SOME 'experts' say theft our 70 amp alternator is too small for the job. They might be justified if our boat was a cruiser racer - in which case I would accept their ideal figure of 3:1 battery capacity to alternator output. But this is a heavy displacement motor-sailer, and we run our engine for fairly long periods. The fact is, our single 70A model is fine. Some engineers advise fitting a second alternator in parallel with the original, but that just created more problems.
We blew the regulator of a replacement alternator this year - which cost £200 to replace in France. The supplier had been asked to clone our existing model with something a little more powerful. Sadly, the pulley on the new version was either too narrow, or stuck out more than the old one. It completely stripped the teeth off a heavy duty fanbelt and the slippage wrecked the regulator. If you see black dust gathering at the front and side of the engine, have a look at the alternator alignment. It might save you lots of money.

According to Jersey Harbourmaster, Capt. Brian Nibbs, 7,000 yachts visit Jersey each year, bringing 25,000 sailors to the island who spend around £4.5 million in shops, restaurants and chandlers. A recent review of the Jersey Harbour operations has identified the marine leisure industry as one of the main growth areas.

The SBA Differential GPS Antenna will interface with both the Garmin III and our Garmin 128 fIxed unit (or any other GPS) to give that 10 metre precision - great for angling, diving, anchoring, or simply reentering your home port after noting the precise co-ordinates.

Frank Hamilton, an old friend of BoatsExplained.com and this website, has sent me some very informative notes which he gathered while cruising south of la Rochelle and the Basque Country aboardAnhinga, his Hallberg Rassy 34. I'll be dipping into this material over the coming months.