Born of the Nintendo generation I cannot imagine how I would live life not being connected to a computer and the internet. I have found that this has assisted me in all aspects of my sailing development and boat ownership. One of the sites that I have used extensively in refitting my 30 year old CS 27 is Craig's List (http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/).

Craigslist is a simple free no-frills classified ad website that has taken off. It is huge; and beats out eBay for ease of use. Essentially it is identical to a newspaper ad except everyone is using it because it is 100% free.

Owning a boat means that I am perpetually short on funds so saving any money I can usually means the difference between fixing something or just living with it broken. It has also allowed me to get better equipment with my limited budget.

How does it work? It is exceedingly easy; simply click on the URL: http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/ or Google it. Select your city. Click on the For Sale: Boats link and you can browse the ads. Search is an effective way to narrow your results but I like just cruising through it. You never know what you'll find and with a 100+ items added to the Vancouver boating section everyday it is a buyers market.

What kind of stuff can you pick up on Craigslist? Here are some items I have recently purchased:

• A Lowrance GPS Chart-plotter with Charts and all the accessories for $100.
• A brand new Marine Head in box for $60.
60' of Anchour Chain $20.
• A 10' Zeppelin inflatable dinghy (Zodiac style) $50.
• A climbing harness to ascend the mast $20.

The list goes on. I am currently keeping an eye out for: a small out board for my dinghy, Ronstan jib cars, and a used tiller pilot. I am certain in a few months I will have all of these items purchased well below the retail value. Good luck; and happy hunting!