Just a few links that are of interest to us right now and that might be of interest to you.
These are the folks responsible for building our home. They would love to build one for you as well. Although we have never met Hanny and Louis Ooms they have helped us through a couple of questions via eMail and has delivered needed parts when asked. Please read more about them under About 'Ohana and Paul's Notes.
[www.mmboat.nl/english/index.htm]
Boating resources for kids and parents.
[www.kidsaboard.com]
Southeast and Gulf Coast agent for Catana Catamarans.
Calvert School has set the standard for classical homeschool curriculum. Their rigorous, language-intensive courses give students the advantage homeschool parents are seeking for their children.
[www.calvertschool.org]
www.deepcreekdesign.com/products.html
One of the BEST INVESTMENTS we made. We anchor out most nights and this LED anchor light comes on and goes off automatically. It’s draws almost nothing and is quite visible. I actually disabled the indicator light in the cabin because it drew more than the light itself. This light was expensive, 155.00, but I feel worth it in energy saved and the good feeling of knowing the boat will be illuminated when you’ll be out past sunset. I also installed a Davis LED in the cockpit and leave it on most of the time, which really illuminates the area without drawing a thing. We rely solely on solar and wind so every amp matters!
Panama Canal Agent Tina McBride
If you are transiting the canal and want it to go SMOOTHLY contact Tina. Service was first class and made the whole experience a pleasure. Ask for Dracula and Rudy for line handling and TRUST Dracula to get you around Colon safely in spite of his appearance and his car. Tina really became a friend of the family and earned every penny of her fee. Contact her before arrival at tinamcbride@hotmail.com or tinamc@sinfo.net
Watermaker
We had a small PUR 40 when we originally purchased Ohana. In the first season three things became apparent: a watermaker is becoming a must have item, more is better and complexity is bad. We decided to move up to an 8 gph 12V unit. We have no generator onboard so power consumption is an issue. The PUR, like some other larger models, relies on complex plumbing to save a few amps. The Little Wonder we went with from Village Marine does not. It consumes about 13 amps but is stupid simple and exceptionally reliable. Installation was straight forward. I did install an hour meter on the unit as well has very heavy 12V supply lines to minimize current draw. We have over 500 trouble free hours on her to date. Support from the company has also been exemplary. www.villagemarine.com
marina@puertoaventuras.com.mx Contact Gerardo Segrove to arrange a slip. The girls also went to school here and we lived here for almost four months. Very reasonable and protected.
www.puertoaventuras.com.mxSan Andreas Columbia Agent
If going through San Andreas on your way to Panama give Rene a call. Took care of everything including laundry at a reasonable price. rcardona@sol.net.co
Catamaran Surveyor-South Florida
Ed Rowe and Assoc. Ask for Jonathan Howe, nautserv@aol.com
Catamaran Service and Repair
Nautic and Company America Inc. First class service for large catamarans. Located on the New River in Fort Lauderdale and Lauderdale Marine Center. Ask for Eric or Chantel Menetrier. All work was done promptly, professionally. nauticandco@msn.com
Yanmar Parts
Complete Yacht Service or Fort Lauderdale has supported us with engine advice and parts. Ask for Bob or Mark. comyacht@bellsouth.net
We purchased our spinnaker through Betty. Service was great before and after the sale. I did shop around and these guys were the most responsive with the best inventory. traders@usedsails.com
The software we went with. Make sure your laptop has a SERIAL PORT!!!! Other than that I love the quality and precision of the charts. We still carry all paper charts but use these primarily. They are expensive and not necessary for extended cruising. We lived without them for years and well before the age of GPS. Traveling with the kids, however, they do bring an extra layer of comfort in one’s navigation.
Chris Parker’s web site. This young man will be a force in the Caribbean Cruising Community for years to come. Chris offers the most reasonable, in my opinion too reasonable, weather routing in the region. He is also a dealer for Ocens software and went to great lengths to get us squared away. Trust what he tells you and follow his software recommendations.
Love him or hate him, Bitchin has something going on. I like his laid back can do attitude. Not to uptight and willing to print almost anything!
Valuable resource and very responsive. The Cornells do a wonderful service for the cruising community.
The BEST canvas people we have come across! They are probably too busy but when they do it they do it RIGHT and on time, more or less. Expensive but worth it. We had a challenging bimini to build and between them and Parrothead welding it all came out great!
www.doylesails.com/lofts-usa-floridaeast.htm
These are the folks who built our new suit of sails. We had some of the issues that you would expect from a large custom order. Bob Meagher took good care of us and continued to provide support after the sale. You can reach him directly at bob3@sail-depot.com
Built our bow sprit and did some major work on our rig. The technicians are exceptionally well trained and professional. Scheduling was a bit of an issue. They have been very helpful in getting us parts and answering questions regarding all of our Lewmar gear. If you are in the South Florida area and need work done I would give them a call.
Bluewater books has been with us since the beginning back in 93. Find a salesman you like and stick with them. They are a very valuable resource when it come to charts, software, cruising guides etc. When we’ve had crashes with Nobletech they have been there to answer our questions and get us going again.
Opinions on how to receive eMail abound out there. This is our method. Pre-Paid Iridium sat phone with www.ocens.net eMail. The eMail comes down FAST. Set all this up before you leave a good internet connection. Once in operation we have NO complaints. Speak to James Bruno and GMPCS and Chris Parker regarding Ocens software and weather routing. We check eMail daily in less than one minute. Cost is around 1.30 to 1.50 per minute. In addition you can call home if you are so motivated and talk to grandma and in an emergency you can call whoever the hell you want! Again, make sure your laptop has a serial port!
Save a ton on download time for eMails and get more weather info than you can process. Highly recommend.
www.jamesnilsson.com/Motor-Replacement.htm
Here is the place to find those hard to locate windlass motors!
IMIS Inc-our insurance company. Very happy with their service and ability to insure our “unique” boat. Contact Gary Golden.
This is our parachute anchor that we have yet had opportunity to use (see Ocens Weathernet). Appears to be a great quality piece of equipment that may come in handy once we get to higher latitudes.