Prevention demands diligence and vigilance Issue 90: May/June 2013 Ellen and I have been involved with two major boat fires over the years. The first was in the Caribbean on board Entr’acte, our Nor’s...
Tame reefing lines with neatly hitched coils Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 Mainsail reefing systems vary in detail but have one problem in common: what to do with the excess lines from the reef-clew outhaul...
Conduct ocean passages from the Maestro seat Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 In the mid-1960s, Bernard Moitessier was in Tahiti preparing his 40-foot steel ketch, Joshua, for a “fast return to France” by way ...
Where the on-watch crew stays warm and dry Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 Our Maestro seat proved successful on all counts. From a beat to a beam reach, the watchkeeper remained sheltered, warm, and dry behi...
The diagnosis was elusive and surprising Issue 101 : Mar/Apr 2015 Our passage up France’s Seine river from Honfleur to Rouen was uneventful. We ran all day with Entr’acte’s engine humming along at 3,1...
See, be seen, and talk about it Issue 103 : Jul/Aug 2015 “This is sailing vessel Entr’acte WYR 3025 — at latitude 24 degrees 16 minutes north, longitude 97 degrees 14 minutes west — calling the cargo ...
A daily duty records a lifetime of memories Issue 105 : Nov/Dec 2015 I am sitting in front of the fire doing research for an upcoming ocean passage. I like to study the passages of others. What routes...
A faithful and forgiving foul-weather friend Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 Ellen is on top of me! Our legs are entwined! We are lying against the starboard wall of our cockpit footwell. It is horizontal, p...
A flopper stopper makes untenable anchorages amenable Issue 109 : Jul/Aug 2016 We were anchored in Resolution Bay on the island of Tanna, Republic of Vanuatu. Although we had arrived only that morning...
A little stiffness could have become a big problem Issue 113: March/April 2017 We had been tied to a dock for several weeks enjoying the city of Seville, Spain. It was a day just like any other day: I...
The guardians of the through-hull fell down on the job Issue 118: Jan/Feb 2018 Fifteen years of world cruising and my wife, Ellen, and I were now gliding along the Sassafras River on Chesapeake Bay’s ...
A ravenous rat unites a community while wreaking havoc on board Issue 122: Sept/Oct 2018 At our farewell party at the Club Náutico de Sevilla, Spain, I ate something I shouldn’t have, and on returning...
An alternator puzzle leads down an illuminating electrical rabbit hole. Issue 130: Jan/Feb 2020 For several days while anchored off a remote Pacific island, wind and solar power took care of the batte...
Completing their boat’s much-needed refit was almost like building her twice. Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 How many people can say that they built the same boat twice? My wife, Ellen, and I can safely rai...
After thousands of ocean miles, a Nor’Sea 27 finds more waters to explore via highway. Issue 145: July/Aug 2022 The burgundy-colored jug, bearing the logo of a winery somewhere on France’s Canal du Mi...
How safe are your chainplates? Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 “What’s this? It looks like you have a crack in this chainplate!” my friend John said while dropping into his dinghy. It was our final afternoon ...
Lessons learned while sailing down the East Coast to warmer weather Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 You’re ready. You have the boat of your dreams and you’ve spent enough time sailing your home waters to be ...
What started as a much-needed refit devolved into a scary search for mangy metal. Issue 138: May/June 2021 It all began with a corroded ball valve. It was seized, which rendered inoperable the seacock...
Adding an inner forestay expands sail plan options and can make for better boathandling. Issue 132: May/June 2020 When my wife, Ellen, and I began our search for an ocean-going cruising boat, high on...
Set fasteners to the right tightness with a wrench torque Issue 127: July/Aug 2019 “Remember, Eddie, one hand on the socket end of the wrench and your other hand perpendicular to the end of the handle...
A ravenous rat unites a community while wreaking havoc on board At our farewell party at the Club Náutico de Sevilla, Spain, I ate something I shouldn’t have, and on returning to Entr’acte, I lay down...
This is further technical information about purchasing, installing, and powering AIS devices from the article in the July 2015 issue. Entr’acte’s navigation system consists of two identical chart plot...
When a sailboat suffers a heart attack Issue 100: Jan/Feb 2015 It’s 0700 on a beautiful April morning in France. Entr’acte, our Nor’Sea 27, is on the River Seine in 18 knots of wind with 4-foot seas d...