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"One way to tell inexperienced sailors from old salts is to follow their eyes as they come up from the cabin below."
John Rousmaniere
Navigation Skills
From VHF, through Mobile Phone to SSB, Ham, and Satellite, Communications Systems, with sophisticated Antennae are handing cruisers' Distress Signals, E-mail & Internet, and other traffic
Alternators, Generators, Solar, Wind or Shore Power are often the most complex systems on a cruising boat, along with Batteries, Charger, Battery Monitor, and Breaker Panels, Wiring and Electrolysis and Galvanic protection devices.
The old standbys, Charts, Piloting Skills using standard Instruments, plus Celestial Navigation are giving way to GPS, Plotting Systems, Weather Routing and other electronic aids. But the Rules of the Road haven't changed much.
Diesel Engines with their Lubrication, Cooling and Exhaust, Tanks and Filtering systems, and the normal drive train of Transmission, Shaft, and Propeller, are the norm, but there is a case for Electric Propulsion too.
Like Joshua Slocum, you may want to try Sheet-to-Tiller Steering, but Wind Vanes, Autopilots, and even Bow Thrusters are the preferred steering methods of avoiding or enhancing hand steering.
Water Heaters, Filters, Tanks, Pumps and Pressure Systems are the norm. Or you can get water on passage with a Watermaker or Collecting Rainwater.
Whether it's a take-the-chill-off heater or a serious Heating or Air Conditioning systems, a lot of cruising destinations are just not enjoyable without.
From a simple ice box to sophisticated systems, Refrigeration can be one of the most satisfying, and also most energy-demanding systems on board.
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