A step-by-step process for sanding, prepping and bottom painting your boat [VIDEO] Bottom paint (also known as antifouling paint) helps protect your boat from barnacles, weeds and other aquatic organisms from attaching to the underwater portion of your boat’s hull. If you leave your boat in the water all season, you need bottom paint. One of the...
Author: Capt. Rob Chichester
How to Replace Sacrificial Zinc Anodes on Your Boat
Installing sacrificial zincs – and replacing them every year – helps prevent galvanic corrosion on vital metal parts on your boat Does your propeller have sacrificial zincs on it? It is almost certain that the prop shaft does. Zincs protect the important metal parts of your boat from being dissolved by electrolysis. It’s important to...
How to Install a New Shower Sump Pump on Your Boat
A step-by-step installation of a shower sump pump replacement project on a boat [FULL VIDEO] Last time I discussed some basic ideas on planning your winter maintenance chores and conducting a walk around inspection of your boat when you first visit her after she has been hauled and blocked. In this article, I will get...
Winter Boat Maintenance: Hull Inspections in the Boatyard
Winter is a good time to do a thorough walk-around inspection of your boat’s hull, bottom and appendages for maintenance, repair or attention Since I have owned Bay Poet, a Hunter 410 sloop, I have always had her hauled out during the winter. In addition to the crewed charters that I offer, my boat is also...
Flotillas Cruises – Skippers, Crew, and Just Plain Folk
Coordinating captain, trip leader, skipper and crew activities for a smooth sailing flotilla cruise In my introductory article on flotillas, I discussed the potential benefits of flotilla cruises and some of the high-level planning issues – bow to stern. Flotillas – cruising with more than one boat – can be a great way to explore a...
Flotilla Cruises – Bow to Stern
A comprehensive how-to guide to planning a sailing cruise with more than one boat on the journey In previous articles about chartering, I have discussed several towns on the Chesapeake from which you might start a charter and a number of my favorite gunkhole destinations. Switching gears a bit, I’d like to begin to discuss flotilla...
Chartering a Boat on the Chesapeake Bay
Charter locations and sailing destinations to explore on the Chesapeake Bay I am unapologetically a sailor. There is something so peaceful and calming about being on a boat under sail with the sunshine on my shoulders and the wind on the beam. And there is nothing more relaxing than sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. I...
Sailing Destinations on the Chesapeake Bay for a Relaxing Escape
Top sailing destinations on the Chesapeake Bay where you can relax, explore and drop anchor while avoiding crowded anchorages on the bay If you read national sailing publications, you might come to the conclusion that the Holy Grail of chartering is the Caribbean. However, the Chesapeake Bay is a beautiful, marvelous, and occasionally challenging venue for...
On Being Number Two
The love of being on the water and the constant search for new challenges brings a Chesapeake Bay sailor to an experience that he had not quite expected Sometimes I think I came to my sailing life in reverse. What I mean is that I knew from the age of fifteen that I was drawn...
France Canal Cruise: Day 7 Final Leg to Boofzheim
Two charter boats explore France in a week-long cruise along the Canal du Marne au Rhin in Alsace, France. >See full FRANCE CANAL CRUISE SERIES Chesapeake Flotillas took clients cruising on the canals in Alsace, France on its annual overseas adventure in September. Two boats and 20 people cruised the region for a week. While admitting...
France Canal Cruise: Days 5 & 6 Arriving in Strasbourg At Last
Two charter boats explore France in a week-long cruise along the Canal du Marne au Rhin in Alsace, France. >See full FRANCE CANAL CRUISE SERIES Chesapeake Flotillas took clients cruising on the Canal du Marne au Rhin in Alsace, France on its annual overseas adventure in September. Eighteen clients thought it sounded like a great idea....
France Canal Cruise: Day 4 Into the Brumath Forest by Way of Hochfelden
Two charter boats explore France in a week-long cruise along the Canal du Marne au Rhin in Alsace, France. >See full FRANCE CANAL CRUISE SERIES Chesapeake Flotillas took clients cruising on the Canal du Marne au Rhin in Alsace, France on its annual overseas adventure in September. Eighteen clients thought it sounded like a great idea....
France Canal Cruise: Day 3 The Longest Drop Underway to Saverne
Two charter boats explore France in a week-long cruise along the Canal du Marne au Rhin in Alsace, France. >See full FRANCE CANAL CRUISE SERIES In September, Chesapeake Flotillas took clients cruising on the Canal du Marne au Rhin in Alsace, France. Twenty people on two boats were in for a totally new experience. Our first...
France Canal Cruise: Day 2 Time to Get Underway to Lutzelbourg
Two charter boats explore France in a week-long cruise along the Canal du Marne au Rhin in Alsace, France. >See full FRANCE CANAL CRUISE SERIES Last month, Chesapeake Flotillas ran a week-long cruise along the Canal du Marne au Rhin in Alsace, France. Twenty people on two boats were in for a totally new experience. In...