at has an outboard? That’s what oars are for, for pete sake!” One thousand miles later I eagerly bought my first outboard. For the previous three months, one of us (usually my husband) fought currents and wind trying to row our inflatable from ship to shore or hither and yon while the other oToday’s modern mariner appears, on the surface, to be better equipped than the small legion of yesteryear’s voyagers. Of course, neither Christopher Columbus, Joshua Slocum nor I had access to a GPS when we were plying the seven seas - a sextant pretty much told us where we were. While a GPS, Sat/Nav, radar, loran, VHF radio, ham radio, radio receiver, and solar panels are probably nice to have, there are two pieces of equipment that I discovered in my extensive wanderings that are indispensable. You could undoubtedly do without these two items and survive just fine, but having them makes all the difference in the world, literally. I’m talking about an outboard motor and an autopilot.

Now, before you get all condescending and roll your eyes around your head in disgust or disbelief, just wait a moment. Even if you are a “purist,” and I’ve known many, you’ll find that an outboard and an autopilot can tremendously enhance the quality of your trip.

I myself scoffed when my husband Tom and I were advised to purchase an outboard motor before we left on our first journey to Alaska. I remember distinctly thinking, “What the heck? What kind of a cruising boat has an outboard? That’s what oars are for, for pete sake!” One thousand miles later I eagerly bought my first outboard. For the previous three months, one of us (usually my husband) fought currents and wind trying to row our inflatable from ship to shore or hither and yon while the other of

Sat/Nav, radar, loran, VHF radio, ham radio, radio receiver, and solar panels are probably nice to have, there are two pieces of equipment that I discovered in my extensive wanderings that are indispensable. You could undoubtedly do without these two items and survive just fine, but having them makes all the difference in the world, literally. I’m talking about an outboard motor and an autopilot.

Now, before you get all condescending and roll your eyes around your head in disgust or disbelief, just wait a moment. Even if you are a “purist,” and I’ve known many, you’ll find that an outboard and an autopilot can tremendously enhance the quality of your trip.

I myself scoffed when my husband Tom and I were advised to purchase an outboard motor before we left on our first journey to Alaska. I remember distinctly thinking, “What the heck? What kind of a cruising boat has an outboard? That’s what oars are for, for pete sake!” One thousand miles later I eagerly bought my first outboard. For the previous three months, one of us (usually my husband) fought currents and wind trying to row our inflatable from ship to shore or hither and yon while the other o

makes all the difference in the world, literally. I’m talking about an outboard motor and an autopilot.

Now, before you get all condescending and roll your eyes around your head in disgust or disbelief, just wait a moment. Even if you are a “purist,” and I’ve known many, you’ll find that an outboard and an autopilot can tremendously enhance the quality of your trip.

I myself scoffed when my husband Tom and I were advised to purchase an outboard motor before we left on our first journey to Alaska. I remember distinctly thinking, “What the heck? What kind of a cruising boat has an outboard? That’s what oars are for, for pete sake!” One thousand miles later I eagerly bought my first outboard. For the previous three months, one of us (usually my husband) fought currents and wind trying to row our inflatable from ship to shore or hither and yon while the other o

an outboard and an autopilot can tremendously enhance the quality of your trip.

I myself scoffed when my husband Tom and I were advised to purchase an outboard motor before we left on our first journey to Alaska. I remember distinctly thinking, “What the heck? What kind of a cruising boat has an outboard? That’s what oars are for, for pete sake!” One thousand miles later I eagerly bought my first outboard. For the previous three months, one of us (usually my husband) fought currents and wind trying to row our inflatable from ship to shore or hither and yon while the other o

at has an outboard? That’s what oars are for, for pete sake!” One thousand miles later I eagerly bought my first outboard. For the previous three months, one of us (usually my husband) fought currents and wind trying to row our inflatable from ship to shore or hither and yon while the other of us (guess who) tried “trolling under oar power” to catch fish. (You’ve surely rowed an inflatable enough to know how much fun that is.) Most importantly, not having an outboard limited the range of exploring we could do. We couldn’t run up an estuary or inlet in the inflatable because it was too far to row. We had to take the big boat, if even possible, or forgo the pleasure of poking about and exploring.

Many people object to the mess of gasoline on board, and they have a point, for gas can be a smelly hassle. Lifting the outboard off and on the skiff takes balance and teamwork, or a good pulley system, or both. But the freedom the outboard offers to explore, fish, crab, shrimp, and just get to shore easier, makes the small inconveniences worthwhile. An outboard can open new worlds to you.

As for the autopilot…I know many sailboaters think an autopilot doesn’t belong on a sailboat. Only wind vanes belong on sailboats, right? Wind vanes break. The torque on these vanes is tremendous, and no matter the vane, I guarantee you it will spend part of its time in sick bay. Wind vanes cannot be used when you have to motor, and horror of horror, one ma