In this episode, Bela and Mike discuss getting tangled up in crab or lobster pot lines and selecting a prop shaft line cutter. If you sail or motor in saltwater, there are many parts of the world where you need to avoid crab pots, lobster pots, or fishing nets.  Getting any of these tangled around your prop shaft can cripple your boat and also potentially cause significant damage.  The best practice is to avoid them, but that is not always possible.  We discuss the various brands of prop shaft line cutters Bela considered and why he selected the Shaft Shark for his Hunter 45 DS.

Check out the Shaft Shark here:

https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=130687

Other Line Cutters:

We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].  If you would like to support the podcast, click on the sponsorship link below.

Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

In this episode, Bela has a conversation with Ryan Miller.  Ryan founded Lattitude Yacht Brokerage located near Newport, Rhode Island,  Ryan represented Bela as a buyer’s broker when he purchased his boat in 2020.  They discussed how Ryan helped Bela sort through all of the various sailboat models and then focus on the ones that were best for how Bela was going to use the boat.  They also discuss the many ways a buyer’s broker can assist during the purchasing process and will take care of the many details required to make the purchase.

Check out Ryan at Lattitude Yacht Brokerage here:

https://www.latitudeyacht.com/

We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].  If you would like to support the podcast, click on the sponsorship link below.

Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

In this episode, Bela and Mike respond to an email from Carter.  Carter will be going on a charter with his spouse for the first time.  Carter is an experienced sailor and his spouse is not. He wants to make it a great experience for all.  In his email, Carter asks for some tips on bareboat charting with non-sailors.  Bela shares some of the lessons he learned the hard way.

We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].  If you would like to support the podcast, click on the sponsorship link below.

Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

In this episode, Bela and Mike discuss the annual ritual of uncovering the boat from its winter hibernation.  It’s always an adventure as you never know how the boat survived the cold New England winter.  Luckily no critters had taken up residence in the boat for the winter, although a bird decided to peck away at my cockpit table cover for some nesting material.  With all of the lobster and crab pots around these waters, Mike also learns all about prop shaft rope cutters.  We also changed the name of the boat to Paradox.

We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].

Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

In this episode, Bela and Mike discuss a long passage Bela made from Shelburne, Nova Scotia to Marion, Massachusetts, USA. It was Bela’s longest passage to date and for the first few days the seas were rough and the nights cold.  It’s about 450 NM from Shelburne to Marion and the trip took about 91 hours.

We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].

Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

In this episode, Bela and Mike thank our first podcast supporter, Andrew.  If you are also interested in supporting the show, there is a link at the bottom of these show notes to support the podcast.

Bela and Mike also discuss chartering a sailboat.  What you need to know to charter, the credentials you may need, and how it all works.  They also highlight charter locations around the world and how Bela chartered various boats to get a better idea of the type of boat he wanted to purchase.

We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].

Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

In today’s episode, Bela and Mike discuss the destination of Shelburne, Nova Scotia.  Bela spent several days there during a passage from Halifax, NS to Baltimore, Maryland.  Shelburne is a beautiful small town in the Southwest part of NS.  It has a population of less than 2,000 with a rich history.  After the American Revolution, over 17,000 Loyalists to the UK left the Colonies and settled in Shelburne.  This rich history is still visible in much of the architecture of the town.

Some links about Sheiburne, NS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelburne,_Nova_Scotia

https://www.novascotia.com/places-to-go/regions/south-shore/shelburne

https://www.town.shelburne.ns.ca

We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].

Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

In today’s episode, Bela and Mike discuss buying a sailboat and how Bela ended up buying a 2009 Hunter 45 DS in the Summer of 2020.  Discussing sailboat brands and models is one topic that will get sailors all riled up, as everyone has an opinion.  The sailing forums are full of statements on why a specific sailboat model is the best.

Bela goes through his process for determining his requirements and then mapping those requirements onto the various sailboats models.  Reducing the long list of sailboats to the ones that match how and where they will be used and taking into account the sailor’s ability and experience is also key.  And the most important factor, make sure you are being realistic on how you will actually use the boat.

We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].

Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

In today’s episode, Mike and Bela reply to an email from a listener.

Mike and Bela,

Thank you so much for the podcast.  I am new to boating and I have found it to be very informative.  I have been thinking about buying a small sailboat for several years and I am happy to say I am the proud new owner of a 1979 Catalina 22.  As a matter of fact, the day after I purchased the boat, I listened to your episode #13 all about buying a trailerable sailboat.  And in the episode, Bela mentioned he had a Catalina 22 for many years.  So, I feel good about my decision.

Now, I must confess, I know nothing about sailing or boating.  I know even less than Mike!  I want to take the next several months, while the weather is cold, to learn as much as I can about boating and sailing.  I just do not know where to start.  Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks again for the great podcast.

George

We discuss the various sources for learning about boating and sailing.  Both formal courses from ASA, US Sailing, US Coast Guard Auxiliary, some great reference books, and of course YouTube.

We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].

Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

In today’s episode, we have a special guest, Sam Holmes.  Sam is an accomplished sailor, having sailed from Los Angeles to Hawaii, solo, in a 23 ft boat.  This past Summer, Same sailed from the Gulf Coast of Florida to Maine and then back South to North Carolina.  Most of this adventure was solo as well.  Sam also has a great YouTube channel where you can follow his adventures.

We discussed the challenges of solo sailing as well as the inspiration and feeling of accomplishment that comes from solo passage making

Check out Sam’s YouTube videos here:

https://www.youtube.com/user/SamoPajamo

We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].

Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike