Even if you’re used to calling your plumber when you have a stuck flapper valve, life on a boat requires at least some degree of self-sufficiency. Yes, Google is your friend, but nothing beats a solid selection of tested resources you can call on, from books you carry on board to websites you can trust. Here are some of my go-tos.
Books. Our boat is small, and our Kindles are our favorite space-savers. That said, here’s a link to the list of boats we carry on board.
Weather websites:
FastSeas (Jeremy’s weather routing site for practical, affordable, passage planning)
National Hurricane Center (US Government site for hurricane tracking)
Windy (graphical weather interface you can layer in many ways)
Learn to Sail:
MorseAlpha Expeditions (sail training based out of Annapolis)
Sail Caribbean (teen sailing camp in the Caribbean)
Prepare to Cruise:
Sailing Totem (cruising coaching by a pair of veteran cruisers)
Cruisers University (Annapolis Boat Show’s educational arm)
Online Courses
Crash Course on Cruising (my course to help you understand cruising reality)
Downsizing (Chris DiCroce’s course that helps you downsize effectively)
Bahamas Cruising (Carolyn Shearlock takes you through all you need to know to cruise the Bahamas)