Sue and I are helping out with a group of cruisers on Operation Cruisers’ Aid to bring much needed supplies to the Islands impacted by Hurricane Beryl. For those that are willing and able, please make a donation to this GoFundMe page: https://gofundme.com/f/cruiser-relief-response-to-beryl/ to help us buy items to bring and donate. For those that know and trust us, please donate through us as the process for extracting funds from GoFundMe takes time and that is in short supply. PayPal: https://paypal.me/BucketNC?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US Venmo: @Michael-Pail Leave a comment if you decide to donate and we'll give a shout out in an upcoming update video!

Passion fruits are one of the more odd tropical fruits because the flesh is not the edible part. By cutting them open, you reveal a center filled with seeds and a jelly-like substance and that’s what is eaten. The seeds are very edible and they are easily chewed. They add tartness to the taste, and while the first spoonful takes a leap of courage, the fruit is very tasty and the consistency is dominated by the crunchy seeds.

Originally from the far east, and sometimes called the Java apple the wax apple can now also be found in the Caribbean. It’s a delicious fruit that is very easy to cut and a great tropical treat!

We get to see this quite a bit and it NEVER gets old! Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com

The great people at Shelter Bay Marina, Panama are offering a discount to the first of our followers to reach out for a slip! Have a watch, grab the code and reach out to GM Juan Jose at juanjo@shelterbaymarina.com or (507) 6813-5327. Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

Our 40 day, 5555 NM crossing of the Atlantic is just about done. We expect to arrive in Grenada just after midnight on the morning of the 29th. We were able to visit the island of St Helena for 3 days and the island of Fernando de Noronha for 2 days, but otherwise it’s been eat, sleep, sail, repeat. We’ve been on every point of sail and used every sail in our inventory EXCEPT the storm sail. We’ll do a recap soon, but we just wanted to send out a quick highlight. Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

Just a quick compilation of some sites in Fernando de Noronha. Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

After a wonderful 5 1/2 months living in South Africa, we are outta here! It’s been great, but we’re ready to start our real adventure! Want to follow along, see our boat speed, wind speeds, etc? Go to tracking.OnANewTack.com to get hourly position updates and short blog entries on occasion. It will be about 8 days to St. Helena, where we’ll stay for a few days, then off to Grenada! If you’d like to email us during the crossing, use mikepail@myiridium.net. Thanks for watching and see you soon…ish. Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

After a wonderful 4 months, the Mira crew is off to Cape Town for about a week and then we cross the Atlantic! It is so bittersweet; we have made so many friends here that we will miss dearly, BUT that is one of the downsides to our new life. More updates to come now that the last several hectic weeks are behind us. Stay tuned! Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

I love this feature for two reasons; first, it is a great example of how responsive Vision is to customer feedback that can make the boat better, and second, because I had at least a little input in its creation! In a nutshell, they help prevent the running rigging from getting snagged on the rigid solar panel corners. Flexible panels wouldn't have this problem to begin with, but they are nowhere near as efficient, they get hot and they don't last as long. We were very happy to be getting rigid solar panels, but were less than thrilled about having to be super vigilant to prevent a damaged sheet or panel. I believe these clips will fully remove this concern; thanks Grant (Vision Engineer)! Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

The Schenker Zen 100 watermaker literally makes converting seawater into pure drinking water as easy as pressing some buttons. In this video, we discuss the add-on module that allows the system to automatically monitor the generated water for salt content and only start filling the fresh water tanks when the water is free from salt. Note: I believe this will increase the cost of the watermaker option slightly, but it is a small (couple hundred dollars I was told?) upgrade compared to the system cost and really takes all the guess work out of water creation. Given the importance of water, we're going with this upgrade! Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

We discussed the new water diverter strips that keep heavy wave action from brining water into the cockpit in an earlier video, however what we didn't show is how these have evolved to also be the canvas attachment method! Great way to build more solutions into one add-on. Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

A quick look at the layout in the floor panel that houses the watermaker through-hull and the various hoses used to pickle the watermaker (stabilize the membrane for extended periods of non-use). The clear hoses are extra long and coiled in this storage area so that nothing else is needed except a bucket contained the mixed pickling solution.

The super "cool" cockpit cooler option! Great to have a deep freezer during passage and when turned off becomes greater added storage. The lid and cooler edges are all insulated with foam and reportedly work great. Once at temperature, the unit requires very little power. We'll revisit this during our passage and report back! Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

The Nav station has been extended into the salon by about 4 inches (100mm) which allows some additional area to be opened up for electrical components. This will be covered with a removeable woodgrain panel. Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

Scuba tank storage on Hull #10 "Umbono". There is storage for three 40 cu ft tanks directly beneath the helm seat. The rack is made using a custom fiberglass mold made in the Vision Factory. We are planning in placing four tanks in one of the large storage areas beneath the cockpit seating that is just forward of the davit.

Sue shows the water diverting fittings and the washboard tracks, now changed to a composite material from the original teak wood. While the teak looked nice and gave a very custom look, they required oiling to keep looking their best. In an effort to reduce maintenance, Vision created a mold and they are now composite. The water diverting tracks now also have a keyhole groove in them to which the canvas bottoms slide. The wood was pretty, but we weren't looking forward to oiling them! Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

When the Nanni engines are selected, this control panel is fitted. It is a nice, compact display of engine hours, RPMs, etc. Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

A look at the updated systems locker on the starboard side of the Vision 444 catamaran. The clean and efficient layout makes any servicing or repair easy to get to. There is another on the port side for the port hull systems. Note, pardon the wood clamps; the door jambs and door are added after launch otherwise the tensioning of the rig would cause the doors to not close perfectly. Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail

What used to be a very large, deep storage area has been changed to a cabinet door with internal shelves. The aft (left in this shot) door houses the storage shelves while the forward door door allows access to the steering linkage cables. Want more? Please give us a follow on our other social media: https://instagram.com/on_a_new_tack http://facebook.com/OnANewTack Check out our blog: http://www.OnANewTack.com Where are we right now:? http://tracking.OnANewTack.com For the BEST content, follow our cat on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chuckpail