Things We Love

Lets face it – sailing and cruising in particular takes a heck of a lot research. My hope with this page is to provide a good jumping off point for your research. If I missed a really awesome site, please comment below so I can add it.

Disclaimer: If you purchase through some of the links below, we may receive a a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Books I’m starting with books because books are what opened our minds to the possibility of sailing.  Some are sailing related; some are mindset related; all are very good.

The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews: Really all of his books are great and can be found here: Andy Andrews Books.

Man’s Search for Meaning: by Viktor Frankl: A doctor who was sent to Auschwitz, survived and went off to develop Logotherapy: the belief that human nature is motivated by the search for a life purpose.

Sailing Promise: Around the World on a Catamaran: I believe these guys were one of the inspirations for the Bumfuzzles. A favorite of Lindsey’s.

Bumfuzzle: This is a book of their circumnavigation and a major inspiration for us. They were somewhat rebels, cruising around the world with little experience to start with but also little fear.

The Bombard Story by Alain Bombard: As a doctor he sailed across the Atlantic in a dinghy with no water to improve offshore survival. He drank seawater the whole way too.

Gib’s Odyssey: A Tale Of Faith And Hope On The Intracoastal Waterway : A man diagnosed to be terminally ill with ALS takes his boat from the Florida Keys to New York and back. It’s an epic journey and a real tear jerker.

Chasing The Horizon: The Life And Times Of A Modern Sea Gypsy By Capt. Fatty Goodlander: This is his best book in my opinion, but any of his books are both hilarious and educational. You can find them all here: Capt Fatty Books.

Guide Books

2017 ICW Cruising Guide by Bob 423: Written by a very active member on Active Captain, this is a nice, concise guide to the Intracoastal Waterway.

Explorer Chartbooks : These are essential if you plan to cruise the Bahamas. Do not come without these.

Steve Dodge Cruising Guide: If you are just vacationing in the Abacos and renting a boat, this is the book to have. If you are cruising the Abacos, this book pairs nicely with the Explorer Charts.

Sailing How To Books

Boatowners Mechanical and Electrical Manual 4/E If you own a boat,this is the fix-it book your really want to have on board.

Marine Diesel Engines: Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Repair Kinda a must if you have a marine diesel.

The Voyager’s Handbook: The Essential Guide to Blue Water Cruising If you are considering cruising on a sailboat, I highly recommend reading this book before you buy a boat.

 

Blogs

Newly Salted  A great blog that posts 10 question interviews with cruisers that have been out for 2 years or less.

Interviews with a Cruiser Sister site to Newly Salted consists of posts from cruisers that have been out for 2 years or more.

Costs of Cruising

MJ Sailing This blog was probably the biggest inspiration in helping convince Lindsey and I that we could cruise on a very limited budget.

Bumfuzzle One of the first blogs I know to publish their costs for going around the world. Also probably one of the longest running, continuously active blogs on the internet. This site is massive and extremely well put together.

Forums

Cruisers Forum

Sailnet

Podcasts

59 North Well over 100 really well done podcasts with a who’s who of sailing.

The Sailing Podcast Australian based lots of good episodes.

Sail Loot Sailing podcast that focuses on the financial aspect of sailing.

Electrical

PBase High quality how to articles on many marine electrical projects and a few others.

Suppliers

Tinned Marine Wire One of the cheaper places to buy high quality tinned wire.

Defender I use Defender as the baseline when price shopping. They have a large selection and some good sales, but I wish they offered a free shipping option.

Blog Link Ups