Mariner

Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas Cruise Ship is one of the largest cruise ships in the world at over 1,000 feet long. When taking vacations on this absolutely impressive cruise ship, there is truly something for everyone! All comforts imaginable, and a few you would never think of, are available on this magnificent cruise ship. Shop to your heart's content in the numerous on-board shops, play a round of golf, go rock climbing, or even go ice skating! This ship has everything you would find at any five-start resort hotel. All inclusive vacation packages are available on this whale of a ship for the full luxury deal!

Spacious Rooms

You would think that for a ship this big, the company would shove more and more people on it so they could make more money. Well, think again. This boat offers one of the highest space-per-guest ratios of any cruise line in the industry. Guests will have plenty of room to enjoy any activity that was offered in the all inclusive vacation packages they booked!

So much to do!

The Mariner of the Seas offers great all inclusive vacation packages that caters to all sorts or travelers, from active single guests, to multi-generational families. This majestic cruise ship offers a lot to do while on your vacations. You can play 9 holes of miniature golf, use the interactive golf simulator, visit the state-of-the-art fitness center, or take advantage of the full-service Mariner Day Spa. When you are ready for a swim, there are two large pools and six whirlpools located on the swim deck. There is also plenty of room up there to soak up some rays while sunbathing. And Royal Caribbean is the only company in the world to offer rock climbing aboard their cruise ship.

When the sun sets, the fun is just beginning. There are 16 themed lounges with various entertainment options. You can view a Broadway-style production or enjoy some gambling in the Casino Royale.

About the Cruises

The Mariner of the Seas Cruise ship will be visiting the Caribbean, Mexico, and Mazatlan areas, among others. There are all inclusive vacation packages available, but spots are filling fast.

Allure of the Seas is the sister ship to the Mariner of the Seas. Allure of the Seas also has plenty of room aboard and fun things like simulated surfing waves called the "Flowrider." Both ships are fantastic for vacations cruising on the high seas!

The white village of Palos de la Frontera in Spain is picturesque and charming; it attracts many visitors to get a feel of the authentic local lifestyle of simplicity and tranquility.

Despite the progressive developments in its various industries like fishing and agriculture, Palos de la Frontera has managed to preserve its soft and relaxing ambience which busy and burned out executives like to soak in as they holiday here.

Central Theme

Palos is known as the cradle of discovery where its port was used to set off Christopher Columbus in the course of discovering America. Similarly, the Pinzon brothers also set off from Palos de la Frontera in their discovery quest of the New World.

There are quite a number of great historical attractions in this quaint village; like the San Jorge medieval church where it was mainly attended by the sailors who were to set off on their sea-faring journeys.

There is the La Fontanilla source where the sailors had a good drink before they set off and the Pinzon brothers' home which has been turned into a quaint nautical museum.

You will notice a monument which depicts the journey of Columbus about three and a half kilometers from the village center called "Route of Columbus". The Santa Maria monastery is a Franciscan styled monastery where Columbus spent some years before getting on his sea-faring journeys. This was where he discovered a faster route to India and then he discovered America.

Impressive Structures

The Santa Maria monastery is dated as far back as the 14th -15th centuries. It boasts of beautiful Gothic-Mudejar cloisters with numerous exhibits which Columbus brought back. There are also showcases of the various documents from Columbus' travels.

The Caravels dock is just beside the monastery which is an old port that has been well reconstructed with warehouses, eateries and crafts shops. There are the impressive replicas of Columbus' three ships on displays with exquisite interiors modeled along with the mariner figurines, cargo and food supplies models.

There is the Foro Iberoamericano which is the 4000-capacity auditorium that was built to commemorate the 500th anniversary of discovering America.

There is also a very interesting botanical garden where one can stroll leisurely to enjoy the various species of Latin American plants; it also has a lake that is full of exotic water plants as well as a sculpture museum that displays its wares outside.

Palos de la Frontera whips up another milestone with Isla del Encuentro or Isle of Meeting where the discoverers first encounter the original inhabitants of the new continent, America.

Unless you're planning to buy a new Sunfish or Laser, chances are your "under $2,500" small sailboat will be a used one.

There are literally hundreds of small, inexpensive used sailboats on the market all across the U.S. In my "resources" section, I have listed Internet links to several websites where you can search for used sailboats. Most of the websites for sailboat owners have listings of boats for sale, as well as lots of fascinating information about the boats, repair issues, how to improve performance, and social events for members.

I recently visited a website with boats for sale and did a search for sailboats priced under $2,500. There were more than two dozen boats for sale, most of them with trailers. There are many more websites with boat classifieds that you can check into. Craigslist is also a place where people sell boats, so take a look there as well.

What are the top candidates for "sailing on a budget"? This is my personal list. It should get you pointed in the right direction. In the Resources section on this page, I list several owners associations and sailboat companies where you can find more detailed information.

O'Day Daysailor - This is the boat that I own and I love it! (Can you tell???) There are several versions of the daysailer, but they are all 16'9" long and 6'3" wide. They are easy to sail, fit nicely on a trailer, and can really take off in a strong wind. Perhaps I am just lucky, but I find this boat very stable. I have yet to capsize!

O'Day Mariner -- The Mariner is about a foot longer than its Daysailer sister and is 7' wide. Below you can find a short video of a Mariner sailing.

MacGregor Weekender 21 -- This is a small, trailerable boat with a big feel. It has a cabin that can sleep up to four people and is known as a very stable ship.

Com-Pac 16/19 Daysailer -- I seriously considered buying a Com-Pac before eventually purchasing the O'Day Daysailer. Com-Pacs are classic-looking boats that have endured very well over several decades. They are still in production.

Catalina 22 Pop-Top -- Catalinas are like the Chevrolets of the sailing crowd. Although newer and larger ships can cost more than your house, there is a plentiful supply of sea-worthy older boats that are on the used boat market. The Catalina 22 in various configurations is one of the most popular. The "pop-top" means that the "ceiling" or top for the enclosed cabin can be pushed up to provide more headroom down below.

Catalina Capri 14.2 -- At just over 14', the Capri is somewhat smaller than the other daysailer boats featured here. It is a good choice, however, for someone who does not need a cabin and who wants to buy something a little newer. If you're interested in sailboat racing, there are numerous fleets of boats around the country that organize races for this class of boat.

Hunter 25 Daysailer -- The Hunter is a bit larger and more expensive than most of the boats listed here, but you can find older sailboats that will fit your budget. At 25' long they are trailerable boats with large cabins. There are several other smaller Hunter sailboats that are worth researching online such as the Hunter 22.

West Wight Potter 15 -- I love just looking at Potters! They are a little ungainly in design, sit high in the water, and probably remind some people (me) of a floating bathtub with sails. But take another look and they might even seem cute! They are incredibly practical boats and offer a great deal of space and sailing fun for their size. It even has a small cabin below. Potter also makes a larger model, the Potter 19.

Mounting outboards

A variety of clamping and bolting devices is used to mount outboard motors such as sail-boat auxiliaries. The type of fitting will depend upon the stern shape, height of the transom, position of the rudder, etc. Mariner Optimax Outboards are designed to operate with the anti-cavitation plate or exhaust outlet about 2-3 inches (50-75 mm) below the surface of the water. At a depth less than this. the outboard will vibrate. race as the stern lifts to a wave, and overheat. If the mounting bracket is too low. the motor will operate below its optimum speed, power output will be reduced, and fuel consumption will increase. A selection of clamps, alternative lengths of propeller shaft 15-19 inches (380-480 mm) and a choice of propellers of different pitch and diameter enable motors to be tailored to the boat.

Mariner Optimax engines are designed to withstand the occasional splashing and the ubiquitous spray. They can, however, be seriously damaged if submerged. To prevent this, and as security against theft, it is sensible to chain the outboard motor to the boat.

Stern mounting Mariner Optimax engines

In many boats and in particular sailboat auxiliaries, the outboards double as rudders. The motor is clamped at the centre of the transom and the boat is steered by the tiller fitted to the outboard. This works very well, provided one remembers that steerage is lost once the motor is cut or slipped into neutral.

The propeller should turn in water that is as free from turbulence as possible. It is often impossible or undesirable to mount the motor so that the propeller is deep below the keel. In such a position it would be vulnerable to damage. The normal mounting point for the outboard is on the centre-line immediately aft of the skeg. In this position, the motor may tend to vibrate, and the forward motion relative to the output of the motor may seem disappointing. The likeliest reason for this is that the turbulence created by the skeg causes the propeller to cavitate. Move the motor to one side, or trim the skeg to reduce turbulence.

As a propeller turns in the water, it produces forwards motion and slight sideways thrust. This is because the lower part of the propeller is operating in deeper (and therefore denser) water than the upper half - and the stern is pushed sideways in the direction of rotation. A propeller turning clockwise will thrust the stern to starboard - altering the heading to port. The bias which is the result of the offset mounted engine position can therefore be compensated for by mounting the motor on the appropriate side of the boat.

There is often a lot of confusion as to who has the right of way out at sea. All regulated training courses cover collision avoidance in full, it is one subject every mariner should be knowledgeable on.

So who dictates who has right of way?

The International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea, or for short (IRPCS). The general rule is that less manoeuvrable craft have priority over a more manoeuvrable craft.

Below are some taster IRPCS rules that would apply smaller watercraft; Sailboats have right of way over powered vessel in almost all cases, because the wind dictates their direction. This is not true for overtaking powered vessels.

Fishing vessels always have right of way regardless of their relative position. All vessels fishing with nets, lines or trawls count as fishing vessels. Steer well clear of all fishing vessels.

In overtaking and passing situations, the craft being passed has right of way. The craft doing the overtaking is required to stay clear. Generally, you should not pass on the starboard (right hand) side. If at all possible you should let the craft being passed know you are there.

In narrow channels, powered vessels under 65' can not hamper the operation of large vessels which can't navigate outside the channel. In a head-on-situation, when you feel there is a chance of collision, you should turn starboard (right) and keep the other craft on your port (left) side.

When crossing the path of another craft, the craft on the starboard (right) side has right of way. The craft on the port (left) side must slow and turn to starboard to pass behind the other craft.

These are only a few of the many guidelines and would be more applicable to smaller watercraft i.e Personal Watercraft, Sportsboats, Cruisers, RIBs. Whatever type of boating you are into there is a course to suit your needs, visit an organisation like the Royal Yachting Association (www.rya.org.uk) for more information on training courses for sportsboats, powerboats and RIBs.