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    Connie McBride

    Connie McBride and her husband, Dave, raised three boys aboard their 34-foot sailboat Eurisko while cruising the Caribbean. After 15 years, they now divide their time between enjoying being empty nesters and visiting their grandson, the third-generation McBride cruiser.

    A short cord that passes through a hole in the door has stopper knots on both ends. Pull the cord into the head and close yourself in. When you’re done, pull it out to close the door from the outside.
    • Sailing
    • Sailing Tips

    Two-way door latch

    Close it with a cord and a cleat hitch Issue 86: Sept/Oct 2012 In situations where more-normal people ask, “How can I fix this?” we on board Eurisko tend to think, “How can I use string to fix this?” ...

    Connie McBride
    June 17, 2026
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    Now that cruising sailboats like these in St. John, USVI, have access to the Internet, the coconut telegraph operates at cyber speed.
    • Sailing
    • Sailing Stories

    Sent from my iCoconut

    Inter-island telegraph app for social media Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 We are a long way from home. After nearly a decade in the Caribbean, we returned to the mainland a few years ago and haven’t yet mad...

    Connie McBride
    June 8, 2026
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    A boat on a river
    • Sailing
    • Sailing Stories

    The right boat for the job

    Opening the door to a new paradise Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 You don’t have to cross oceans to enjoy sailing and you don’t have to sail around the world to have grand adventures. As my husband, Dave, pu...

    Connie McBride
    May 27, 2026
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    Monofilament line deters birds when elevated with clothespins but hugs the lifelines for sailing.
    • Maintenance
    • Projects

    Bird-proof lifelines

    A friendly deterrent to feathered friends Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 We recently took a marina vacation — a break from worrying about shifting winds and cold fronts while anchoring out. Since we rarely s...

    Connie McBride
    May 22, 2026
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    David, Garret, Connie, and Dave, pictured under a favorite rock in The Baths, hiked up The Quill, an extinct volcano on Statia, at top, while waiting for a diverted Nick to arrive.
    • Sailing
    • Sailing Stories

    You can’t get there from here. . .

    . . . but you can still enjoy the journey Issue 96 : May/Jun 2014 We should have known better. Over the years we have tried to plan ahead and have mail waiting for us when we arrived somewhere, but we...

    Connie McBride
    May 15, 2026
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    Finished Wooden Corner
    • Interior
    • Projects

    Laminated wooden corners

    Easy on the eye, exacting in the making Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 While constructing a forward stateroom for a customer, my husband, Dave, was given mostly free rein to design and build what he thought...

    Connie McBride
    April 24, 2026
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    Eurisko’s new navy cushions brought a fresh look to the saloon settee and dinette and made life aboard more comfortable.
    • Cushions & Upholstery
    • Projects

    Building settee cushions

    At bottom, it’s a matter of technique and good planning Issue 107 : Mar/Apr 2016 Our 1978 Creekmore, Eurisko, had her original interior when we purchased her. After 14 years of cruising and raising th...

    Connie McBride
    April 23, 2026
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    The dinette table didn’t meet Connie’s needs as a desk for a liveaboard writer, so Dave, her handy husband, fashioned a small extension that can be quickly attached or removed.
    • Interior
    • Projects

    Clip-on table Extension

    Instant desk space: a liveaboard writer’s muse Issue 110 : Sept/Oct 2016 Living on a 34-foot cruising boat requires being flexible, comfortable with small spaces, and doing a lot with a little. Being ...

    Connie McBride
    April 20, 2026
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    With the extra support of a pillow block, Eurisko’s propeller shaft no longer vibrates.
    • Maintenance
    • Projects

    Calming an eccentric prop shaft

    A pillow block put its troubles to rest Issue 110: Sept/Oct 2016 A disadvantage of owning a semi-custom boat is that there is no manufacturer to call on for help in resolving matters that are specific...

    Connie McBride
    April 17, 2026
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    sailboat
    • Hull & Structure
    • Projects

    Filling in the Blanks

    Unwanted portlights left holes to patch Issue 111: Nov/Dec 2016 Over dinner one evening aboard their Allmand 31, Here & Now, our friends mentioned wanting to replace the boat’s portlights. They pl...

    Connie McBride
    April 8, 2026
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    paint can
    • Sailing
    • Sailing Tips

    Keep a lid on splatter

    Stirring paint without the Pollock effect Issue 113: March/April 2017 Our Creekmore 34, Eurisko, always looks sharp with her new black bottom paint, but we don’t wear it nearly as well. Bottom paint i...

    Connie McBride
    March 31, 2026
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    boarding step
    • Gear
    • Projects

    On-the-fly boarding step

    The onboard “just in case” locker supplied the parts Issue 117: Nov/Dec 2017 Over the years, our method for boarding the boat from the dinghy has changed. In our South Coast 25 days, we used the swim ...

    Connie McBride
    March 6, 2026
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    child with opening his closet
    • Interior
    • Projects

    Rethinking drawers

    Replacing them with shelves created more storage space Issue 117: Nov/Dec 2017 When our youngest son, David, his wife, Hannah, and their toddler, Ashleigh, began the transition to being liveaboards tw...

    Connie McBride
    March 6, 2026
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    man with files
    • Sailing
    • Sailing Stories

    Best bad luck

    The McBride knack for sidestepping misfortune Issue 118: Jan/Feb 2018 Sitting in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, four weeks after the eye of Category 5 Hurricane Maria missed us by a few miles, with no ...

    Connie McBride
    March 4, 2026
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    • Sailing
    • Sailing Tips

    Equal Angles, Equal Forces

    Correct adjustment of your spreaders may save your rig Issue 128: Sept/Oct 2019 Next time you’re at the marina, look up. If there are enough sailboats around, you’ll likely find a variety of rigs, wit...

    Connie McBride
    August 1, 2019
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