Distant Shores Blog
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Hints and tips for cruising sailors exploring the world by sailboat. We're Paul and Sheryl Shard, a Canadian couple who set sail from Lake Ontario with a dream of sailing south when we were in our early 30's. We have sailed and lived aboard since 1989. We've learned a lot sailing to "distant shores" on 5 continents over 30 years of international cruising, putting 110,000 miles under the keel..
Distant Shores Blog
3w ago
Are you coming to the Launch Party? We're super-excited to announce the launch party (April 20-21) and update you on the progress of the build (as of March 18th). We get to see the lovely mahogany varnished as the interior is nearly all installed now. We also take a tour of the technical room and see the water maker installed, the hydronic heating system and the 48V bus. If you would like to come to the launch party we'd like to welcome you on April 20 & 21 in the Netherlands. Makkum is a charming village in the northern Netherlands province of Friesland and is the Silicon Valley of alumin ..read more
Distant Shores Blog
4M ago
This time on Distant Shores we do a deep dive into the 48V wiring system - check out the installation … and see why we think it's worth moving up from a traditional 12 Volt system ..read more
Distant Shores Blog
5M ago
This time on Distant Shores we answer your questions about our new custom aluminum Enksail Orion 49 sailboat while visiting the shipyard in the Netherlands. Questions such as "When is the expected launch date?" to "Is there insulation?" to "Why is the cabinetry being built out of the hull?" are addressed and more ..read more
Distant Shores Blog
5M ago
While the build of our new Enksail Orion 49 sailboat progresses in the Netherlands, we make a 12-day voyage through the Greek Islands aboard a Jeanneau 54 monohull, enjoying some fast sailing in strong meltemi winds! Aboard are 6 guest crew members new to the techniques of Mediterranean mooring, going stern to the shore and rafting up with another sailboat. We go through all three of these techniques en route, sometimes in challenging conditions. The video includes helpful animations and illustrations as well as visits to remote islands and ancient Greek ruins ..read more
Distant Shores Blog
6M ago
Join us as we make the trip to the 2023 Annapolis Sailboat Show where we learn more about hybrid electric power for sailboats, check out interesting marine equipment, talk to a charter expert about the requirements for bareboat chartering and meet up with some of your favourite sailing YouTubers. We then take you to the Netherlands for an update on the build of our custom aluminum Enksail Orion 49 sailboat ..read more
Distant Shores Blog
7M ago
As the build of our new custom aluminum Enksail Orion 49 progresses, it’s time to choose the sails! We visit the local sail loft to sit down with the designer and go over our choices. We also discuss high tech fabrics and the dynamics of in-mast furling and reef points. We conclude our visit with a tour of this modern sail loft where sail cloth is held on large tables by vacuum and cut by computer. We see how a new sail is stitched by a master sailmaker ..read more
Distant Shores Blog
8M ago
If you could install one single device on your sailboat that would make your boat shockproof for swimmers, prevent galvanic corrosion and also stop any worries about reversed shore-power polarity would you want one? That device would be an isolation transformer and we're going to talk about that today as we talk about shore power connections and electrical systems on sailboats ..read more
Distant Shores Blog
10M ago
This week we do a deep dive on the hull interior of our new aluminum Enksail Orion 49 sailboat with an informative tour by the yacht manufacturer discussing the bow thruster installation, wiring and conduits, foam insulation, water and fuel tanks, bilge pumps, welded through hulls, lithium batteries, air conditioning and the paint system ..read more
Distant Shores Blog
10M ago
This time on Distant Shores we go into depth on Lithium batteries, planning out the boat's energy storage system, and touring the Super-B Battery factory where we learn how marine lithium batteries are manufactured and tested for safety ..read more
Distant Shores Blog
1y ago
This time on Distant Shores we give you a full tour of the interior of our custom aluminum Enksail Orion 49 sailboat as she is being assembled in the shop using an interesting build method outside the hull. We also make a visit to the Lewmar factory in England as we research equipment for our new boat, Distant Shores IV ..read more