I AM in the process of helping a couple commission their boat prior to sailing the yacht to Marmaris in Turkey.

I sing the praises of the internet where you can learn from others, pass on some of your wisdom, or have a rant about your pet like or hate.

I have used links to seek information about the trip and our destinations. I have received some very helpful advice which seems to come from all corners of the globe.

I like to keep up my Astro navigation skills and rather baulked at the idea of having to fly back with more than eight pounds of sight reduction tables in my suitcase.

So I asked where it would be possible to get this information on CD, and within a day I had been directed to a site which also had a whole host of valuable information for which one would have to pay in this country.

Fortunately the good old US of A believes that the American taxpayer has already paid for the information via his taxes.

I am in the process of downloading Routeing Charts, which the Americans call Pilot Charts. The North Atlantic edition will cover the whole of my route to Turkey.

All I need is a boat with a good laptop, well secured and well away from the weather.

The link is http://msi.nga.mil/ NGAPortal/MSI.portal.

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www.sail-help.co.uk