Favorite Links!
This page is designed to link to other websites which we find useful. Some may be interesting to other sailors, others for travellers, or miscellaneous sites that link to people/friends we admire and think are worth checking out!
Sites for sailors
Here are some recommendations for anyone considering buying a sailboat. Some are brokers who we recommend, which we believe to be very useful, considering that many of them out there have are without any ethics at all, and only care about making a sale. See our page on BOAT SHOPPING to read about our experiences!
Brokers
We came across only two brokers (out of MANY!) whom we would wholeheartedly recommend, even though we unfortunately did not end up buying our boat through either of them.Bill Day at Crusader Yachts in
Annapolis, Maryland. Bill was the only broker we felt really cared about our
perspective as buyers, and gave us honest and great advice on the Vancouver 36 that we
really liked, and made an attempt to buy. Very nice man, with integrity! Thanks
Bill!
Leo Thibault at Edward
Yacht Sales in Punta Gorda, Florida. Leo was the most patient broker we came across,
who was never pushy, and really helped answer any questions we had about the boat we
looked at with him, even though it ended up being detrimental towards his sale.
Integrity! Thanks Leo!
Surveyor
We only experienced one surveyor, who came recommended by another surveyor whose reputation was that "everyone's knees would shake" if he showed up for a boat survey. We feel that we were very very fortunate with this recommendation, as this surveyor was incredibly knowledgeable, thorough, and definitely our advocate! He worked very hard all day after driving three hours to get to the boat to make sure he checked out EVERYTHING for us! Check out Rick Shelley should you need a surveyor!
Health Insurance
To our delight, international health insurance is available at half the cost of what we paid in the US. We found a wonderful insurance broker, Louis Hammond, who has been a gem in helping us with our needs, even when we are in very remote places. If you need an insurance broker, either for travelling abroad or within the US, check out www.worldmedicalplans.com.
Courses we recommend
One of the best courses we took, which we would recommend for anyone heading off into
the wilderness, be it on a boat or anywhere on land, was the wilderness medical course
with Jeffrey Isaacs. Here you can learn what is a true emergency that needs prompt
efforts towards evacuation, versus medical situations that you can handle yourself, and
how. This is essential knowledge for peace of mind, as well as avoiding unnecessary,
high-risk and expensive rescue efforts, that can further endanger the life of others! If
you are going cruising, it is essential that you prepare not just your boat, but
yourselves in case something goes wrong with you! For his classes, check out Medical Officer.
We also met some really interesting
sailors there, including Richard, who is sailing around the world alone this year as part
of the Vendee Globe. This is a really challenging race, and he is doing it so that kids
around the world can participate online with his adventure! Check out his website at
Sites Alive for a really exciting adventure! It
makes ours look like a walk in the park in comparison, really!
Another great course with a fabulous, inspiring, and truly dedicated teacher, was the
marine weather course we took with Kurt Holland at Orange Coast sailing school. Not only
is this a fantastic school for anything to do with sailing, but Kurt's class was
terrific. We really enjoyed our time with him, and met some wonderful sailors in this
class too! To find out about the sailing school, go to Orange Coast College of Seamanship &
Navigation.
Boat Work/Yard
We can't recommend them highly enough: Tom Holland and Laurel at Holland Marine: Holland Marine!
Our favorite Sailing Sites
Check out Britta's absolute heros, Lin & Larry Pardey, who have been sailing around the world for over 40 years, in their self built wooden sailing boat. We have read most of their books, and will be following their motto to keep going for "as long as it is fun!". They are also the ultimate example in keeping life as simple as possible, and thereby having a boat that is unstoppable and furthermore leaves very few footprints in its wakes! Their boat does not even have an engine! Check out Lin & Larey Pardey!
