ECDIS Route Planning Step by Step
A good route plan is thinking done in advance, so it does not have to be done at the wheel-over in the dark. Here is how to plan a passage on ECDIS — and run a route check that is actually honest.
Edward Caine
ECDIS Safety Settings: Contour, Depth, and Height
ECDIS does not know what “safe” means for your ship until you tell it — and its default guess is dangerous. Here is how the safety contour, depth, and height settings really behave.
Generic vs Type-Specific ECDIS Training
An officer can hold a valid ECDIS certificate and still be unfit to keep watch on the system in front of them. Here is why ECDIS training comes in two parts — and which one actually gets ships detained.
What It’s Really Like to Live Aboard a Yacht for a Week
An honest account of what a week living aboard a sailing yacht is actually like — from the first sleepless night to sea legs, group dynamics, morning routines, and why most people book their next trip before they’ve finished the first.
Best Sailing Jackets: Waterproof Gear for Every Budget
A guide to the best sailing jackets available at every price point — from entry-level coastal gear to premium offshore kit. What to look for, which brands deliver, and how to make your jacket last.
Bow Thrusters and Stern Thrusters: How They Help Ships Maneuver
A thruster buys back control at the one speed a rudder cannot work. How they swing, translate, and rotate a ship, why they fade with speed, and where their limits lie.
Merchant Marine Career Paths
A map of the seafarer’s ladder: the three departments, the STCW levels from rating to senior officer, how to get your first ticket, and where a career at sea can lead.
How Tugboats Assist Ships
Small hulls, huge pull. How tugs push, pull, and escort big ships, what bollard pull and tug type really mean, and why girting is the danger that defines the job.
AIS Explained: What It Tells You, and What It Can’t
AIS hands you every ship’s name, course, and intentions before they come into sight. The trouble is how much of it is typed in by hand, and how far to trust it.
Understanding Ship Stability
The geometry that keeps a ship upright: the four points K, B, G, and M, the righting lever and GZ curve, stiff versus tender, and the faults that capsize ships.