Handheld Satellite Communicators for Boats Compared

by Andrejs

A compact orange handheld satellite communicator clipped by a lanyard to a stainless steel rail in a sailboat cockpit, beaded with spray, under open grey-blue sky with a dark offshore

A handheld satellite communicator sends and receives short text messages through satellites, shares your position, and carries an SOS button that…

Choosing Between a Garmin and a B&G Chartplotter for Offshore Sailing

by Andrejs

A chartplotter at a sailboat helm at night, dimmed to red-tinged night mode, with a wet, glove-covered hand pressing a physical key beside a rotary knob. Spray beads on the screen be

If you are choosing between Garmin and B&G for a passage-making boat, the spec sheets will not decide it.

Boat Taking on Water: What to Do in the First 10 Minutes

November 12, 2026November 12, 2026 by Andrejs

Close-up inside a sailboat's dim bilge: a rope-tied tapered softwood bung hammered into a bronze through-hull fitting with a split black hose beside it, seawater spraying around t

If you are asking what to do if your sailboat is taking on water, the answer is a sequence you run in order: find the source, slow the flow, then…

Boat Fire Extinguishers: Which Type for Each Space Aboard

November 11, 2026 by Andrejs

A small fixed fire suppression cylinder bolted to the bulkhead inside a sailboat engine space, with a red heat-sensing tube running along the top of the engine and a pull handle just outs

Fire is one of the few emergencies on a cruising boat that can go from a smell to an abandon-ship decision in minutes.

Boat Power Budget: Never Let Safety Gear Run Out of Power

by Andrejs

A clipboard with a hand-written load list on a yacht's chart table, a pencil resting on it, beside a small handheld multimeter and a VHF radio handset, warm cabin light with th

A flat house bank takes out the VHF, the AIS, the chartplotter, the navigation lights and often the autopilot at the same moment, and it usually does so…

DSC Distress Alert: Who Hears It and What Happens Next

November 9, 2026 by Andrejs

Close-up of a marine VHF radio mounted at a chart table, its hinged red distress cover flipped open and a thumb resting on the red button, the small screen glowing amber with a countdown,

Pressing the red button on a DSC marine VHF sends a short digital message, not a voice call.

Handheld vs Fixed Marine GPS: Day Trips or Long Cruises?

by Andrejs

A small aluminum jon boat on a trailer at a boat ramp in early morning light, a yellow handheld GPS clipped by a lanyard to the tiller-side gunwale bracket, with a cooler and a fi

Most advice on handheld vs fixed mount marine GPS starts with screen resolution and battery claims.

How a GPS Antenna, Chartplotter and Fishfinder Actually Talk to Each Other on Your Boat

by Andrejs

A small white dome GPS antenna mounted on a stainless pole at the top of a boat's hardtop frame, with open blue sky all around it and a cable running down the frame, while a VHF whi

Every marine navigation system answers three questions: where is the boat, how deep is the water under it, and what does the chart say is around it.

Ditch Bag Checklist: What to Pack and What to Leave Behind

by Andrejs

The inside of a bright orange ditch bag opened on a chart table, showing small colour-coded dry bags (red, yellow, blue, green) packed in separate compartments, a floating line wit

A sailboat ditch bag checklist is easy to find and easy to get wrong, because most of them are lists of everything that might help.

Lifejacket PLB vs Satellite Messenger: Who Answers Your SOS

November 5, 2026 by Andrejs

A sailor in a yellow inflated lifejacket floating in dark, choppy night water, one gloved hand holding a small PLB with its antenna pointing straight up toward a sky of scattered s

Pressing the SOS button on a personal locator beacon (PLB) and pressing it on a satellite messenger both send a distress signal with your position.

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