WHAT WE WRITE ABOUT
Our View on Maritime Safety
We share our insights on maritime safety for pleasure sailors – from coastal cruising to offshore passages. Drawing from our direct sailing experience and technical expertise, we write about what we’ve learned, what we believe needs to change, and how technology can make sailing safer without adding complexity.
The Chart on Your Phone Knows Where You’ve Been—And It’s Not Keeping That Secret January 11, 2026 - The Chart on Your Phone Knows Where You've Been—And It's Not Keeping That Secret You wouldn't drive across Europe with a 1940s road map. But that's effectively what you might be doing at sea. Half of the depth information on NOAA charts comes from surveys conducted before 1940. Some areas… ... Read More
To Tether, or Not to Tether: That Is the Question January 7, 2026 - To Tether, or Not to Tether: That Is the Question Going overboard is a coin toss with a 47% chance of death. The safety harness is designed to keep you attached to the boat. The problem is, sometimes staying attached is exactly what costs you your life. Two Philosophies, One… ... Read More
When Everything Beeps, Nothing Matters January 4, 2026 - When Everything Beeps,Nothing Matters How commercial shipping learned that fewer alarms save more lives - and what pleasure sailors can take from a billion dollars of maritime research. The Organisation That Investigates Every Accident When a commercial vessel runs aground, collides, or sinks, it doesn't simply become a tragic story… ... Read More
Your Phone Won’t Save You: Why Smartphones Make Terrible Alarm Systems January 3, 2026 - Your Phone Won't Save You: Why Smartphones Make Terrible Alarm Systems Your smartphone can video-call someone on the other side of the planet, process payments, navigate you through unfamiliar cities, and access the sum of human knowledge. It's arguably the most capable device ever created. So when a marine electronics… ... Read More
The Anchoring Illusion: Why Being “Safely at Anchor” Is More Dangerous Than You Think November 8, 2025 - The Anchoring Illusion: Why Being "Safely at Anchor" Is More Dangerous Than You Think "We're safely anchored for the night." These might be the most dangerous words in cruising. While sailors worry about offshore passages and heavy weather at sea, some of the deadliest maritime casualties happen at anchor—often within… ... Read More
Man Overboard: Understanding the Risks and How to Prevent Tragedy October 30, 2025 - Man Overboard: Understanding the Risks and How to Prevent Tragedy Man Overboard (MOB) is the nightmare scenario every sailor fears but few genuinely prepare for. The statistics are sobering: between 40-47% of MOB incidents result in the loss of life. In cold water, there may be less than 11 minutes… ... Read More
MARPA vs. ARPA: When More Is Less August 12, 2025 - MARPA vs. ARPA: When More Is Less "Our radar has MARPA." — Every marine electronics salesperson, confidently overselling what that actually means. The Acronym Confusion Walk into any chandlery, and you'll hear radar systems marketed with impressive-sounding acronyms. ARPA. MARPA. Target tracking. Collision avoidance. The brochures show crisp displays with… ... Read More
Things More Dangerous Than Sailing (And One Thing That Isn’t) July 22, 2025 - Things More Dangerous Than Sailing (And One Thing That Isn't) "Sailing is one of the safest recreational activities." — Every statistic you've ever read, technically correct and completely misleading. The Comedy of Risk Sharks kill approximately one American per year. This fact terrorizes millions of beachgoers annually, spawns documentaries, and… ... Read More
AIS: Powerful Against Collisions, But Only If Everyone Plays Along June 20, 2025 - Automatic Identification System technology can dramatically reduce collision risk. But what happens when fishing boats turn it off, recreational vessels don't have it, and small boats become invisible sea mines for others? ... Read More
Radar: The Safety Equipment Most Sailors Don’t Actually Use May 5, 2025 - About a third of boats at anchor have radar installed. But how many of those sailors actually use it while sailing? And of those who do, how many understand its significant limitations? ... Read More
What Maritime Safety Can Learn from Aviation: The Story of TCAS and TAWS April 15, 2025 - What Maritime Safety Can Learn from Aviation: The Story of TCAS and TAWS How aviation tackled the challenge of collision avoidance—and what lessons apply to the sea. When we think about improving safety at sea, we would be foolish not to look skyward. Aviation operates in a far more unforgiving… ... Read More
The Multifunction Display Paradox: Essential Equipment We Barely Understand April 1, 2025 - The Multifunction Display Paradox: Essential Equipment We Barely Understand We all love our B&G MFD. It's probably one of those assets that simply cannot be absent from a boat—like the rudder, the anchor, or the sails themselves. Together with GPS, multifunction displays have genuinely improved navigation to a level of… ... Read More
The Perfect Crew Member: Why Livestock Might Have Been the Better Choice March 20, 2025 - The Perfect Crew Member: Why Livestock Might Have Been the Better Choice Joshua Slocum sailed alone around the world with only a goat for company. Other sailors have kept chickens aboard—at least they produce eggs. But after decades of sailing with human crews, perhaps it's time to admit the truth:… ... Read More
The NMEA 2000 Paradox: A Mountain of Data Nobody Uses March 10, 2025 - Modern boats are equipped with sophisticated NMEA 2000 networks that gather incredible amounts of data. So why do most boat owners have no idea what's actually available to them? ... Read More
The 360-Degree Lookout Problem: Why Slow Boats Face Danger from All Directions February 25, 2025 - The 360-Degree Lookout Problem: Why Slow Boats Face Danger from All Directions When you're one of the slowest vessels on the water, collision threats can come from any direction—not just ahead. Yet most recreational sailors spend their watch time staring forward, sitting in the cockpit's visual dead zones, unable to… ... Read More
COLREG Rule 5: The Impossible Lookout Requirement February 10, 2025 - COLREG Rule 5: The Impossible Lookout Requirement "Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of… ... Read More The Great Fuel Gauge Lie: Why Your Boat Has No Idea How Much Diesel Is Left February 1, 2025 - The Great Fuel Gauge Lie: Why Your Boat Has No Idea How Much Diesel Is Left In aviation, they say there are two types of pilots: those who have landed gear-up, and those who will. The maritime world has its own version: those who have run out of fuel at… ... Read More
Why Recreational Sailors Deserve Commercial-Grade Safety Systems January 15, 2025 - Commercial vessels are required by international law to have sophisticated Bridge Alert Management systems. Pleasure boats? We're left to cobble together separate alarms that often go unnoticed. Here's why that needs to change. ... Read More
The Inescapable Truth: Humans Are the Weakest Link at Sea December 20, 2024 - The Inescapable Truth: Humans Are the Weakest Link at Sea Human error accounts for 75-96% of all maritime accidents. The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), along with Australian and Canadian counterparts, consistently report that 82-85% of all marine accidents involve human error as a primary causal factor. Yet we… ... Read More
On the Origins of Galvanic Works: A Letter from the Founder June 20, 1870 - On the Origins of Galvanic Works: A Letter from the Founder We recently received a question about the origin of our name. Rather than explain it ourselves, we thought it fitting to share this letter from our founder, written from his island retreat. Captain Nemo Taking the Altitude of the… ... Read MoreWant to learn more about our technology?
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