By Anne Hammond
Boulder Valley Sail & Power Squadron members joined U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary members in February 2017 to sail the U.S. Virgin Islands aboard Dream Machine, a Beneteau Oceanis 45-3 from CYOA Yacht Charter at Frenchtown Harbor Marina, St. Thomas. After provisioning and the boat briefing, we took Dream Machine to St. John, a half-day’s sail. We caught a mooring in Great Lameshur Bay, dinghied to the wide, undeveloped beach, and swam in the bay.North to Alaska
Using USPS know-how, a couple takes the cruise of a lifetime
By Mike Kondrat
My wife Chris and I had dreamed about cruising north to Alaska, so after retirement, we took the plunge. Our United States Power Squadrons classes and our 35-plus years of boating experience helped us pull off this 3,592 nautical mile cruise without destroying our marriage or Aqua Therapy, our Bayliner 3988.Cruise highlights battery problems
By Jack Reed Before our month-long cruise to Bar Harbor, Maine, my wife, Patricia, and I, and our Maine Coon, Skipper, had never cruised for more than two weeks at a time. The longer cruise allowed us to solve a persistent problem.
Our batteries had been running down over time despite spending significant time under power. To compensate, we used marina shore power for a night or two during each cruise. But this year, we didn’t stop at a marina, and by the time we got to Bar Harbor, the batteries could hardly turn over the engine.