A fine racer/cruiser for a small family Issue 54 : May/Jun 2007 Yamaha is a well-known name in musical instruments and motorcycles. But sailboats? Perhaps one in a hundred sailors knows that during th...
Factors and choices that may make the difference Issue 69 : Nov/Dec 2009 “You may not have enough insured value to save this boat.” The surveyor’s words left me stunned. He had finished his first task...
Where there’s smoke, there’s a serious Sirius cleanup Issue 69 : Nov/Dec 2009 In early December 2007, while she was alone in her slip, a fire started aboard our J/32 that nearly cost us the boat. All ...
Biodiesel fuel is the chief suspect Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 After a six-year trial, discussed at some length in the July 2005 issue of Good Old Boat, I have decided to suspend using biodiesel blends i...
Classic classes are given new life Issue 83: March/April 2012 A few paces down the first dock, I was captivated by a bright red hull. Radio Flyer is long and lean with the beautiful overhangs commonly...
Tragedy underscores propane’s dark side Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 A sailing friend called with stunning news: an explosion had just destroyed a boat moored in the marina where our good old boat, Sirius,...
Satellite radio delivers data and images to the cockpit Issue 90: May/June 2013 It seemed almost magical. I was in the cockpit of our J/32 on Sequim Bay in western Washington state, yet displayed on t...
Ways to dispose of expired pyrotechnics Issue 108: May/June 2016 Your flare caddy was overflowing with mostly expired flares. You bought a bigger one. Now it, too, is almost filled with expired flares...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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 ...
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...
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...
“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...
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...
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...
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...