Make holding-tank chemistry work in your favor Iss...
March 12, 2026
If your idea of sailing fun involves tacking rapidly into a strong wind, grinding away at your genoa sheets and crashing through the waves as you lead the way to the next buoy, read no more. This arti...
After I built my dinghy, an 11-foot 6-inch plywood Bolger design coincidentally called “The Cartopper,” the first problem I faced was: how do I get it to the boatyard? Obviously, on the roof of my car...
A bar magnet and simple woodwork create an elegant knife-storage solution. Everything on a boat must have its place—especially knives. The last thing you need in the cabin during rough weather is a fr...
Baranof Island’s wild beauty and singular towns open a summer-long journey through Southeast Alaska. Issue 141: Nov/Dec 2021 Two hundred miles from the nearest point of land, it’s 11 p.m. on the summe...
Since moving from a mooring to a slip, I’ve noticed that there is a great variety in the way people secure their boats to a dock. Some methods are seemingly bulletproof, others interesting, whimsical,...
In high school I was a wide receiver and punt returner on the football team, so I ran with the ball a lot. At the time, the team’s coach had a drill he made me and other members of the offense do ever...
The anchoring issue of Good Old Boat (May/June 2021) was full of great tips. In it, technical editor Drew Frye showed us how to make a kellet—weight added to anchor rode itself, to decrease the angle ...
One of the ironies of being the editor of a sailing magazine is that you rarely get to sail. That is, the duties involved with the day-to-day management of a sailing magazine—or any magazine, for that...
Years ago I owned an O’Day 25 on which my family and I explored the coast of British Columbia. Our travels took us from the far reaches of the Salish Sea all the way up to Desolation Sound and beyond,...
One of the most painful things I’ve ever done aboard a boat occurred while sailing Shoal Survivor, my PDQ 32 catamaran, off the coast of Virginia with my wife and 15-year-old daughter. Permanent berth...
Moving a mainsail sheet traveler track makes for smooth sailing through the companionway. Issue 139: July/Aug 2021 To my mind, there are two types of sailors: racers and cruisers. Racers are intent on...
Jeremy paused, “Six pulls, right?” I glanced back at the small print on the paint can, “Right. And then three of the reactor. That’ll give us just about the perfect amount.” He nodded, dropped the syr...
When Tim Severin died at 80 in December 2020, I thought, “I know that name. He wrote stories about the sea.” The particular book that came to mind was this one, The Brendan Voyage, which recounts an A...
This classic nautical book is aimed squarely at Good Old Boat readers, despite being written decades before Good Old Boat magazine came to be. The Boat Who Wouldn’t Float is not so much a tale of man ...
During these COVID-19 days of isolation, this 17,000-mile voyage by a father and son on a 25-foot engineless sloop, has the effect of making our stay-at-home confinement seem downright luxurious in co...
Home From Distant Seas is the final volume in James Baldwin’s Distant Seas trilogy, documenting the completion of his 13-year circumnavigation aboard Atom, his 1963 28-foot Pearson Triton. We follow B...
Yawing on the hook can wreak anchorage havoc. Here’s how to help prevent it. Issue 138: May/June 2021 A few years ago, while anchored in the snug little harbor of Oxford, Maryland, I witnessed t...
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...
A mission to meet a circumnavigating friend takes an unexpected turn. Issue 138: May/June 2021 Bill Norrie had been singlehanding Pixie, his Bristol Channel Cutter 28, for nearly 90 days, sailing from...
The Bristol 29.9 seemed too small for a windlass, but doctor’s orders demanded one. Issue 138: May/June 2021 As we embarked on the refit of Pegu Club, our 1977 Bristol 29.9, my husband, Jeff, an...
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...
When using all-chain rode while anchoring, a proper snubber is a critical link. Issue 138: May/June 2021 Carolyn and I cut the docklines two years ago and we’ve since learned that our ability to secur...
No windlass? No problem with this nifty, time-tested, anchor ring hack. Issue 138: May/June 2021 In high school, I worked as a deckhand on a charter fishing boat. Bottom fishing for cod in the Gulf of...
…and Two More Performance Cruisers. Issue 138: May/June 2021 I assumed the Passport 42 would be a Bob Perry design, an assumption further reinforced when I saw she had a Valiant 40-style canoe s...
Checking All the Boxes Issue 138: May/June 2021 After only a few dates, Scott Voltz and Connie Bunyer knew two things: They liked each other, and they liked sailing. Well…Scott knew he loved sailing; ...
A pawl, aka chain stopper, can take the strain when you windlass won’t. Issue 138: May/June 2021 Once, when I was working for a yachting magazine, we received an anguished letter from a cruising...
Spare chain and the right placement make an easy kellet for an all-rope anchor rode. Issue 138: May/June 2021 Small boats often use only rope for rode. This is understandable; chain is heavy, and smal...
Nearly 90 years old, the revolutionary Northill anchor continues to inform today’s generation of ground tackle. Issue 138: May/June 2021 At first glance, it’s just another fisherman anchor. But ...
Designing a windlass install to fit in a bow locker called on an array of skills. Issue 138: May/June 2021 After our first season sailing Fiddler’s Green and weighing the anchor by hand—over and over ...
Love ruins everything, until the right one comes along. Issue 138: May/June 2021 I grew up with a sailboat because I have a big brother. Steve is five years older than me with a can-do attitude and an...
