Make sure they stretch and absorb shocks Issue 57 : Nov/Dec 2007 The majority of sailboats see more time at the docks than actively sailing. This makes the selection of docklines especially important....
Electronic devices designed to save your life at sea Issue 58 : Jan/Feb 2008 EPIRB is an acronym for emergency position-indicating radio beacon, a device designed to save your life in an emergency by ...
Avoid a trip aloft Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 Every spring I go to the top of the two masts of my schooner, Delphinus, spraying the sailtracks with lubricant along the way. Although many people never do ...
Dealing with potentially lethal gases Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 Aboard sailboats there are several toxic or explosive fumes that are potentially lethal and must be detected for the safety of the crew an...
New alerts help prevent loss of life Issue 60 : May/Jun 2008 Every year the electronics aBoard the offshore sailboat become more exotic. Among the latest trends in marine safety are man-overboard (MOB...
After 35 years, this boat project still isn’t complete Issue 60 : May/Jun 2008 In April 1972, a year aFter he was married, Ed Stanton, of Franklinville, New Jersey, ordered the bare hull of a Se...
Be careful where you use these similar alloys Issue 61: July/Aug 2008 In comparing bronze and brass, it is helpful to define two key terms before pointing out the differences, attributes, and deficien...
Converting battery power to alternating current Issue 62 : Sept/Oct 2008 An inverter is an electronic device that converts direct-current (DC) power (the output of your boat’s battery) to alternating-...
Complying with regulations Issue 63 : Nov/Dec 2008 It seems that recreational vessels anchored without anchor lights are more the rule than the exception. However, the International Regulations for Av...
Nav table, galley counter, and spray shield Issue 64 : Jan/Feb 2009 Just above the starboard quarter berth and just under the sidedeck, we have a slide-out shelf. This shelf is adjacent to the compani...
How to get aid when you really need it Issue 64 : Jan/Feb 2009 There are many ways a sailor can signal for help: body movements, sound signals, pyrotechnics, terrestrial radio, and via the search-and-...
A “bag of tricks” has the power to connect you, anywhere Issue 65 : Mar/Apr 2009 Cruising is full of surprises, but one you don’t need, and can easily avoid, is arriving in a strange marina to find th...
Pick up a mooring with grace and élan Issue 66 : May/Jun 2009 A mooring-and-buoy system consists of an anchor, a length of chain, and a mooring buoy that both holds up the chain and marks the location...
They are shipmates of a higher order Issue 66 : May/Jun 2009 Father-and-son relationships come in as many variations as there are fathers and sons. Looking back at my own father, I remember him as som...
The equipment you hope you never have to use Issue 67: July/Aug 2009 Among the most important pieces of equipment on board our boats are some we’ve spent good money for but hope we never have to use. ...
An extra hand for short-handed cruising sailors Issue 68 : Sept/Oct 2009 Lazy-jacks provide a simple way to control a sail when you lower it. By holding the sail above the boom and preventing it from ...
Electric power for the independent sailor Issue 69 : Nov/Dec 2009 Wind power is a form of solar energy — winds result from the uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun. To generate electricity, a w...
Primary tools for controlling sail shape Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 On a sailboat, the sheet that controls the mainsail boom can be adjusted through a block or blocks that are attached directly to the de...
Basic insights into how they work Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Much complicated mathematics lies behind the deceptively simple appearance of a boat’s propeller, but it can be described and specified with a...
Ensure your first line of safety really is safe Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 Lifelines are designed to reduce the chances of your going overboard. On many boats, however, these systems are poorly designed ...
How the holes in your hull can take your boat down Issue 73 : Jul/Aug 2010 Although fiberglass, steel, and aluminum are not naturally buoyant, they can be fabricated into a shape like a boat hull that...
What floats your boat Issue 74 : Sept/Oct 2010 Boats are designed to float. This might seem to be an unnatural act, especially for hulls that are made of aluminum, steel, concrete, or fiberglass. Thes...
Signals from space are subject to interference Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 The satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS) provides very accurate navigational information, but everyone who uses it sho...
As fast as physics allows Issue 76 : Jan/Feb 2011 Although it’s somewhat of a misnomer, the term “displacement hull” is used in reference to a boat whose displacement at speed is the same as its displ...
Pressing pure water out of the sea Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 Osmosis is a natural process in which molecules of a liquid spontaneously pass through a semi-permeable membrane. The direction of fl ow acro...
A simple airflow control Issue 79: July/Aug 2011 Dorade vents are great. They supply water-free air belowdecks even in a pouring rain or when spray is soaking the deck on a beat to windward.We have tw...
Storing life’s essential element Issue 78 : May/Jun 2011 Water is necessary for living aboard a boat. Since a gallon of water weighs 8.3 pounds, full water tanks can be very heavy and should be instal...
More power to you! Issue 79: July/Aug 2011 The forces we have to contend with when sailing a boat are greater than we can handle with our unaided physical strength. To cope with them, we make use of a...
Steps in the process of measuring progress Issue 80 : Sept/Oct 2011 Speed on the water is measured worldwide in knots. A knot is a speed of one nautical mile per hour and is abbreviated as kn or kt. A...
A saloon table doubles up in the cockpit Issue 81 : Nov/Dec 2011 We have a large mahogany drop-leaf table in the main cabin on Delphinus. When we’re belowdecks it is always the center of activity. We ...