When your diesel engine exhaust goes from clear to blue, white, or black smoke, this is usually an indication of several factors going on that might need your attention. Knowing what the colors mean can be helpful to determine if something is lurking in your engine room. Blue, black, and white exhaust smoke all mean something. Do you know what they are?
Monday Minute - The End of Ethanol?
Inspecting Fuel Tanks
Monday Minute - Boater Fraud is Alive and Well
Safety at Sea - Fear Management
All the what-if scenarios one can dream up due to lack of experience are best handled by managing one’s fears of the unknown. This is the crucial step in safety at sea for yourself and your crew. Too many people are lax when it comes to saying alert and situationally aware, and then are surprised when things happen to them that could have been easily avoided.
Don’t be one of them.
Monday Minute - Spring Boat Projects
We look forward to spring boat projects in my house. Getting the boat ready for the season, fixing what no longer works, and getting familiar with the boat again. But it is already June, postponed after many long weeks of spring rain and other distractions.
It is finally coming together, however, and soon we will be back on the water.
Safety at Sea - The Issue of Guns
For all the years I have been around cruising boats, there has always been the debate about carrying firearms. I still read neophyte questions by people looking for answers by asking others in social media forums and groups. It is most troubling.
I hope to present you with some facts surrounding guns on cruising boats. Not the legalities of doing so, but the very personal decisions and commitments required if you decide to bring them aboard.
Monday Minute - New Tech for Mosquito Bites
I found a cool product that effectively and instantly relieves the swelling and itching of insect bites, in my case, mosquito bites. The German product really works, so I’m telling you about it as I have not seen it before. With all the rain we’ve had this spring, the mosquito problem will be terrible this summer.
It’s been a long time coming but we now see tangible progress emerging to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel. If the U.S. Navy can prove that it works, isn’t it about time the concept of the modern cruising boat includes hybrid forms of propulsion?