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First the good news: while my vacation schedule didn't allow us to make this year's "Meet in the Middle" gathering, we left Alton IL early last week and had a very nice cruise down the remainder of the upper Mississippi, up the Ohio to the Cumberland and Lake Barkley, then continuing to the...

I'm planning to add an AIS transceiver this year and wondering if anyone has specific recommendations for brand and/or functionality. If I were equipping a boat from scratch, the Vesper Cortex would be very tempting, though it's a bit spendy. Since I already have two fixed and two portable VHF...

Anchoring seems to be part science and part art. In an effort to more precisely place the anchor for specific conditions, I’ve been using the following technique, which takes advantage of the sonar, chartplotter track, and windlass. This process has crystalized for me during my time in Alaska...

I have an Alaska Series 270TDS dinghy, and identified a leak in one of the seams when assembling it for this week's "shakedown" cruise. As I investigated the leak, the main tube seam separated enough to allow me to stick my hand into the gap. I called Alaska Series and was told this was not a...

Starting this thread to log our preparation for and (hopefully) details of our journey to Alaska this summer. I've taken a sabbatical from work this year, so we have no significant time constraints. I'll need to work for at least a few more years after this year's break. While we recognize...

I'm updating my anchor roller (Lewmar pivoting) in advance of installing a Windlass (Lewmar V700 Horizontal on order) and encountered the following issues when placing it consistent with the original (Windline non-pivoting) version: 1: When placing the anchor roller to in the same location as...

Looking for confirmation or additional considerations for cleaning up my freshwater hose configuration. Background: We removed the water heater a few years ago, and I'm in the process of cleaning up and replacing the bilge pump under the cabin step and the shower sump in the aft port locker...

The Admiral and I have an opportunity this year to spend December and January away from home, and are planning to spend most of those months on our boat along the Gulf Coast. I'll still be "working" so we expect to spend most of the time in a marina with side trips on weekends. Based on my...

I went to BOATUS to apply for MMSI number and read the following: "If your vessel is required to carry a radio onboard (“Compulsory Equipped”), or if you plan to visit or communicate in a foreign port including Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, and the British Virgin Islands, DO NOT proceed with this...

We're planning to take a clockwise, 3-week trip around Lake Michigan in July and am looking for parking options. Since we're coming from the South and will be doing a circle, the best areas seem to be North of Chicago or SW Michigan. It looks as if I can park the truck and trailer at Northpoint...

We've had our 25 for two blissful years, and today I cutout holes for hatches in the berth. Good news: there's no foam to dig out. Bad news: there was a good gallon of water sloshing around in there Based on what I've read previously, the anchor locker is my first guess for the culprit, and I...