Navagear has been fascinated with electric propulsion, and with the Torqeedo motors in particular, for several years now.

I love this “boat show”. It ain’t really a boat show at all, of course.

Thanks to Capt.

I recently acquired a new handheld VHF radio for use aboard my boat. It's Cobra Marine's MR HH475 FLT BT. Yeah, that model number's a mouthful, but don't let that scare you. It actually makes sense if you break it down. It's a "marine radio", it's "handheld", it "floats", and it has "Bluetooth." So naturally it's the MR HH475 FLT BT. Got it?

This is one snazzy radio. I've had a chance to experiment with its innovative features, so I can say with confidence that I look forward to putting it into service aboard Two Lucky Fish, my C-Dory 22.

Scott Wilson has this post over at Three Sheets Northwest. I share his opinion that listening to the VHF constitutes a form of entertainment like Reality TV.

I love Cap’t Pauley’s sketchbook. This time, he’s tackling the intricate mysteries surrounding cleat installation. It’s all about keeping water OUT, you know…

This looks like an excellent two-channel AIS receiver, especially for users who want to plug it into a computer. My only concern is the price: For $699, or just a little more, you might pick up a genuine Class B transceiver.

Coast Guard statistics tell us that more than two-thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drown, and of those, 90 percent were not wearing a life jacket. That's just one reason I treat falls overboard as the top safety issue aboard my boat.

In such incidents, happy outcomes generally require successful execution in four key areas: Keeping the person afloat, bringing the boat alongside the victim safely, bringing the victim aboard safely, and providing warmth and first aid as needed.

Over the years here at Navagear, we've discussed all of these priorities. Some are relatively easy to address. For instance, on my boat everybody wears a PFD while the boat is underway, which goes a long way toward keeping a potential PIW (person in the water) afloat.

One of the more difficult tasks is to get the victim, exhausted and waterlogged, back into the boat without endangering the rest of the crew. In rough seas, this can be especially difficult. And while there are several solutions available for smaller and low-freeboard boats, where the crew can easily reach a PIW, there are fewer solutions appropriate for larger, high-sided power yachts.

Boat Bits has an excellent guest post on electrical auxiliary power by sailor Merrick White of S/V Rising Star. Here’s an excerpt:

Earlier this month, FLIR announced its new First Mate product: “The world’s first waterproof, hand held, high-performance maritime thermal night vision camera available for less than $3,000.