Feb 13, 2020
Since the days of the astrolabe, sailors have looked to the skies to determine the weather. If only those ancient mariners had Sirius XM service, the whole thing might have been a lot simpler.
Fortunately, we do and SXM has the weather for boaters delivered fresh to your chart plotter instantaneously. No complex calculus required.
SiriusXM Marine is graphical weather and fishing info for boaters. SiriusXM Marine service is available in the continental United States, southern Canada and coastal waters. The area on this map is an approximation of the satellite coverage area. The service is provided via satellite, important since it is not cell or Internet dependent, which is limited in range.
map provided by Sirius XM
To get started, you need only get the antenna that matches your plotter – B&G, Garmin etc. These range $650 – 1,200, available from dealers. Once installed, you can choose from three levels of service, which offer increasing capability and information. As well marine subscribers get a discount on SXM’s music service to better rock the boat! For seasonal boaters, the service can be paused for up to six months.
In use, the Marine Service provides detailed weather features including waver height, direction and frequency, wind direction and velocity, cloud top covering, lightning strike location, sea surface temperature and much more. Sirius XM sources the information from a host of sources including NORAD.
Learn more here.

CY Virtual Video Boat Tours
We all love boats and nothing can break us up! So, what better way to spend our time than looking at interesting boats and going aboard in a virtual ride or tour. We have asked our friends at various dealers and manufacturers to help us assemble a one-stop online resource to experience some of the most interesting boats on the market today. Where the CY Team has done a review, we connect you to that expert viewpoint. If you can’t go boating, you can almost experience the thrill via your screen. Not quite the same, but we hope you enjoy our fine tour collection.
Read more about the CY Virtual Boat Tours....................
By Andy Adams
Once again, Cruisers Yachts is leading the market for day boats with their new 42 GLS model that premiered at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show at the end of October. The concept of a large day boat is now a very well-established trend made possible by the amazing new power and efficiency of the latest four stroke outboards.
Buyers are looking for a different boating experience and we think that the 42 GLS nails it. Fast, handsome and versatile, the 42 GLS is designed for fun and adventure.
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In Part I, Sheryl Shard ended the story at June and the start of Hurricane Season when they were once again joined by friends.
This time it was Noel and Tracey Dinan, whose new shallow-draft Allures 49.5 was in build at the time, we headed north from the Exumas across the expanse of the Great Bahama Bank, dodging coral patches as we sailed to Eleuthera then Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco. Another commercial centre in the islands, we cleared out of the Bahamas here after provisioning for our offshore passage up to the Chesapeake Bay on the US mainland and out of the Hurricane Zone until mid-November...
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By Andrew McDonald, Lakeside Marine Services
“They don’t make ‘em like they used to”, is a phrase that many of us are familiar with. Most of the time it is in reference to a bygone era of better, and it’s used to lament the sorry state of what we have today. It is a phrase that can be applied to many areas of our lives: architecture, art, furniture, tools. Boats? I would argue that they don’t make them like they used to. But, is that lamentable, or is it progress?
Progress, I think. With this concept in mind, as we enter another season of putting boats to bed for the winter, why do we winterize as we always have?
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