Tips page

This is a new page where I'm hoping to pass on a few simple ideas which we use or have seen on other cruising boats. At the bottom (with red text) are a few bad ideas or ones you should avoid.

Mooring lines always ready, two bow lines and two stern lines tied with a clove hitches so quickly released.	Forward facing instrumentation for the off-watch crew. Using a Raymarine Graphic display everything on SeaTalk is available for viewing.	12V socket at the helm. Used to power the low power anchor light or the 12V mega torch or the emergency GPS.	Hatch covers keep sun out, so make it cooler below; they also stop the hatches crazing and keep the morning sun from waking us.

Reading glasses, sun glasses, night glasses and hand-bearing compasses; we could never find them until we made this canvas rack.  This one's by the companionway and another is at the chart table.	Compass near the bed to check heading. At anchor it checks tides or wind etc and indicates whether the anchor is being pulled from an unplanned direction.	Our window box provides us with fresh herbs daily (parsley, chives and basil).  The trick is to continue to plant seeds throughout the season  so ensuring continuity of supply. Yes it is a washing up bowl. So?	Solar powered ventilation. An inbuilt battery means this Nicro unit runs 24 Hours per day keeping our forward cabin (bedroom) sweet, dry and mildew free.

This radar reflector is a great piece of kit, but its useless aligned like this. It needs to have one of its apertures pointing straight up.  Then four of the others will point horiz' outwards and so do the reflecting.	And this one's a complete waste of time on a cruising yacht unless its simply to meet stupid French regulations. Sorry, splendid French Reg's.	Is this a poor attempt at a motoring cone or a casually furled genoa, or is it a drum with insufficient turns on it to allow a full furl. If its the latter then fix it now and stop being a lazy sod.	text