“Ring-ring, ring-ring” My hand was shaking as I held the phone to my ear, pacing up and down in the salon. “Da” My Russian boss answered. “Um, Hello sir, this is Melissa, your yacht engineer calling from Sardinia.” “Da” His impatience was clearly in...
Engineer Mel Thunderbolt loves boats. Sailing them, working on them and fixing them (although she could happily do without the shore power cable system.) Join her as she describes her sheer love of yachting, a lucky escape from an engine...
We engineers have to have ‘know-how’ on every little thing, but I'd take a pair of overalls and the hot sweaty heartbeat of the engine room over a chamois any day. One day I will find myself doing an oil...
Article written for Yachting Matters magazine Spring 2012 Edition 22 Every now and then we all need to take some time to reflect. If not, then life can take you out of the driver’s seat and onto a rollercoaster ride with...
I was up on the flybridge at night when I first heard the engine rev a little too high. After days and weeks at sea, the sounds of the boat become the rhythm to which you move, and any change...
Hello from the beautiful Philippines. I am sitting at the Subic Marina yacht club in the Philippines, looking out over the bay watching a glorious sunset. I cannot believe I am here, about to start a new adventure of sailing through...
I am pleased to announce that we have made it safely to Palau. All in all, it took two weeks, sailing through the Philippines islands and five days in open Pacific Ocean water to get to magical Palau, our exact location...
Written by Don McIntyre - “Shit it's full of smoke!” ...
Don is away in Australia for a conference until the 17th while we wait for the Northern Lights technician to return to Palau. In the meantime, we are practicing major power conservation techniques. Normally we would run the generator every evening to...
Nothing can ever be bad in paradise, right? The sun slowly dips down out of sight. Beautiful pink and orange sky. A dying cool breeze as the birds fly overhead to take food back to their young. It is a calm, clear...