When cruising, our days begin with tea and the forecast Issue 74 : Sept/Oct 2010 One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as we cruise is the difference between weather reports for the landed gentry an...
A well-loved sailboat sparks a romance Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 The town of Annapolis has a reputation as a drinking town with a sailing problem. If that’s true, I would add that many of the sailboats ...
Cautious amateurs start with a kit — for an asymmetrical spinnaker Issue 76 : Jan/Feb 2011 Never say “never.” For nearly 20 years, I have loudly proclaimed that I would never sew a sail for Mystic, ou...
An object of doubtless devotion, Sin Sal sparkles Issue 76 : Jan/Feb 2011 When he suggested that we feature the Tartan 34C owned by Max Guzman and Donna Delahanty, Tom Wells described this boat as “no...
Seafaring women earn the right to lament Issue 76 : Jan/Feb 2011 Not all women believe they were meant to go to sea. I’m convinced, in fact, that the vast majority are sure that women are not meant to...
The secret to harmony aboard Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 There is aboard some couples’ sailboats a phenomenon known aboard our boat as “the Princess Principle.” This is a condition in which the guy (usual...
Under cover of snow, new skills emerge Issue 78 : May/Jun 2011 It’s been a tough winter for folks from the Pacific to the Atlantic. In Minnesota, we had snow on the ground before Thanksgiving (the har...
Fabric scraps protect delicate displays Issue 80 : Sept/Oct 2011 The sailing instruments in our cockpit are not the original units that came on our good old boat. The depth sounder and knot meter have...
A Swedish classic is the retirement plan he can live on Issue 80 : Sept/Oct 2011 When Stephen Thompson reached 50, he didn’t have a midlife crisis in the same way that most do. He didn’t buy a red Cor...
Mystic’s mad scientist is at work again Issue 80 : Sept/Oct 2011 Strange noises have emanated from our basement ever since we moved in 20 years ago. I’ll hear high-pitched whines, odd buzzings and whi...
Issue 83: March/April 2012 Brian Cleverly was born in Sydney, Australia, on October 17, 1936, and died on November 6, 2011, two days after his 75th birthday. Brian is known to many of our longtime sub...
Mastering the machine assures entry to the club Issue 81 : Nov/Dec 2011 Defining moments can occur at any time. I was sewing a couple of covers for the new (larger!) winches Jerry installed this past ...
What’s in a name? Issue 82 : Jan/Feb 2012 It’s hard to believe Good Old Boat is approaching its 15th birthday. It was 15 years ago this past fall that Jerry and I sat on Mystic in the Canadian Slate I...
A life’s love of sailboats summed up in Finesse Issue 84 : May/Jun 2012 Over the years, Texan Richard Beard has owned nearly two dozen boats, but his heart has always gone out to Alberg designs. It’s ...
Warm up those earbuds and chill . . . Issue 83: March/April 2012 About this time of year, the northern sailors among us get a bit weary of winter. We start attending boat shows. Even shows that don’t ...
We are the yarns we spin Issue 84 : May/Jun 2012 My husband is a masterful storyteller. One of his best collections of tales records years of racing Flying Scots in a fleet in which the 19-foot Scots ...
A passel of pocket cruisers put on a show Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 The C&C Mega 30 project boat in our backyard doesn’t fit the true definition of a pocket cruiser, but she will be trailerable once...
A blade maker and a good old boatbuilder create the Sage 17 Issue 87 : Nov/Dec 2012 As a brand-new design, the Sage 17 doesn’t exactly fit the standard description of a good old boat. And yet, since t...
Exploring the social side of sailing Issue 86: Sept/Oct 2012 Magazine time being what it is (and our short seasons in the Northland being what they are), I write this as our sailing season is just beg...
A sewing sailor needs her own pair of pliers Issue 87 : Nov/Dec 2012 Here’s a little-known fact: any sailor who sews should have a pair of pliers in his or her sail-repair kit. Pliers are just the thi...
A few sailors got together — and took over the town Issue 88 : Jan/Feb 2013 What do you call a sailing event at which almost 400 sailors show up with nearly 200 sailboats, delivered the old-fashioned ...
The fabric is not worn, but it has long faded from fashion Issue 88 : Jan/Feb 2013 Near as we can figure, Mystic began her life in 1975 in a Cuthbertson and Cassian boatyard in Niagara on the Lake, On...
She’s a modern example of “working sail” Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 We began thinking of them as “the Tahoe Four.” There are other winter sailors on Lake Tahoe but this is the core group. Jim Hildinger i...
We asked — now it’s our turn to respond Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 Earlier this winter — once the boat was put away — Jerry decided it would be a good idea to ask our readers for their input. He introduc...
Boat evolution is a non-linear process Issue 90: May/June 2013 Any search for exactly the right words can be a frustrating experience. This is especially true if you’re trying to explain a fundamental...
Good Old Boat evolves issue by issue Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 As we celebrate our 15th anniversary this summer, my office is lined with three-ring binders filled with a steady parade of our issues: 90 ...
Oh, yes . . . sailboats are a distraction Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 Sailboats are clearly a distraction in the lives of sailors. At Good Old Boat we see a predictable and seasonal pattern in our reader...
Little Mystic’s crew is in awe of their grace Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 That old saying about how “the sea is so great and my boat is so small” never seemed truer than this past summer when Mystic’s 30 ...
Hand and reef, I’m in . . . but must I also steer? Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 After more than 20 years of sailing, I have finally figured out that I lack the knack for steering. Apparently I just don’t h...
She was a long time budding . . . Issue 96 : May/Jun 2014 Eleven years is a long time to dedicate to a two-year refit. But there it is. This summer we will launch our project boat, purchased in Februa...