Note: I/we are not sponsored by any companies mentioned in this article. We cruise full time on our test bed, SV Confianza, and we enjoy sharing our tests and opinions to give back to the community. As digital nomads aboard Connie, my co-captain, Angie, our on again off again crew, and I can't risk our livelihoods on spotty internet. Over the years and many iterations later, we continue to hone in on a setup that keeps us connected and able to run multiple video calls simultaneously, even when we're bobbing miles offshore. The Peplink AP One AX has made a considerable difference for stability ..read more

Note: I/we are not sponsored by any companies mentioned in this article. We cruise full time on our test bed, SV Confianza, and we enjoy sharing our tests and opinions to give back to the community. We've amassed a bunch of useful gadgets and toys on Connie that actually make our boat life better and more enjoyable. Given that it's the festive season, and considering the number of times I've been asked, "what makes a good gift for a sailor/cruiser/liveaboard?" I thought it might be useful to compile a list of giftable gadgets that we actually use onboard on a regular basis. Jump to... (or keep ..read more

Note: I/we are not sponsored by any companies mentioned in this article. We cruise full time on our test bed, SV Confianza, and we enjoy sharing our tests and opinions to give back to the community. If you've read our previous post, "Our Marine Internet Setup, Why We're Not Using Starlink, and What I Would Change," you'll remember that we decided to forgo adding Starlink to our arsenal. Why? Because we are full time WFB'ers (Work from Boaters), and consistent access to high quality, video capable internet, is of paramount importance. Well, we're back with V2 of Connie's marine internet system ..read more

Note: I/we are not sponsored by any companies mentioned in this article. We cruise full time on our test bed, SV Confianza, and we enjoy sharing our tests and opinions to give back to the community. We are teak oilers over varnishers, so our teak needs regular elbow grease. In our (seemingly never-ending) quest for the right teak cleaner, we decided to do a face-off between the two most often recommended products: Snappy Teak-Nu and Star Brite Teak Cleaner. With a weathered table and worn-out bow pulpit seats, we embarked on a side-by-side comparison. After the test, we thought Snappy Teak-Nu ..read more

The owner of a marina/yard in Staten Island once blessed me with this nugget of wisdom: "If you don't actually get some enjoyment out of maintenance—working with your hands—then you're going to have a rough time owning a boat." I have found a good amount of truth to that. As Angie and I learn more about our beloved Confianza and get more skilled with maintaining her, we can feel that sense of pride and accomplishment growing. There is always that one job that is just not going to brighten our day--blackwater/head clogs. I can vividly remember the smell of my clothes after the last time I took ..read more

Note: I/we are not sponsored by any companies mentioned in this article. We cruise full time on our test bed, SV Confianza, and we enjoy sharing our tests and opinions to give back to the community. I thought I would let you know that the original working titles for this article were: You're Lubricating your Balls Incorrectly, or Are you Taking Care of your Balls? But Connie's current crew (Oliver, Joanna, and Co-Captain Angie) told me that I mustn't! So I put down the rum and told the crew that I would definitely not include it in my article, at least not in the title, anyway. Moving On ..read more

Note: I/we are not sponsored by any companies mentioned in this article. We cruise full time on our test bed, SV Confianza, and we enjoy sharing our tests and opinions to give back to the community. Connie had three Jabsco shower pumps (model 37202-2012). None of these pumps were broken, and I had multiple spare service kits for the Jabscos. I ripped them all out! So Why Rip the Jabscos Out? The short answer is that I finally found an upgrade, the Whale Gulper 220, that saves a serious amount of time and headache. We joke that we only get a 1:1 ratio of time enjoying the boat vs time working o ..read more

This will be a brief departure from our regular postings on our boating projects. But, it's technology related, and we thought you'd get some enjoyment out of it. Who knows how conversational AI will change boating in the future. On a whim, we decided to test ChatGPT's story telling capabilities. We asked the AI to craft a short story about a sailboat named Confianza and its crew in the Florida Keys (us!). The AI has quite the imagination as you'll see! We paired it with some AI generated artwork from Midjourney. Enjoy! Confianza was a sailboat like no other. Her white hull was adorned with in ..read more

This has become a popular topic of conversation among cruisers we meet: can you run a marine air conditioner off batteries? Is untethered comfort at anchor achievable with current technology? We're doing just that. Let’s delve into the upgrades that enabled this, the decisions we made, and how well it actually works. The Feasibility of Battery-Powered Air Conditioning Our 16,000 BTU MarinAire A/C is sufficient to maintain our Privilege 435 catamaran at under 26.5°C (80°F) on on days up to around 35°C (95°F). However, the exact setup may vary based on the size of your boat and preferences. The ..read more

Note: I/we are not sponsored by any companies mentioned in this article. We cruise full time on our test bed, SV Confianza, and we enjoy sharing our tests and opinions to give back to the community. Finding the right dinghy during the pandemic era was quite a challenge. Our Caribe dinghy had quite a long life, even longer than we expected. For eighteen years, it brought its multiple owners to and fro. But, alas, it was getting to be a handful. Multiple patch jobs to the hypalon, the transom plate, the tow point... The threads in the seams were starting to go, and the floor had gotten soft. We ..read more