Increasing Solar Capacity by adding a third panel. Our Hanse 371 Tangleberry already had 2-100W solar panels on the Tartarooga hard dodger. I wanted to add more solar capacity in hopes of…
Preparing for an Offshore Voyage – Part 1
Tangleberry, the family yacht, is a 2001 Hanse 371. She was not specifically built for offshore sailing but is rated CE category A, open ocean. We have used her mainly for summer…
Solar and Water Power
In 2004 I had a Tartarooga Hard Dodger Installed on Tangleberry. I took the opportunity to install two solar panels on top. They were 75 watts each, and were quite expensive, I…
Electric Dinghy Part 2
Part 1 is here. Using an electric trolling motor to power your tender is very simple. Put the motor on the transom and tighten the thumb screws. Connect the battery and you…
Electrifying Dinghy Part 1
Part 2 is here. After selling the Honda outboard, I needed to set up a suitable electric alternative. I considered the Torqeedo and Minn-Kota outboards. These both seem to be worthy substitutes…
Giving up my Honda 2 HP Outboard
When I bought Tangleberry in 2001 I determined to buy a high quality dinghy/outboard combination. I settled on an Achilles Hypalon dinghy with an air floor. That proved to be an excellent…
Docking Singlehanded
Last week, for the first time, I had trouble getting into my mooring slip. The marina is quite sheltered, but that day a strong inflow wind and a large rising tide combined…
Winchrite ABT Repair
This post describes a DIY Winchrite repair, when my Winchrite electric winch handle suddenly stopped working. What is a Winchrite? The Winchrite ABT (Advanced Brushless Technology) is a rechargeable electric winch handle…
Connecting Raymarine Axiom MFD to Wi-Fi
The Raymarine Axiom series MFD has built in wi-fi connectivity. It comes with several apps but there are two main uses. 1. To remotely control the MFD with the free Raycontrol app…
The Right Size Boat for a Couple
I have been sailing now for just short of 50 years. I’m not sure how that is possible, but it happened anyway. In that time I have owned 11 sailing yachts ranging…