20/02/2025 Topic: Electric propulsion for tenders and larger boats Simon Currin Administrator	On a recent visit to the Düsseldorf Boat Show I was struck by the massive expansion in electric propulsion for tenders and larger vessels. We started using a Torqeedo to power our RIB 14 years ago and we overcame our initial range anxiety by acquiring a second battery for those rare journeys when one battery wasn’t enough. There seems to be so much more choice ow and I wondered what’s others are using? Silent, oil and smoke free tendering means that we don’t be going back to gasoline but I’m keen to know how the new electric outboards work? Also, for those migrating from sail to power, has anyone taken the plunge and bought one of the swish new foiling runabouts that seem to be filling aisles in Düsseldorf?
20/02/2025 Topic: Need to clear out?? Simon Currin Administrator	Neil, Given the current climate I think the passage would be much more relaxed if I were properly cleared out. But maybe past experiences have made me more nervous than I should be? Simon
11/03/2025 Topic: Replacement for SKYPE Simon Currin Administrator	Every now and then we need to make an international phone call to a landline and we have always relied on SKYPE for this. SKYPE is being shut down next month and so we have been searching for a replacement. A discussion on the OCC Facebook Group steered me towards VYKE https://www.vyke.com/ which is perfect for our needs. Thank you John Hardy for this great tip. Simon
30/03/2025 Topic: Falmouth 24h Emergency Telephone Number. Simon Currin Administrator	Thank you. We too only had the old number. Simon
14/04/2025 Topic: OCC survey about long range comms Simon Currin Administrator	Roberto, Neil is processing the results and I have forwarded your post to him in case he missed it on the Forum. Thank you, Simon
29/04/2025 Topic: Miami Marinas Simon Currin Administrator	Everywhere will be very busy but we managed to get a berth at Key Biscayne marina for Christmas ‘22 and cycle over the bridge to Miami. Simon
11 days ago Topic: Looking for information about the Azores Simon Currin Administrator	We have a great port Officer in Faial, Horta called José Azevedo - all his contact details are on the occ app and website so I won’t share them in this public place. All of the Azores islands are fantastic. Simon
9 days ago Topic: Looking for information about the Azores Simon Currin Administrator	Azores, Faial, Horta José Azevedo info@petercafesport.com Office +351 292 391 837 edited by simoncurrin on 23/05/2025
6 days ago Topic: How to purchase a new burgee? Simon Currin Administrator	Here is the link: https://members.oceancruisingclub.org/members/Shop You will need to login as it is in the member’s area of the website
5 days ago Topic: Sweden shore power Simon Currin Administrator	Dick, Can’t you just dial down the number of amps the charger (or charger/inverter) draws to stay below 10 amps? As an aside we got caught out by the big amps that go through the shore power cable in the US. We were used our European 16 amp one until it quickly melted with half the volts and twice the amps. After that we always controlled the amps coming in using the charger inverter as we worried that our internal wiring wasn’t rated for high US amps (though I think they are rated to 32 amps). Simon
4 days ago Topic: Looking for information about the Azores Simon Currin Administrator	I see there are 4 occ boats currently in Horta including Time Bandit - I believe they are always keen to reach out to fellow occ’ers. Maybe they will still be there when you drift in. Simon
2 days ago Topic: Sweden shore power Simon Currin Administrator	Dick, We had this function on our old Victron charger / inverter and on our newer Mastervolt so it’s been around for 20 years. You are right about the dangers of AC but you will be amused to know that it was an electrician (in the US) who melted our European 16 amp charger cable. It happened when he upgraded us to lithium and, of course, they charge at a very high rate and he hadn’t throttled our SHOREPOWER input to be below 16 amps. North Americans are used to this super-thick SHOREPOWER cables so he hadn’t clocked the concern. Why does America insist on 110v? It must be a huge problem for home EV charging. Simon
2 hours ago Topic: Recommendations for Tuamotus Simon Currin Administrator	We are currently in the Society Islands and would recommend spending as much time as you can in the Marquesas and Tuamotu before crossing to the Society Islands as it’s so much busier here. We chose Raroia, Makemo, Tahania, Fakarava and Toau and all were great. If you dive or snorkel then don’t miss Fakarava South Pass. We will leave for the Cooks at the end of June. Maybe you are heading that way too? Simon

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