We learn to expect the unexpected, then tell the story Issue 122: Sept/Oct 2018 Fifteen miles off the coast of Mexico on a sunny New Year’s Day, 2012, the autopilot steering, my wife, Windy, and I and...
Issue 123: Nov/Dec 2018 Zippers made zippy I love this stuff. E-Z Snap Zipper & Snap Lubricant really works. I had some tough-to-use zippers aboard: the cheap plastic ones sewn into our dodger win...
Boat ownership triggers the gene for self-reliance Issue 123: Nov/Dec 2018 Acknowledging a bit of hyperbole, I think that Kenneth Grahame’s Water Rat was right: “. . . there is nothing — absolutely no...
Mantus and Mustang recently released their latest waterproof packs for boaters and we’ve spent time with both . . . Issue 127: July/Aug 2019 Mantus This pack represents Mantus’ return to the waterproo...
Issue 129: Nov/Dec 2019 It was a Sunday morning in early June when Jeremy McGeary quit his job at Good Old Boat , via email, without notice. It was the last thing in the world he wanted to do. “I’m af...
Issue 131: March/April 2020 “Do you miss living on a sailboat?” We traveled to visit extended family over the holidays, and I was asked the question a few times, in some form. The question was small t...
Off the grid and off most sailors’ itineraries, Lasqueti Island is a community unto itself. Issue 132: May/June 2020 “You should stop here,” said our new friend, Kevin, tapping his finger on our route...
Issue 132: May/June 2020 I’ve heard the refrain, over and over: “I would never leave the dock without paper charts aboard!” It rubs me the wrong way. I think it’s often used as a declaration of one’s ...
Issue 136: Jan/Feb 2021 Putting this issue together, Good Old Boat Senior Editor Wendy Mitman Clarke said to me, “Personally, I think it’s stupid, the whole ‘two happiest days’ adage. There’s no truth...
Issue 137: March/April 2021 Something’s been troubling me for a few months. Late last year, US Sailing, the governing body of sailing that’s been around for over 120 years, held several online forums ...
Issue 138: May/June 2021 I was a Southern California kid, still a bit lost in my early 20s, when I decided sailing was something I should be doing. It pains me to type these words, but my motivation s...
Issue 139: July/Aug 2021 Back in February, I decided it was time to step away from my role as this magazine’s editor. Being Good Old Boat’s editor has been a dream job, a fantastic opportunity, and on...
The catenary effect justifies carrying heavy chain rode. Right? Issue 138: May/June 2021 Every sailor knows that in polite company, it is best not to discuss politics, religion, or anchors. But rode i...
No News Here The Dogwatch stems from the original Good Old Boat Newsletter that was released six times a year. It’s a radically different (and monthly) newsletter today. It may have made sense to have...
Nautical Scribes We heard from prolific nautical novel writer Jinx Schwartz that prolific nautical novel writer Ed Robinson has died. Ed lived on a boat and traveled throughout Florida and the Bahamas...
Feel-Good Holiday Juice Our own Behan Gifford sent me an email that included this heads-up: “I am smitten with the whole concept. It is just loaded with feel-good holiday juice!” Indeed! Residents of ...
Three New Legends In 1906, Thomas Fleming Day founded the Bermuda Race with the revolutionary aim of providing an ocean race for amateur sailors in normal boats. In the process, he started the world’s...
Time to Winterize If you live and sail where it gets really cold, you know about winterizing your boat. But did you know that insurance companies insure against freeze/thaw damage? And that coverage m...
More Drones Drones are everywhere, and here is a use case that might make a lot of sense. Imagine a Remote Controlled Lifebuoy. That’s what the folks at OceanAlpha are calling their new water rescue d...
Boat Show Blues First, the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival was canceled, due to the pandemic (but they are putting on a fantastic virtual show, with a movie premiere. Next, we heard that the Newpor...
Issue 134: Sept/Oct 2020 If you’re lucky in this life, you uncover, understand, and embrace what makes you happy. And if you’re gifted in this passion, if you can make it the foundation of your purpos...
Best Harbor in the U.S. is… US Harbors surveyed an audience of 5 million and received votes for 786 different harbors as candidates for the best. The winner? Depoe Bay, Oregon. This is a cool pl...
Small Craft Warning? We editors at Good Old Boat are sailors and wordsmiths, a great mesh of interest and vocation. It also means that when the National Weather Service (NWS) proposes a change in the ...
Vintage Racing-Rigging Info Wanted Reader Hal Nash of Waldport, Oregon, wrote asking for our help. We don’t have the knowledge he seeks and we referred him to riggers we know, but offered to also put...
We want to hear from you! We want your help, and we’re willing to offer you something for it. We want to hear from as many readers as possible about the products or services you’ve discovered/purchas...
On February 21, Good Old Boat lost its undisputed biggest fan. Tom Wells died peacefully and unexpectedly aboard his boat in Florida; he laid down for a nap and never woke. His public obituary is here...
Saildrone “You knew it was coming…” is the message Good Old Boat contributing editor Allen Penticoff sent me with a link to saildrone.com. Maybe we should have, seems to be the era of the drone, from ...
Self Sufficient Sailor, by Lin and Larry Pardey (Pardey Books, 2019; 332 pages) There’s no questioning or disputing the sailing (and writing) creds that made Lin and Larry Pardey household names among...
Falling, by Brion Toss (C-Star Press, 2018; 52 pages) Maybe you’ve met people doing what they’re born to do? People who early-on embraced a vocation that was perfectly aligned with their interests and...
A Big Mistake We made it clear last month that we’re offering free Good Old Boat magazine subscriptions to any active-duty servicemember. We failed to make it clear that we were talking about US servi...