Anton Khatskelevich

Anton Khatskelevich

Founder, TheThinksters.com

2262 articles

Thailand sailing: routes, winds and marina rules
News

Thailand sailing: routes, winds and marina rules

Monsoon timing, marina availability and inter-island transit distances define the practical window for safe, comfortable sailing in Thailand: the northeast monsoon (Nov–Apr) delivers 5–20 knot trade winds ideal for the Andaman Sea, while the southwest monsoon (May–Oct) increases gusts and swell, often restricting access to certain marine parks and reducing berth availability in smaller marinas.

5 min·
Practical Picks: Inshore Sailing Jacket Test
News

Practical Picks: Inshore Sailing Jacket Test

During busy marina turnarounds and tender transfers, crew and day-sailors require lightweight waterproofs that facilitate rapid boarding, stowage, and short-position duties without the bulk of offshore gear.

5 min·
Electric winch failure prompts safety guidance for yachts
News

Electric winch failure prompts safety guidance for yachts

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) found that the absence of a local isolation or emergency-stop for the yacht’s 24-volt direct current electric winches was a decisive factor in the fatality 2.8nm south‑south‑west of the Needles Lighthouse off the Isle of Wight.

6 min·
Jonmeri 40: Design, Performance and Cruising Notes
News

Jonmeri 40: Design, Performance and Cruising Notes

With a standard draft of 2.10 m and a lightship displacement near 8,000 kg, the Jonmeri 40 demands marina berths and channel depths that routinely clear 2.5 m plus adequate onshore lifting capacity (around 9 tonnes) for maintenance and antifouling operations; operators planning coastal charters or long-term moorings must factor in these constraints for route planning and marina selection.

6 min·
How GPS tracking strengthens outboard security for marinas
News

How GPS tracking strengthens outboard security for marinas

A single night raid that removed 10 outboard engines from a Cornwall boatyard produced losses of approximately £200,000, exposing critical gaps in shore-side security, equipment logistics and spare-part supply chains for local marinas and boat rental fleets.

5 min·
Yacht Charter Strategy for Monaco Grand Prix
News

Yacht Charter Strategy for Monaco Grand Prix

Port Hercule berthing capacity tightens dramatically during Grand Prix week, with most usable slips reserved months in advance, temporary exclusion zones established around the circuit, and local authorities enforcing additional operational rules for navigation, tendering, and security.

6 min·
Managing 12-Volt Boat Refrigeration Efficiently
News

Managing 12-Volt Boat Refrigeration Efficiently

On week-long coastal charters, a 12-volt marine refrigerator can draw between 20–60 amp-hours per day, making refrigeration one of the primary considerations for onboard power logistics, battery sizing, and generator scheduling.

5 min·
Gran Turismo 50 Alpine Edition Revealed in Paris
News

Gran Turismo 50 Alpine Edition Revealed in Paris

Beneteau delivered the new Gran Turismo 50 Alpine Limited Edition to the Paris Nautic Show (26–30 November) as a 15.95 m LOA yacht with a 4.48 m beam and a 1.18 m draught, emphasizing expanded exterior living spaces and new onboard energy systems that affect transport planning, marina berth requirements, and shore power provisioning for show displays and test cruises.

6 min·
Hidden Caribbean Routes for Extended Sailing Seasons
News

Hidden Caribbean Routes for Extended Sailing Seasons

Hurricane season runs from June to December, effectively splitting the cruising year into a five-to-six month sailing window and a mandatory storage period; planners should prioritize safe haul-out or sheltered moorings in Trinidad, Shelter Bay (Panama), Rio Dulce (Guatemala) or Aruba between June and November to protect vessels and equipment.

6 min·
How Seawater Desalination Changes Offshore Cruising
News

How Seawater Desalination Changes Offshore Cruising

A 40‑ft cruising yacht at sea typically consumes between 80–120 liters of freshwater per person per day for drinking, cooking and basic hygiene; for a crew of four on a fortnight passage that adds up to roughly 4,480–6,720 liters of potable water.

6 min·
Best Times to Charter: Seasonal Guide
News

Best Times to Charter: Seasonal Guide

Marina berthing capacity in the Mediterranean commonly reaches full allocation from June through August, so booking 6–12 months in advance is standard practice to secure preferred yachts, captains and berths during peak demand.

5 min·
How Boat Displacement Affects Offshore Sailing
News

How Boat Displacement Affects Offshore Sailing

A yacht’s laden displacement typically increases by 15–25% once you add water, fuel, spare parts, sails and provisions for a bluewater passage, directly impacting fuel consumption rates, marina berth selection, lifting and transport logistics, and the structural limits surveyors and shipyards must plan for.

6 min·
Knot Speed Explained for Sailors and Renters
News

Knot Speed Explained for Sailors and Renters

A vessel maintaining 6 knots for one hour moves approximately 6 nautical miles, which equals about 11.1 km/h (6 × 1.852).

6 min·
Participation in UK sailing faces critical decline
News

Participation in UK sailing faces critical decline

RYA operational metrics paint a stark picture: membership and training throughput are stagnating while volunteer engagement and club attendance show early declines, with the RYA reporting more than 100,000 members, some 24,000 instructors, around 250,000 volunteers and over 2,000 recognised training centres across the UK—figures now under scrutiny as part of a nationwide Reflections on Water survey that opened on 6 November and closed on 8 December.

5 min·
How to Choose 20m, 30m or 40m Charters
News

How to Choose 20m, 30m or 40m Charters

Marina berth length restrictions, draft limits and tender-handling logistics dictate much of what a Mediterranean charter can achieve: many ports levy higher daily mooring fees for vessels above 24 m, the Cannes islands prohibit transit between certain islets for yachts over 24 m, and narrow coves often require a tender or shallow-draft approach for safe access.

6 min·
Setting Rigging Tension on a Hinged Pegasus 700
News

Setting Rigging Tension on a Hinged Pegasus 700

On trailer-sailers such as the Pegasus 700 that transit low bridges on inland waterways, the operational logistics of repeatedly lowering and raising a hinged mast create predictable patterns of wear on standing rigging, requiring a routine tensioning and inspection schedule to avoid deformation or unexpected failures during a cruise.

5 min·
Swan 51 — modern cruiser with classic Swan pedigree
News

Swan 51 — modern cruiser with classic Swan pedigree

The new Swan 51 increases internal volume by 22%, carries roughly 2,500 kg more displacement than the Swan 48 and gains +30 cm beam, while retaining twin rudders and three keel options that directly affect draft, cruising range and marina berth choices.

5 min·
Riviera 48 Convertible Used-Boat Overview
News

Riviera 48 Convertible Used-Boat Overview

Imported to the United States from 1998 through 2003, the Riviera 48 Convertible arrives as a 48‑foot platform with a certified displacement near 39,600 lb, a fuel capacity of 940 gallons and freshwater capacity of 227 gallons—figures that directly affect range planning, fuel logistics and berth provisioning for extended cruises or charters.

6 min·
Smart Systems and the Future of Boating
News

Smart Systems and the Future of Boating

In many busy marinas and coastal channels, Automatic Identification System (AIS) traffic routinely exceeds several hundred contacts per hour, creating a real-time data stream that demands fast processing for collision avoidance, berth logistics, and situational awareness.

5 min·
Arkup Joins The Ark Companies; Villa 50 by Lyman‑Morse
News

Arkup Joins The Ark Companies; Villa 50 by Lyman‑Morse

Miami’s classification of the Arkup as a “floating structure” — and the subsequent $120,000 property tax dispute won in court by Jonathan Brown of Macknight International — triggered a spike in orders and reshaped regulatory clarity that now underpins the commercial rollout of Arkup’s livable yachts.

5 min·
Monaco Grand Prix Yacht Charter Essentials
News

Monaco Grand Prix Yacht Charter Essentials

Port Hercule enforces a strict 5‑day berthing window for vessels attending the Monaco Grand Prix: yachts granted a race berth must remain moored in-port for the entire event, subject to port authority security checks, tender traffic scheduling, and accredited crew lists submitted in advance.

6 min·
LA28 Sailing: San Pedro vs Long Beach
News

LA28 Sailing: San Pedro vs Long Beach

The Port of Los Angeles has scheduled the Cabrillo Beach Youth Center to be vacated by youth and Scouting groups effective January 1 so Olympic sailing teams can begin training under the direction of two nearby yacht clubs, a move that shifts six Olympic sailing events from Long Beach into Los Angeles Harbor and immediately complicates berth, lodging, and staging logistics.

6 min·
Halma Rib HR 30 Outboard Trial and Charter Relevance
News

Halma Rib HR 30 Outboard Trial and Charter Relevance

Two Mercury Verado 300 hp outboards deliver a combined 600 hp to the Halma Rib HR 30, producing planing characteristics and fuel-consumption figures that directly affect transfer scheduling, fuel logistics and charter operating costs for day-cruises and short coastal passages.

5 min·
Code Zero — When Light-Air Sails Earn Their Keep
News

Code Zero — When Light-Air Sails Earn Their Keep

The departure from the Magote at La Paz began at dusk with an overnight forecast of 5–8 knots on the bow and a Malö 39 like Sea Fox barely moving through the glassy Bahia de La Paz; under those conditions a code zero was the only on-deck sail with a real chance to convert marginal puffs into forward motion without firing the engine.

5 min·
Choosing Between Motor and Sailing Yachts
News

Choosing Between Motor and Sailing Yachts

Most Mediterranean charters plan for average transits of 30–40 nautical miles per day; a typical motor yacht cruises at 18–25 knots while a cruising sailing yacht averages 6–9 knots, which directly affects fuel logistics, itinerary feasibility, and berth scheduling at crowded marinas.

6 min·
RYA 2026 Exam Fee Update: Key Figures and Effects
News

RYA 2026 Exam Fee Update: Key Figures and Effects

The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) has confirmed the centrally set examination charges for 2026, with the core Yachtmaster and related assessment fees fixed to reflect administrative costs and standardisation across training centres.

5 min·
Inside the 36 m schooner Tara: polar-ready design and gear
News

Inside the 36 m schooner Tara: polar-ready design and gear

Tara’s tanks hold almost 40,000 liters of diesel, giving the vessel logistical autonomy for up to two years and imposing specific resupply and port-call requirements for long-duration polar missions; planners must account for heavy fuel transfers, dry stores up to 8 tonnes, and a 2-tonne anchoring system when scheduling berths and cargo handling in remote marinas and research ports.

6 min·
Nordhavn 46 MKII — a new chapter for a classic trawler
News

Nordhavn 46 MKII — a new chapter for a classic trawler

The Nordhavn 46 MKII delivers a 44 ft 7 in waterline, 1,200 gallons of fuel and a certified 3,000‑nm cruising range while adding twin 140‑hp Nanni diesels, Humphree 24‑volt stabilizers and a full suite of modern systems; first hulls are scheduled for delivery from the South Coast shipyard in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in 2026.

6 min·
Greece’s Best Yacht Chefs for Summer 2026
News

Greece’s Best Yacht Chefs for Summer 2026

Provisioning for crewed luxury charters in the Cyclades now follows predictable 48–72 hour restock cycles, with supply transfers coordinated around port opening times and customs windows; many captains schedule fresh fish and produce pickups at Santorini, Mykonos or nearby marinas to ensure peak freshness for onboard menus.

5 min·
CYC Turkey Bowl 2026 — Wet, Windy, Wonderful
News

CYC Turkey Bowl 2026 — Wet, Windy, Wonderful

Eighty small boats were launched and raced over two days from the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle under sustained southerly breezes, producing frequent planing conditions, several capsizes, and tight fleet management challenges for race committees and support safety boats.

5 min·