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A bit of help and advice please. I intend to put a temporary solar panel on my boat in Greece to top up the batteries during the winter months whilst we're back in the UK. I've got three batteries, but unfortunately I don't have details of their output. Is there a rule of thumb about the KW...

Is it a good thing to close the engine seacock and start it for a few seconds to blow out the water, leaving the engine dryish inside. It's a Yanma 3YMO and the boat will now sit in the water in a marina till next April when we return to the Med. Many thanks.

Seeking some advice please..... A new edition to the family is due this summer (1st grandchild) and it means we'll forego our usual 3 - 6 months on the boat in the Med this summer. I'm arranging for the boat to be lifted and mothballed for a year on the hard and I would be most grateful for some...

Having been either en-route or in the Med for the last three Septembers, we've missed the Southampton Boat Shows since 2011. It was a real pleasure to go there each year in the past. We'll be in the UK for the 2015 London Boat Show, but is it worth going these days, or should we skip it and hang...

This morning we watched 123 yachts glide gently out of Grand Harbour Malta in very light airs. It was an amazing sight and we cheered the Brit boats on from the bastions of Valletta. Being a temporary livaboard here sure has its moments.

We've just started to think about next years cruising ground (currently in Malta) and for a variety of reasons we think a 12 month marina contract in the Ionian would suit our circumstances. The two places we've looked at are Lefkas and Gouvia but apart from the central location of Lefkas, we...

Just arrived back in Malta where the boat has been left in the water all winter. The hull is very slimy but, unlike Gibraltar last year, there doesn't appear to be any weed hanging off. I'm tempted, therefore, to get a diver to do a scrub and change the anodes, rather than haul her out. It's not...

I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction for NAVMAN chartplotter spares. Mine keeps dropping the satellite connection just as I'm navigating somewhere tricky (such as Cape Trafalgar recently). I would like to replace the dome antenna, fitted on the pushpit, but can't find a...

My Navman chart plotter has packed in and with all the rocks and reefs around Chipiona and Rota I do find it helps with navigation. If anyone who knows of a good person to look at it in Rota I'd be really grateful to get details. By the way I forgot to thank the people who kindly commented on...

Hi...may I seek some advice please. I've just purchased a FORCE SS anchor swivel which I'm intending to fit whereby a short length of chain will be shackled to the anchor with the swivel about 5 links "in line". Having read all the nasties about SS swivels on the net (and this brand), I'm having...

This is just to say thanks to everyone who has put such brilliant information, advice, tips, tales, do's and don'ts etc. on this forum for so long. I've been an avid voyeur for years and the invaluable threads make it so much easier for relative novices like me to sail away and live the dream...

Hi....My boat has just been delivered to the Algarve and I would be really grateful if someone could tell me what are the best local charts covering Cabo St Vincent to Gibralta. Thanks. Stuart

Hi I need a reputable company in the Solent area to fit a Solar Panel on my boat and would be really grateful for any reccomendations. The plan is to put a 40W 40 cell panel on the garage roof - needs to keep the battery topped up in the Algarve (boat departing end March). Also, is there a top...

I would be grateful if someone could point me in the direction of a reliable company to fit my new Raymarine ST60 intruments. Boat is on the Hamble. For your interest my Navman 3100 wind, depth and log have all packed up after just three years. Mmmmm. Many thanks Stuart

Hi Can I seek some advice please. My Navman wind, depth and log instruments are playing up. Basically parts of the LED display don't fully illuminate so you get half of a 3 or a bit of a 8. Someone said it might be a battery charging issue but they appear to be fully loaded and anyway it still...

Some advice would be appreciated please. I've decided not to antifoul my prop this year. Instead I've rubbed it down to bare metal (bronze I assume) and now I want to achieve a mirror finish. Do I need some particular rubbing compound and will this approach be better at keeping the barnacles at bay?

A few weeks ago I asked about sailing past St Albans Head using the inshore passage. A few good souls gave me good advice which mostly revolved around being cautious. Yesterday during that brief moment of semi summer conditions I did it. We had 15kn to 18kn westerly winds with the tide running...

Some advice please. How close to shore does one sail on the inner passage of St Albans Head. I'll be at the latter end of the ebb tide travelling East to West. Any comments much appreciated.