XM and Sirius do offer multiple format offerings and many channels (not all) are commercial-free.That said, the top 5-8 channels have more subscribers (remember you have to pay for XM and Sirius) actually listening to them than all the other channels combined. Your story on XM and Sirius was well written.Please allow me tooffer some additional information regarding iBiquity or HD-Radio, as it’s now named. Im a long-time Practical Sailor subscriber, and the name of my boat, AirWaves,is indicative of what I do for a living: I’m the 32-year co-owner of a broadcast radio group with four stations in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He mentioned his navy blue gelcoat had faded to a light blue color, and Penetrol brought the color back to original-so I decided to try it myself.
Use of Penetrol was suggested by our local West Marine person, after I asked about one or two other products (basically various levels of aggressive compounds).
Since this is the first time I’ve done this, I can’t predict any long-term negative implications for its use, but it certainly performed well without apparently harming the surface. From there it’s just a matter of waxing the surface for protection. ft.) let it dry a few minutes, and buff it off. All you need do is apply it in small sections (perhaps 4-6 sq. Penetrol is a liquid (apparently non-abrasive) and it does not appear to have any negativeimpact on the gelcoat-it brought the color back to “as new” condition. It looks virtually new again (it is forest green and had faded slightly from the sun over the past two years). With regard to the gelcoat maintenance article in your June 2003 issue by Nick Nicholson, I recently restored my fiberglass hardtop dodger with Penetrol, and I was quite surprised with the results. It is discussed on page 21 of the manual. In fact it optimally trims sails when you select auto sailtrim, or you can sail in a wind-steering mode so that it points to an optimal trim angle. I might note, however, that Virtual Passage does have automatic sailtrim under the Options pull-down. Your review of Virtual Passage 2.0 was very positive, with sailtrim functions the only negative you chose to highlight.
#Virtual sailor newport sailboat download#
You can download a fully-functional demo from them and give it a look: -Karin Conover-Lewis I’m not associated with them in any way other than as a user of their programme.
#Virtual sailor newport sailboat simulator#
While no simulator can be all things to all people, Virtual Sailor comes closest to duplicating the entire sailing experience on a computer, in my opinion. Just got the double issue, and was surprised that youdidn’t include Virtual Sailor in your article on sailing simulators. Overall, though, it is an excellent cruising or racing simulator for the price. It also features online racing, however I have found thisto be glitchy. The $25 sim is downloadable, and there are hundreds of add-on downloadable boats and additional world-wide scenery add-ons at no extra cost.
However, I was disappointed to see that Virtual Sailor 6.0 was not included.I feel that this sim has several advantages over others, including realistic weather, scenery, wave action, and boat graphics (utilizes DirectX). I just read your review of sailing simulators and I generally agree with your conclusions on many of them. They have a good selection and have always been more than helpful. In your recent chart kits article, you failed to mention a fine book and chart establishment, The Pilothouse in Philadelphia, PA. I have been a subscriber for a while now, and find the articles informative. You folks do a fine job with this publication. Paul Ravenna really pioneered the private waterproof charts and did/does a good job of designing charts that cover the right areas.Īlso sorry that you mentioned the federal margin on charts.Given thegenerallyinadequate margins on marine products, all the consumer isgoing to have in a few years is the West Marine Mega Gorilla, which will not serve them well after the rest of us are out of business. I’m sorry you did not mention Waterproof Charts out of Punta Gorda, FL. Thanks for the favorable mention of myself and Landfall Navigation inyour recent article on Chart Kits.