https://safeboat.com/blog/ Practical writing on anchoring, marine weather, crew safety, passage planning and boat systems. en https://safeboat.com/blog/reading-a-marine-forecast https://safeboat.com/blog/reading-a-marine-forecast Sun, 04 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT Weather How to read a marine forecast: wind direction and knots, mean wind versus gusts, what significant wave height hides, why period matters, and reading the day. https://safeboat.com/blog/offline-charts https://safeboat.com/blog/offline-charts Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT Passage planning Phone GPS works at sea with no signal or data, but maps, forecasts and alerts may not. What to download before you go, and why a phone is your second chart. https://safeboat.com/blog/anchor-alarm-radius https://safeboat.com/blog/anchor-alarm-radius Sun, 27 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT Anchoring How to set an anchor alarm radius from your chain, boat length and GPS error, where the anchor marker belongs, and why a GPS anchor alarm cries wolf. https://safeboat.com/blog/leaving-boat-at-anchor https://safeboat.com/blog/leaving-boat-at-anchor Fri, 25 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT Anchoring When it is reasonable to leave your boat unattended at anchor, how to prove the anchor first, the dinghy ride back, security, and an anchor watch from shore. https://safeboat.com/blog/anchor-scope https://safeboat.com/blog/anchor-scope Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT Anchoring How much anchor chain to let out for the depth: what scope means, a table from 3 to 20 m, why 5:1 works, and when to let out more chain or rope. https://safeboat.com/blog/beaufort-scale https://safeboat.com/blog/beaufort-scale Tue, 22 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT Weather The Beaufort scale from force 0 to 12 in knots, with the sea state for each force and what it means aboard a 10 to 12 m cruising yacht. https://safeboat.com/blog/san-blas-sailing https://safeboat.com/blog/san-blas-sailing Sun, 20 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT Passage planning Sailing the San Blas islands of Guna Yala, Panama: clearing in and local fees, reading reefs by eye, well-known anchorages, seasons and being a good guest. https://safeboat.com/blog/raw-water-impeller https://safeboat.com/blog/raw-water-impeller Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT Boat systems How to change the raw water impeller on a marine diesel: the warning signs, how often to replace it, the tools, each step, and finding the vanes that broke off. https://safeboat.com/blog/sleeping-at-anchor https://safeboat.com/blog/sleeping-at-anchor Fri, 04 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT Anchoring Anchoring overnight without lying awake: the night’s wind shift, swing room, anchor light, snubber, dinghy, noise, rolling, and a way out in the dark. https://safeboat.com/blog/meltemi https://safeboat.com/blog/meltemi Tue, 01 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT Weather The meltemi for sailors: when the Aegean’s summer wind blows, how hard, its direction in each region, and how to plan passages and anchorages around it. https://safeboat.com/blog/night-watch-schedules https://safeboat.com/blog/night-watch-schedules Sat, 29 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT Crew safety Night watch schedules for two, three and four crew, with tables: 3 on 3 off, 4 on 4 off, 3 on 6 off, the Swedish system, handovers and when to wake the skipper. https://safeboat.com/blog/single-handed-sailing-safety https://safeboat.com/blog/single-handed-sailing-safety Fri, 28 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT Crew safety Single-handed sailing safety, honestly: the lookout rule, the sums behind the 20 minute nap, staying on the boat, and making sure someone knows if you do not. https://safeboat.com/blog/ecmwf-vs-gfs-vs-icon https://safeboat.com/blog/ecmwf-vs-gfs-vs-icon Thu, 27 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT Weather ECMWF vs GFS vs ICON for sailors: who runs each model, how fine and how often, where each one is strong, and why comparing them tells you what to trust. https://safeboat.com/blog/boat-manuals https://safeboat.com/blog/boat-manuals Sat, 22 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT Boat systems Where to find a boat owner’s manual or marine engine manual PDF, why the exact model and serial number matter, and which pages to read before you need them. https://safeboat.com/blog/med-mooring https://safeboat.com/blog/med-mooring Tue, 18 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT Anchoring Med mooring step by step: preparing lines and fenders, dropping the anchor, reversing in a crosswind, lazy lines, crossed anchors and taking a long line ashore. https://safeboat.com/blog/float-plan https://safeboat.com/blog/float-plan Mon, 17 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT Crew safety What to put in a float plan or sail plan, the worry time most plans leave out, what the person ashore should do when it passes, and a template to copy. https://safeboat.com/blog/passage-planning https://safeboat.com/blog/passage-planning Sun, 16 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT Passage planning Coastal passage planning in plain terms: a realistic average speed, a departure time worked back from daylight, legs and hazards, and a bail-out bay for each. https://safeboat.com/blog/vhf-mayday-pan-pan https://safeboat.com/blog/vhf-mayday-pan-pan Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT Crew safety How to make a Mayday call on VHF channel 16, word for word: the DSC distress button, the MIPDANIO order, Pan-Pan and Sécurité, and cancelling a false alert. https://safeboat.com/blog/anchor-dragging https://safeboat.com/blog/anchor-dragging Mon, 10 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT Anchoring The signs that your anchor is dragging, how to confirm it in under a minute, and what to do first, from starting the engine to re-anchoring in the dark. https://safeboat.com/blog/choosing-an-anchorage https://safeboat.com/blog/choosing-an-anchorage Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT Anchoring How to choose an anchorage: shelter from the night’s wind shift, swell and fetch, gusts off high ground, holding in sand or mud, Posidonia and a way out.