This episode of Boating Insights will help you to prepare for the voyage of a lifetime. John Hembrow joins Neil to share some of his extensive knowledge. John has been full-time cruising since 2009, created the Down Under Rally in 2014, and has led a range of yacht rallies in the SW Pacific and Australia since then. 

Learn more about the Down Under Rallies and membership

Learn more about the Blue Water Skipper Course Package

Changing some of the habits you have onboard can significantly impact the skill development of all involved. This episode takes you through some of the options you have for implementing changes through a typical day on the water that can help you explore more destinations, average more days on the water and avoid the issues that can come with skill fade and perishable knowledge.

The training courses we mentioned in the episode are all on this link aabboating.com/learn

For all coastal boating adventures, you will likely need an understanding of the tide. This Boating Insights video podcast episode takes you through some essential considerations to help make tide your friend.

The episode begins by looking at the potential impact of the tide on a passage plan.

The tidal situation can impact the flow and depths, or both. There are other localised impacts, such as on/offshore winds, heavy rain and flooding. You must know how to check and interpret how the range of the tide/tides compares with the mean spring range in your location.

It is also essential to confirm the quality of information on apps and whether it relates to verified information from official sources. Finally, in case of grounding, always know if the tide is flooding or ebbing.

We teach tides from an introductory to an advanced level with our internationally recognised RYA training courses. Each course builds on the knowledge gained in the previous course.

1) RYA Essential Navigation & Seamanship Course: aabboating.com/navigation

2) RYA Day Skipper Shorebased Course: aabboating.com/day-skipper

3) RYA Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Course: aabboating.com/yachtmaster

When boarding a boat from the land, a dinghy or the water, there are many details you can adjust to make it easier and safer for all involved.

As part of this episode, we look at some ideas if you accidentally find yourself in the water whilst boarding to help make sure you can get back on board or onto the dock again.

In this episode, we catch up with David Hows, the founder of Ocean Sailing Expeditions and the Ocean Sailing Podcast. David's a self-confessed sailing addict who loves introducing new people to his love of all things - sailing. David shares fantastic information about the options for gaining offshore sailing experience, training crews for emergency procedures at sea, buying boats overseas and some of his favourite destinations, which you can only reach by boat.

The Sea, Safety and Survival Course David recommends for all participants joining them for offshore passages is on this link.

Learn more about Ocean Sailing Expeditions and the Ocean Sailing Podcast - Click Here

This episode looks at some of the key need-to-know features of your marine electrical system. We go through the options of how you generate and store power on board, understanding the amount of power being used at all times, and how to avoid accidentally wasting power or avoiding being caught out by the batteries being run flat and not available when you need them.

For many boats, toys are a key part of the activity. This episode takes you through some of Neil's favourite boating toys, for swimming, fishing, towing, snorkelling, and paddle boarding, with tips on how to avoid your boat becoming overrun with toys and keeping everyone safe whilst you're using them.

Finding ways to make your boat safer and easier to use should always have a positive impact on how often and safely you can use your boat. This episode takes you through some of the options you could use to help keep the boat running smoothly and simplify your job of skippering and maintaining a boat.