Skip to content
Good Old Boat Logo, sailboat icon
  • Saildata
    • Boats
    • Designers
    • Builders
    • Sailmaker’s Series
    • Calculator
  • Projects
    • Cushions & Upholstery
    • Electrical
    • Engine
    • Gear
    • Hull & Structure
    • Interior
    • Maintenance
    • Plumbing
    • Restoration
    • Rigging
    • Sails & Canvas
  • Sailing
    • Fabric Foils
    • Sailing Stories
    • Sailing Tips
  • Reviews
    • Boat Reviews
    • Book Reviews
  • The Dogwatch
Main Menu
  • Saildata
    • Boats
    • Designers
    • Builders
    • Sailmaker’s Series
    • Calculator
  • Projects
    • Cushions & Upholstery
    • Electrical
    • Engine
    • Gear
    • Hull & Structure
    • Interior
    • Maintenance
    • Plumbing
    • Restoration
    • Rigging
    • Sails & Canvas
  • Sailing
    • Fabric Foils
    • Sailing Stories
    • Sailing Tips
  • Reviews
    • Boat Reviews
    • Book Reviews
  • The Dogwatch

Category List

  • Anchoring(14)
  • Boat Reviews(87)
  • Book Reviews(656)
  • BWI Award-Winning Articles(21)
  • Cushions & Upholstery(2)
  • Dogwatch(860)
  • Electrical(36)
  • Engine(29)
  • Gear(4)
  • Hull & Structure(56)
  • Interior(64)
  • Maintenance(45)
  • Monohull(57)
  • Multihull(5)
  • Plumbing(10)
  • Product Reviews(24)
  • Projects(322)
  • Restoration(20)
  • Reviews(309)
  • Rigging(49)
  • Sailing(242)
  • Sailing Stories(216)
  • Sailing Tips(96)
  • Sailor Profile(32)
  • Sails & Canvas(22)
  • Visit Sailrite
  • Sail Calculator

    Durkee Richards

    Durkee Richards’ sailing adventures began in high school with the Sea Scouts on the Columbia River. Later, he and his wife, Mary, chartered boats on Lake Superior until they bought their J/32, Sirius, and retired to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. They have since sailed Sirius more than 20,000 nautical miles exploring the coast of British Columbia to Haida Gwaii and the west coast of Vancouver Island.

    man and the sea book review
    • Book Reviews
    • Dogwatch
    • Reviews

    Man & the Sea: Book Review

    For anyone with an interest in the maritime history of the Northwest coast, this book will be a valuable addition to their library. The central focus is the mouth of the Columbia River. The Columbia R...

    Durkee Richards
    June 1, 2014
    Read More
    Chart plotter mount
    • Electrical
    • Projects

    Weather in Pictures

    Follow up on Installing a Chart Plotter at the Binnacle, from our May 2013 Issue. When I decided to subscribe to a satellite weather service (XM WX Satellite Weather), I found that a simple connection...

    Durkee Richards
    May 1, 2013
    Read More
    Boat_exploded
    • Sailing Tips

    The Saga of Invictus

    This a followup to Durkee Richards’ article “A Boat Explodes” in the July 2012 issue. When the boat next door explodes . . . Catherine Bilyard described Invictus, their Shannon 38 ketch, as “a b...

    Durkee Richards
    July 1, 2012
    Read More
    J 32 sailing
    • Boat Reviews

    Sailing Performance & Other Features of the J32

    One man, one woman, one J/32 Anatomy of a J/32 When we began looking for a boat, we had in mind something in the 30- to 35-foot range with a fractional rig that would sail well with a modest-sized jib...

    Durkee Richards
    July 1, 2010
    Read More
    • Book Reviews
    • Dogwatch

    Wild Beauty: Book Review

    This book is well named. Those of us who have fallen in love with cruising the coast of British Columbia are in awe of its wild beauty. We boaters skirt the headlands, explore the inlets, and sometime...

    Durkee Richards
    April 1, 2010
    Read More
    • Book Reviews
    • Dogwatch

    Cap’n Fatty’s Cruising World Yarns: Book Review

    Fatty Goodlander is a sea gypsy. He was born into a family of sea gypsies and writes of this life with charm, humility and bountiful good humor. He was raised aboard an aged wooden John Alden-designed...

    Durkee Richards
    June 1, 2009
    Read More
    • Book Reviews
    • Dogwatch

    Get Onboard With E-charting: Book Review

    This is a very data-rich book. It is a fine introduction to electronic charting and navigation for those new to the topic. More experienced users will find it useful as a reference book on the current...

    Durkee Richards
    February 1, 2009
    Read More
    • Book Reviews
    • Dogwatch

    Celestial Navigation in the GPS Age: Book Review

    John Karl provides the cleanest and most elegant introduction to the fundamental concepts of celestial navigation that I have read. I would even recommend this book to those who have a curiosity about...

    Durkee Richards
    June 1, 2008
    Read More
    • Book Reviews
    • Dogwatch

    Trekka Round the World: Book Review

    This audiobook should come with a warning: may be life altering! It is inspiring to “look over the shoulder” of a recent immigrant lad as he proceeds quietly and surely to make his dreams ...

    Durkee Richards
    June 1, 2007
    Read More
    • Book Reviews
    • Dogwatch

    The Barefoot Navigator: Book Review

    The author assures the reader in his Introduction, that “This book is not a rant against modern technology.” Rather, it ” . . . renews emphasis on personal skills, special knowledge ...

    Durkee Richards
    December 1, 2006
    Read More
    • Book Reviews
    • Dogwatch

    Voyages to Windward: Book Review

     The west coast of Vancouver Island is a grand, lightly visited cruising ground. Most sailors cruise this coast by doing a circumnavigation, going up the inside, and then sailing down the outside with...

    Durkee Richards
    June 1, 2006
    Read More
    • Book Reviews
    • Dogwatch

    Don Casey’s Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual: Book Review

    This is really six books in one. Five of them represent Don Casey’s considerable expertise in inspecting, maintaining and enhancing the mechanical and electrical systems of a sailboat. The sixth...

    Durkee Richards
    April 1, 2006
    Read More
    • Book Reviews
    • Dogwatch

    J/Boats; Sailing to Success: Book Review

    “I just wanted a sailboat for myself and my family, but along the way it turned into a great adventure…” These words by Rod Johnstone capture the spirit of the J/Boats company. In this boo...

    Durkee Richards
    February 1, 2006
    Read More
    • Book Reviews
    • Dogwatch

    The Lo-Tech Navigator: Book Review

    Tony Crowley has provided boaters with a enjoyable book that contains instructions for building a variety of useful navigation tools. It combines these with reminiscences, rules of thumb, and even a r...

    Durkee Richards
    October 1, 2004
    Read More
    • Book Reviews
    • Dogwatch

    NAVIGATOR, CELESTIAL NAVIGATION SOFTWARE

    BY OMAR REIS (CELESTAIRE.COM; $59.95) REVIEWED BY DURKEE RICHARDS Celestial navigation is alive and well even in the age of affordable GPS chart plotters. With his recent release of version 4.2 of Nav...

    Durkee Richards
    June 1, 2004
    Read More
    Brion Toss inspects shrouds
    • Sailor Profile

    Brion Toss, Master Rigger

    A close look at a modern practitioner of a very old trade His voice had an easy, reassuring, and ageless quality about it. Brion Toss was calling back to clarify what work we wanted to have done on ou...

    Durkee Richards
    January 1, 2003
    Read More
    • Saildata
    • Calculator
    • Designers
    • Builders
    Contact Us
    About Us
    Privacy Policy
    Terms of Use
    Visit Sailrite
    Sailrite Fabric Calculator
    Meet Our Customers

    Copyright © 2026 Goodoldboat, Inc