Has been quiet for a while...

Hey sailors, I have been busy the last couple of months, but since it is cold and icy these days, there's not a great deal of sailing feasible anyways. Originally I had planned to work on the website and add a decent section on knots and ropes - in fact, I have already started working on it - but unfortunately, couldn't find the time to continue with it.

In the meantime, stay tuned for the start of a new season in spring and enjoy some photos from last year - such as these pictures that I have found recently.

Smooth sailing,

Chris

Insurance and Legal Issues for Boat Owners

Let me draw your attention to the articles on legal issues such as those on theft-protection, boat insurances and identifying a stolen boat. More are in work.

In the meantime, there are other resources available on websites you can find on DMOZ. There is also a great site where you can list stolen boats in the UK. For boat-articles of all kind, I recommend this website. It covers some related safety and theft topics.

So long, smooth sailing,

Chris

PS: The winter is coming - don't forget to check out SailingAhead's articles on winterizing a boat, teak care and stripping a boat for paint-work; ideal for days your boat is laid ashore!

To begin with...the introductory articles

Just a quick reminder that one of the main reasons why I have set up a blog was to get some feedback and allow interactivity - so drop me a line here on blogger if you feel you got something to say about SailingAhead.

A hint for beginners: There are plenty of articles on SailingAhead that make a good introduction to sailing: The History of Sailing in two parts gives some historical background - and the Science of Sailing will tell you a bit about the theory behind the sport.

But there are also "specialist topics" such as an introduction to landsailing, catamarans or ice sailing. For the cruisers among you, there's an into on how to get started on international cruising - by yacht charter.

Hope you find some inspiration! Smooth sailing,

Chris

New Feature: 10 Q's to Sailing Photographers

I have launched a new feature in which I plan to ask 10 work-related questions to well-established sailing photographers. This week, we start with Dr. Bruce McDonald, a sailing photographer from Austin, Texas.

I like photography myself and you have probably noticed the two articles that offer practical advice for sailors that want to take pictures themselves: The Guide to Sailing Photography and my 10 steps to great sailing pictures.

For impressions from the pro, check out the sailing photography site by Dr. McDonald. Stay tuned and smooth sailing,

Chris

New Health and Safety Articles

Health and Safety are issues that every sailor is concerned about - or at least, should be. Personally, I am not a big friend of over-emphasizing the dangers of sailing over the fun of it, because I view sailing as a very safe sport compared to many others.

Nevertheless, it is important to be aware of the risks involved with sailing and how to act in case of a health and safety issue. The new articles aim to provide information about acoustic and visual distress signals, an introduction to Modern Yacht Piracy and High-risk areas of them, First Aid for Conscious and Unconscious Victims, a guide to seasickness and its treatment, a checklist for a Yachting First Aid Kit, a guide to horrible cruise diseases and health risks and a general introduction to Health and Safety for sailors.

It was quite a bit of work to put all these things together, so I hope that you will find it useful and I'm looking forward to getting some feedback here on the BLOG!

Smooth sailing,

Chris

New Articles Up: Learn about Tides and the ColRegs

Since I have neglected the "sailing information" section in the last couple of weeks, I felt that it was getting time to write some new articles for it. I always intended to create a section on SailingAhead.com that would specifically target beginners and sailors that are looking for concise, basic information.

Now I uploaded two new articles and hope you will find them useful: One is giving an introduction to tides and tidal currents. I was trained as a sailor on the Mediterranean myself and so rembemer very well the first time I sailed on the Atlantic Ocean where the tidal range is much higher than in the Med. Since then, I think that beginners should really know the basics about tides and hope that my article will help to improve the understanding of ebbing and flooding water masses.

The second article deals with the ColRegs and the art of avoiding collisions at sea. This set of rules are issued by the International Maritime Organization and aim to regulate traffic at sea.

Oh, and actually there's a third new article online for about a week: an introduction to how to start racing a sailboat; this one is a bit preliminary, since I planned to write a series on basic sailing techniques first, but well, there it is.

I hope you enjoy the new articles - if so or if you think you know how to improve them / spotted mistakes, please leave a comment here on the blog! Every input is most appreciated!

Smooth sailing,

Chris

SailingAhead goes Blog!

The new blog of my sailing website http://www.sailingahead.com goes online! The website will still provide you with lots of solid information about sailing and all related topics, I intend to post current affairs and news here on the blog.

In addition, I will post what's new on Sailingahead.com to allow you to keep up-dated about new articles or changes on the website. Finally, I hope that the blog will allow a higher degree of interactivity - here you can post comments, suggestions or criticism.

Sailingahead.com has grown to about 100 unique visitors a day - I hope to get some feedback from the community here soon! 'Til then: smooth sailing,

Chris