Author: Matt Claiborne
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Navigation Notes — Crossing the Gulf Stream for the First Time
For boaters trekking to The Bahamas for the first time, the Gulf Stream can seem like the most intimidating stretch of ocean imaginable. It is, after all, one of the most powerful forces on earth, churning billions of gallons of seawater out of the Caribbean and shooting it toward Europe at up to three knots. …
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Getting Ready to Boat to The Bahamas Checklist
Traveling to a new cruising destination can be stressful, but going across the Gulf Stream and legally getting into a new country is another matter. Cruising The Islands of The Bahamas is a magical experience, but there’s a lot to know, and it can seem like too much trouble. It isn’t, and it’s well worth…
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Boater’s Guide to Florida — East Coast
Even the state motto, “The Sunshine State,” speaks to glorious beaches and warm winters. As places go, Florida is a little bit wacky and eccentric. There’s a sometimes uncomfortable mix of retirees, snowbirds, college students, working families, and vacationers coming from all over the world. There’s a constant, delicate balance of a fragile ecosystem that…
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ICW Side Trips Worth Taking
Looking to spice up your trip along the Ditch this year? One of the things we love about the ICW is how we’re always discovering new stuff. Sometimes we’re in a rush, and sometimes we’re not. And when the weather pins us down, every once in a while, we find a new love for an…
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Most Popular Great Loop Boats, According to Loopers
The Great Loop is a dream of many. Some folks who discover that the Great Loop is their dream have never boated before and are just beginning to familiarize themselves with the world of boats and all things nautical. It’s quite a learning curve. This guide is for those interested in the Great Loop but…
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6 Places for Nature Along the ICW
One of the things we love about the ICW is how much of it is undeveloped wilderness. Coming from South Florida, the ICW meant concrete canals lined with high-rise condo buildings to us. When we lived there, we longed to get away and explore places like the Keys or the Everglades, where the coast still…
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Original Gift Ideas for Boaters — 2024 Guide
Boaters can be difficult to shop for. Most have various limitations. For example, their boats may not be able to use certain doohickies or have enough space to store them. However, if they need something, they often buy it, meaning their boats are typically well stocked with the essentials. What follows is a list of…
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Rethinking Cockpit Canvas
By Matt Claiborne (Originally written for submission to Good Old Boat, which went out of business concurrently with my hitting “send.” Oh, well.) Am I the only sailor who spends hours on passage coming up with grand ways that things could be better? Days of chugging down the ICW or dark nights of pounding offshore…
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5 Boating Apps We Actually Use
There are tons of apps for boaters, but how many are really important to everyday life? If Dockwa wrote this article, we’d include Dockwa on this list; if BoatUS made it, we’d include their app. But this article isn’t written by anyone but a cruising boater, and while I have those apps on my phone,…
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How To Properly Tie to a Mooring Ball
In life, sometimes you get too much instruction, and sometimes you get too little. We find this is the case with moorings balls — boaters are more or less left on their own to figure it out. If they’re new, the results can be stressful. Cruisers on the ICW are often new, and even if…