Links
*Directly Portland Pudgy-related
...
Lifeboats and Self-Rescue Boats vs. Life rafts
Answers.com, on inflatable life rafts versus lifeboats: "The [Fastnet] inquiry board noted that 'life rafts clearly failed to provide the safe refuge which many crews expected.'...Your chances of survival on a raft on the open ocean are greater if you can sail or at least steer it in the right direction. Waiting passively to be rescued in a helplessly drifting life raft is a prime cause of despair and hopelessness. According to Michael Stadler, a German professor of psychology and a small-boat sailor, even the most desperate situation is bearable—even for someone on their own—provided they have some sense of controlling their position and environment."
Survivorman: Lost at Sea. Survivorman is a Canadian-produced television program, broadcast in Canada on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN).
Navis.gr. Yikes!
Wikipedia (shipboard lifeboats)
Ditchbags. Note that you must provide your own ditch bag with the Portland Pudgy survival system. Read these articles to see why we think this is the best policy:
Equipped to Survive. Detailed instructions for creating a ditch bag. Very important!
Yachting World, on the ditch bag supplied on an inflatable life raft
Great Boat Gear. These folks are passionate about finding the best boating equipment for the best prices!
Equipped to Survive. "The Definitive Source for Independent Reviews & Information on Outdoors Gear and Survival Equipment and Techniques. " Very well-researched and thorough, it contains product reviews as well as fascinating and useful articles about safety and survival.
Fiorentino Para-Anchor. The sea anchor is a vital piece of survival equipment. This link takes you to Zack Smith's (of Fiorentino) guide for using a sea anchor. Fiorentino makes a sea anchor especially for the Portland Pudgy.
North Sails
Carlisle oars
Stabilicers. Great ice cleats, made in Biddeford, Maine!
Portland Pudgy Owners' blogs, websites, etc.
SV Precipice "We love our dingy. It is exactly what we needed. It has been instrumental in saving our boat when we ran aground because it rows so well in rough weather and can handle two 45 pound anchors being dropped in it for kedging off a reef. It is a real workboat built for real world conditions. It is incredibly stable. We wouldn't use any other. In the sailing we do a dingy can mean the difference between life or death, and this isn't in reference to the lifeboat abilities of the pudgy just its stability and durability."
SV Aphrodite. A brief clip. "S/V Aphrodite moored at Alofi, Niue in September 2008. Also shows me hoisting my Portland Pudgy ashore at the Alofi warf. This is the only way to get a dinghy ashore in Alofi, there are no landings where you can haul out on the beach."
Please contact us, so we can list yours: info@portlandpudgy.com! It doesn't have to be all about your boat or your voyage, as long as it's clearly relevant to the Pudgy.
Floating Doctors (Medical specialists sailing to remote places around the world to deliver free healthcare.)
Directly Portland Pudgy-related
Adrian Flanagan: Alpha Global Expedition, Royal Southern Yacht Club. First North-South circumnavigation of the globe. Pudgy on deck.
Maine Public Broadcasting Network, Emmy award winning small boats feature
Magazines that have done articles on the Pudgy
Maine Boats, Homes and Harbors
15 minutes from Portland, Maine by someone who feels as lucky as we do to live in this beautiful town. And a sequel also starring Lucy: Lucy and Waldo in Thomaston, Maine.
Portland, Maine by the City of Portland.
Portland, day 1. A nice tourist video from Youtube.
Portland, Maine Trip. Another nice one from Youtube. This shows Harbor Fish Market (a great store) and Falmouth town landing, where we moor our catboat.
Sledding on the eastern promenade. Best sledding hill ever!
North Sails
Stabilicers. Great ice cleats, made in Biddeford, Maine! Check out the videos (pretty funny)!