - a guide
I speak from mainly very good experience but on
one occasion very bitter experience !! Please make sure your boat is properly strapped
down to the trailer and make sure it is weighted correctly...... |
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Learning the ropes -
a beginners story
"Too
many people shy away from taking the approved training route through, I assume,
the fear of ridicule at the hands of their peers, so they carry on as
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Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission |
Hypothermia
- how to deal with it
Hypothermia
is a serious threat to Northwest boaters, and it
takes the lives of several Washingtonians each
years. Our marine waters and most of the
state's lakes and streams..... |
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