Likewise the ability to join in weather nets while at sea is not available in any other way. The airwaves are free and although setting up an effective SSB station involves some considerable effort and expense there are no usage charges to pay once you are up and running. SSB can provide voice and text weather forecasts as well as fax graphics. This feature has become particularly easy when the SSB set is combined with a laptop computer. A free on-line guide by ICOM in 16 parts with an introduction by Gordon West.
Generators are noisy and expensive.
Inverters are best for intermittent heavy loads or extended light loads. Prolonged running of heavy loads would be too big a drain on batteries. The ideal option is to have both a generator and an inverter. Run the generator when you need some real power, run the inverter when you want to pop some popcorn. People are afraid of inverters sometimes because of the power they draw, but you have to take it all in perspective.