Steps in the process of measuring progress Issue 8...
June 26, 2026
We’ve all heard it: “The two happiest days in a boat owner’s life are the day you buy the boat and the day you sell the boat!” While the idiom can be overused, it does apply to many sailors. I c...
This sailing tale needs to begin with the caveat that we are cruisers, not racers, and our 1978 Alberg 37 is outfitted as such. Yes, at one point in the Alberg’s past glory, she was considered fast by...
“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, by my example, how . . . much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow,...
Stuffing boxes are an essential part of any boat (if you don’t have a sail drive). Positioned between the stern tube and the prop shaft, the stuffing box’s job is to stop water ingress while under pow...
Navigating turbulent insurance waters calls for planning, preparation, and patience. Issue 144: May/June 2022 You’ve never made a claim, yet your insurance carrier just dropped you. You’ve just receiv...
Four friends and a refit rocket tackle the raucous Race to Alaska. Issue 136: Jan/Feb 2021 Gripping the tiller in my left hand and the coaming in my right, I spin my head from side to side, desperate ...
The subtitle of this new book is enticing: “The fine art of selecting a great boat, outfitting it, living aboard, and cruising it on a minimal budget.” If you find this resonates with your adventure g...
As I have gotten older, I have found that I am having more difficulty cranking my genoa winches to properly trim my boat’s headsails. The challenge is greatest in the position where I have the least s...
Sailing with a diesel auxiliary, as well as engineless, led one couple to make a third choice: fully renewable electric propulsion. Issue 143: March/April 2022 As far as I can tell, my fiancée, Alison...
The fluffy snow that fell a few days ago has gone slushy. The wet cold soaks my gloves and stings my hands as I clean off the dinghy’s gunwales before turning her over on my front yard. My palms...
How to set a stern hook for a better night’s sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep at anchor is bliss. Gently rocking in your berth and drifting off to sleep, only to wake in the same spot, is the defin...
A sailing buddy asked for my help solving a problem on the hard dodger aboard his Taswell 45. Over the years, a series of small cracks had appeared in the top surface that was composed of some kind of...
There comes a time on a sailboat when something you’ve installed meets the end of its useful life. Maybe it’s a piece of gear that just can’t be repaired again. Or perhaps it’s an old sail so blown ou...
Replacing leaky toerails with beautiful bulwarks was an intensive but rewarding job. Issue 142: Jan/Feb 2022 Despite her many attributes, our 1979 Cheoy Lee 41, Avocet, for a time was living up to the...
The late Bruce Kirby was one of the most influential yacht designers of the 20th century. Though known primarily for the Laser, his design career lasted over 40 years in two countries and spanned a ra...
Out with the old, in with a new boating currency It is usually frowned upon in polite company to speak openly and specifically about personal financial matters. Instead, we use vague generalities abou...
Every sailor knows to investigate when they hear noises out of the ordinary, whether mechanical (the bilge pump running a bit too long) or natural (distant thunder to windward). It’s expected, a part ...
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...
