This is the content that mainstream training programs concentrate on as their training model is designed to address general sailing techniques common to all sailboats regardless of make, model, or type of vessel. The training is divided into classroom (didactic) and on-water (experiential) training. In basic keel boat training, for example, the common…

 This is the final installment of Part 3, the five on-board systems found on cruising catamarans.

For those of you who may not have been following these articles from the beginning back in September, there are five skillsets that every catamaran owner should master to assure safe and pleasurable experiences while cruising on a catamaran:

   …

 At first glance, to many people the topic of plumbing is about toilets, faucets and hot water. In this section we will be exploring five categories of water and how to manage them.

Fresh water and water maker

The fresh water supply on board any vessel is the most obvious, important, and valuable commodity. In the past…

ELECTRONICS

Welcome back as I continue with this overview of the 5 on-board systems found on today’s typical cruising catamarans.

Today we will be looking at the electronics, another huge topic with a very interesting and robust history that has changed not only the cruising demographic, but the way we sail.

I invite you to read the Yachting…

ELECTRICAL

Direct Current (DC) systems

I am starting this section with a confession: I am not an expert marine electrician. There are volumes have been written on this topic and armies of qualified marine electricians for support, but the scope of this presentation…

DECK HARDWARE

Before jumping into this topic, I wish to make a brief review of the main outline of this series. As I explained in the Introduction, there are 5 skillsets that each owner must master for an enjoyable sailing experience, regardless of the sailing location…

SAILS

In this episode, we will take a look at sails, without getting too deep into the fabrics and design of sails.

On most cruising cats, you’ll find two sails: a main sail and a jib. Each of these sails are triangular, with specific names attributed to each side and corner of the sail.

The top corner of…

Well, I’m finally back in port with enough time to talk with you about the 5 on-board systems that you will encounter on today’s cruising catamarans.  They are:

1.       Rigging/sails/deck…

In my previous post  I addressed maneuvering a catamaran in close quarters. This is but one aspect in piloting (driving) your catamaran. In this post I will be expanding on the entire topic but first let's define the term "piloting". There is a very good definition at www.themariner.com where, in part, they state,"The…

In my introductory post last week, I listed the 5 general skill sets that new catamaran owners need to be able to safely operate and enjoy the catamaran sailing experience. The first skill set we will discuss is the essential tasks in maneuvering a catamaran in close quarters.  From a practical perspective, this is the first…