Mark's Weblog tag:blog.pdxt.com,2006://2 2006-09-24T06:46:54Z Movable Type 3.2 Bon Voyage Estrella tag:blog.pdxt.com,2006://2.27 2006-09-18T06:40:23Z 2006-09-24T06:46:54Z We spent what was probably the last overnight weekend of the season in St. Helens last weekend. No real wind to speak of, but The higlight of the trip was seeing Adam and Kristina heading out on thier 1+ year... Mark We spent what was probably the last overnight weekend of the season in St. Helens last weekend. No real wind to speak of, but The higlight of the trip was seeing Adam and Kristina heading out on thier 1+ year voyage aboard Esrtella. Good luck guys, we'll be watching your site for updates.

]]> Sail Racing Mobile Software tag:blog.pdxt.com,2006://2.26 2006-09-04T23:56:42Z 2006-09-24T22:23:30Z In my spare time i've been developing sail racing software for windows based handheld devices. Development is in the early stages, but the wind module may prove useful if you're looking for that little edge for your crew. Please email... Mark In my spare time i've been developing sail racing software for windows based handheld devices. Development is in the early stages, but the wind module may prove useful if you're looking for that little edge for your crew. Please email me at mbnelson@europa.com if you would like a free beta copy for testing or find the latest builds here.

pod.png

]]> Engine Coolant Continued... tag:blog.pdxt.com,2006://2.24 2006-08-21T06:32:30Z 2006-08-22T19:54:10Z After more investigation, the engine coolant problem was more serious than just air in the internal coolant loop. It turns out, after having a local radiator shop look at the heat exchanger, they found a leak! After the repair, we... Mark After more investigation, the engine coolant problem was more serious than just air in the internal coolant loop. It turns out, after having a local radiator shop look at the heat exchanger, they found a leak! After the repair, we re-installed over the weekend and all seems fine as no trace of coolant in the engine compartment. We still need to take another trip to perform more thourough testing. Maybe a trip to Beacon Rock will sufice. In my investigation of marine cooling systems, I found they are very similar to a nuclear power plant cooling system.

]]> Coastal Explorer - Google Earth tag:blog.pdxt.com,2006://2.23 2006-08-07T06:41:13Z 2006-08-07T06:51:04Z I just learned of a new feature today in Coastal Explorer. You can now export almost all navigation objects to Google Earth. This has many benefits including the ability to plan and plot routes with real time weather, see conditions... Mark I just learned of a new feature today in Coastal Explorer. You can now export almost all navigation objects to Google Earth. This has many benefits including the ability to plan and plot routes with real time weather, see conditions at noaa bouys, and share your route information with friends and family.

To export navigation objects to Google Earth, simply click file->export, select the objects for export and select Google Earth KML file as the file type. Double click on the KML file and you will see all of your exported Coastal Explorer objects in Google Earth.

]]> Engine Coolant tag:blog.pdxt.com,2006://2.22 2006-07-09T08:31:17Z 2006-07-14T03:29:06Z For the 4th of July we took a trip to Cathlamet Washington. The weather was nice, but unusally cool for this time of year. The marine layer bunred off about 1pm for the 3 day trip. We did encounter... Mark mark_helm.jpgmark_helm.jpg For the 4th of July we took a trip to Cathlamet Washington. The weather was nice, but unusally cool for this time of year. The marine layer bunred off about 1pm for the 3 day trip. We did encounter a small problem when we took the sails down as the winds were building to 30+ knots. As soon as we started the motor, the engine heat light came on so we put the headsail back out and made our way to the best anchorage we could find just east of cape horn. After checking the raw water strainer, themostat and installing a new impeller we found the problem to be air in the coolant system. We bled the air out of the system, had dinner and drinks and pulled anchor in the morning and headed to St. Helen's for the next night.

]]> C# at Government Island tag:blog.pdxt.com,2006://2.21 2006-06-13T05:25:27Z 2006-06-13T05:46:34Z C# at Government Island Originally uploaded by nelsonmb. We finally have a name on the boat!... Mark
C# at Government Island
Originally uploaded by nelsonmb. We finally have a name on the boat!
]]> MacENC tag:blog.pdxt.com,2006://2.20 2006-06-01T06:06:30Z 2006-06-02T00:05:17Z I've been very busy with the NavSoftware store lately, adding several new products. First is the low priced AIS hardware from Smart Radio in China. I've added 2 of thier models - SR161 and SR162. The SR161 is a single... Mark I've been very busy with the NavSoftware store lately, adding several new products. First is the low priced AIS hardware from Smart Radio in China. I've added 2 of thier models - SR161 and SR162. The SR161 is a single channel receiver that scans one channel at a time at roughly 1 minute intervals choosing the channel with the best reception. The SR162 scans both AIS channels simultaniously for a 30 second refresh rate. See them on the SR161 and SR162 product pages.

Another new product is MacENC. MacENC is currently the only widely available marine navigation software for the Mac. A big thanks to Rich Ray at GPSNavX for allowing me to offer MacENC.

Lastly, I've added a DVD of the latest NOAA ENCs and Maptech RNCs (BSB3). Those with super-fast connections can just download the regions needed, but I'll only be able to update these every couple of months as time allows.

It's been a busy week!

]]> Blogs talking about Coastal Explorer tag:blog.pdxt.com,2006://2.17 2006-03-01T18:28:30Z 2006-03-01T22:52:53Z I found another blog that talks about coastal explorer. http://www.navagear.com/navigation/index.html... Mark I found another blog that talks about coastal explorer.

http://www.navagear.com/navigation/index.html

]]> Sailing in February tag:blog.pdxt.com,2006://2.16 2006-02-12T01:13:38Z 2006-02-12T10:45:29Z Well, we took advantage of another rare dry day in February. Had a hat overboard that was quickly recovered using the quick stop method and the river current. View sail track... Mark Well, we took advantage of another rare dry day in February. Had a hat overboard that was quickly recovered using the quick stop method and the river current.

View sail track

]]> Out on the river in January tag:blog.pdxt.com,2006://2.14 2006-01-25T02:43:53Z 2006-01-25T02:47:37Z Well, after 30+ days of rain Doug, Eliana and I made it out on the river. It was dry all day with just a little sun for about 30 minutes. We're looking forward to a trip down to Cathlamet,... Mark mark_eliana.jpg
Well, after 30+ days of rain Doug, Eliana and I made it out on the river. It was dry all day with just a little sun for about 30 minutes. We're looking forward to a trip down to Cathlamet, WA on the next dry weekend.






]]> Electronics Stack on C# tag:blog.pdxt.com,2006://2.13 2006-01-19T07:04:25Z 2006-02-21T05:32:45Z Mark Marine Electronics Stack

]]> First Offshore Voyage tag:b.pdxt.com,2005://2.12 2005-09-05T20:02:33Z 2006-01-15T00:12:12Z We finally took our voyage to Barkley Sound Canada during the last week in August. It was a great learning experience and very enjoyable. We saw 3 humpback whales, a pod of dolphins, sea otters and of course sea... Mark
We finally took our voyage to Barkley Sound Canada during the last week in August. It was a great learning experience and very enjoyable. We saw 3 humpback whales, a pod of dolphins, sea otters and of course sea lions.

We one small mis-hap when the radar came off of the mount on the backstay in 25+ knot winds and 7-10 ft. seas, but we got it lashed down and made it into Nea Bay, WA for a quick remount and then continued on to Canada.

See some of our photos of the Barkley Sound trip.

]]> Coastal Explorer tag:b.pdxt.com,2005://2.11 2005-07-25T10:19:53Z 2006-09-05T17:10:57Z I found what is probably the the best Marine Navigation Software package available anywhere! Coastal Explorer is the easiest to use and most feature rich navigation software package that I have seen. The most valuable features include marpa targret... Mark Coastal Explorer Image - Offshore Leg

I found what is probably the the best Marine Navigation Software package available anywhere!

Coastal Explorer is the easiest to use and most feature rich navigation software package that I have seen. The most valuable features include marpa targret display, ais display, automatic satellite photo downloads with adjustable opacity. route obstacle alerts as well as direct integration with major autopilots.

We plan to use Coastal Explorer on our upcomming trip from Portland to Barkley Sound Canada.

]]> Life changing event tag:b.pdxt.com,2005://2.10 2005-05-24T21:58:26Z 2006-01-14T23:46:32Z Well i've decided to make a life changing decision. A new house, new car, the south beach or atkins diet? No, I've severed ties with comcast and cable tv. I've subscribed to a video on demand service for $10 a... Mark Well i've decided to make a life changing decision. A new house, new car, the south beach or atkins diet? No, I've severed ties with comcast and cable tv. I've subscribed to a video on demand service for $10 a month and will choose what i watch (if anything) whenever I want to watch it. The first on my list to watch is sail.tv. Although I already watch it on the laptop, It will be nice to watch it on the 32" toshiba. :)

]]> A must read for anyone starting out in sailing tag:b.pdxt.com,2005://2.9 2005-05-23T20:23:15Z 2006-01-14T23:40:18Z Chapman Piloting & Seamanship 64th Edition : The Boating World's Most Respected Reference, Completely Updated & Revised with New Charts, Photographs & ... Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling) This book contains all of the essentials regarding design, navigation, and... Mark Chapman Piloting & Seamanship 64th Edition : The Boating World's Most Respected Reference, Completely Updated & Revised with New Charts, Photographs & ... Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling)

This book contains all of the essentials regarding design, navigation, and most importantly SAFETY.

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