Memories are ignited in the firewood Issue 38 : Sept/Oct 2004 The woodpile. Sorting out the heap of driftwood harvested in haste after the high tides and high windsof the equinox, now there is time fo...
Not even Sherlock Holmes would have solved this mystery Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 On the desk in my study there is a curious thin-bladed paper knife. As an item of intrigue it would not have disgraced t...
After a belated refit, sailing starts in earnest Issue 42 : May/Jun 2005 It has been a glorious summer, the best since 1727 they say . . . the stuff of memories, a summer to tell tales of, a summer th...
Beautifully restored daysailer takes to salt water Issue 43 : Jul/Aug 2005 The drive from my home in Wales across old Somerset and Dorset had taken me through an England as one imagines it: my trusty ...
When you’re up the creek with just one paddle Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 An event occurred recently that drives me to pass on, to those who may not already be familiar with it, the ancient Welsh techniqu...
How to move your stranded boat by human power Issue 46 : Jan/Feb 2006 My edition of the Oxford English Dictionary lists the origin of the word “kedge” as “uncertain” but goes on to describe it as “a v...
A DIY kit to soothe those aching teeth Issue 52: Jan/Feb 2007 TWO WEEKS AWAY FROM ANY CHANCE OF HELP, THERE WAS a blinding pain. I found myself staring down at a chunk of metal in my hand. The hole it...
Coil and stow that line following British tradition Issue 48 : May/Jun 2006 Any time we crew for another skipper, I think most of us take a look around and try to acquaint ourselves with how things ar...
Eliminate heavy hardware on that flogging headsail Issue 48 : May/Jun 2006 Different skippers, different long-splices, they say. Bending on jibsheets is a task that allows for considerable variety fro...
Try the two-handed method for better results Issue 50 : Sept/Oct 2006 A dedicated heaving line should be supple and easily handled, weighted at the end by tradition with a monkey’s fist knot. It is us...
Rolling pin doubles as paper-towel dispenser Issue 53 : Mar/Apr 2007 Few onboard items are more likely to spread microbes around than that good old bug farm, the towel. Thus it came to be that we now ...
A knot you can trust with your wine Issue 54 : May/Jun 2007 The hackamore knot is well worth knowing. It has at least three distinct uses for which it is invaluable. The first of these is as an emerge...
It’s not secure, but it releases easily Issue 55 : Jul/Aug 2007 The highwayman’s cutaway knot (also called the highwayman’s cut) is said to derive its popularity from gentlemen in that pro...
Another candidate for the ‘perfect tender’ title Issue 57 : Nov/Dec 2007 In the May 2003 issue of this magazine there was an interesting and informative article by Don Launer: “The Gentle Art of Rowin...
Survivor describes losing his yacht at sea Issue 61: July/Aug 2008 It was a long time ago. One might imagine it would haunt, cling with the chill of a sea mist on a night watch, but it does not. We su...