Having capitulated, here’s how to raise the waterl...
September 25, 2026
Sophisticated mechanisms that use a simple principle Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 Windvane steering was pioneered by Blondie Hasler in the 1960s and is the autopilot of choice for many bluewater sailors. I...
A solo sailor is active in mind and body Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 In 1974, I owned a varnished wooden Folkboat in Branford, Connecticut. On my first try at sailing solo I was wracked with anxiety, not ...
The rich rewards of sailing solo Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 Over the years I’ve learned that, without quiet contemplative time on the water, I suffer as if from lack of freedom. The mind of a sailor seem...
A spacious and comfortable wing-keel cruiser Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 A certain connection draws some sailors back to favored nameplates. Such was the case for Jeff and Liz Fleenor. Jeff was a longtime...
Guest editorial Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 The chart plotter has evolved into a wonder that has simplified navigation and route planning beyond the dreams of sailors of old. Over the last decade, chart p...
Opening the door to a new paradise Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 You don’t have to cross oceans to enjoy sailing and you don’t have to sail around the world to have grand adventures. As my husband, Dave, pu...
A bolt replaces a faulty valve Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Though I have never seen any of this described, I have been having terrible problems with the self-venting drain valve on 500 series Racor filter...
Limiting wear from beach landings Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 The cruising life is a hard one for dinghies, especially in tidal areas where they often have to be dragged 100 feet and more up pebble beache...
Wheels take the weight off a paddler’s shoulders Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 It’s not easy for a sailor to stay occupied with boat-oriented projects when snow covers the ground. Building a cart that simpl...
After buying back his boat, he brought her back again Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 The legendary singlehanded sailor looked me in the eye, paused for dramatic effect, and said, “Ray, buy this boat. You wil...
An inferior anchor was a drag Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Autumn in the northeastern part of the North American continent is a golden time of year. Gone are the summer mugginess and drab green scenery, re...
Turbulent economic winds pruned a budding sailboat industry Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Most owners of good old boats have a strong association with Japanese products: Yanmar diesel auxiliaries are popula...
A drop leaf makes and saves space Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Owners of sailboats of a certain vintage face a dearth of counter space during food preparation and galley cleanup. The boat is, after all, a ...
Conduct ocean passages from the Maestro seat Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 In the mid-1960s, Bernard Moitessier was in Tahiti preparing his 40-foot steel ketch, Joshua, for a “fast return to France” by way ...
A new panel and gauges to keep tabs on the motor Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 My good old boat, Nurdle, is a 1979 Bristol 35.5 centerboard model, a Ted Hood design with fairly heavy displacement but a mode...
Hand-crimped terminals make for easy DIY Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Rust-colored stains in the cracked vinyl-coated lifelines on Galilean, our 1984 Islander 30, signaled corrosion at work. Vinyl-coated l...
Let how you cruise be how you choose Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Cruising in trailerable sailboats has its advantages. In the winter, you can get your boat from the frozen north to Florida at 60 mph in a ...
Rolling Awlgrip topcoat Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 In part one, in our November 2013 issue, Anne and Chris explained the research that went into selecting Awlgrip for painting the topsides of their Bruce...
Designing by eye gives way to numbers Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 We have discussed at length in recent issues the design formulas used to compare boats of different designs and reach conclusions regardin...
Wireless systems depend on this wire Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Coaxial cable, or coax, is used for transferring radio-frequency energy from one place to another. It was invented by English engineer Oliv...
A well-built sloop with an unstayed mast Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Frustrated with the sailboat offerings of the time, Garry Hoyt decided to do something about it. The former advertising executive and c...
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 ...
A breathtaking show for an audience of one Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 It’s just past 2 a.m. The only sound is the velvet swish of water sliding along the hull. We’re about 50 miles offshore with no sign ...
Fire hose looks the part and takes the wear Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 It would be about three hours before the morning tide would turn and take me on a fast-moving flood through Rich Passage on the way ...
A friendly deterrent to feathered friends Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 We recently took a marina vacation — a break from worrying about shifting winds and cold fronts while anchoring out. Since we rarely s...
Hush those tapping halyards Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 A halyard slapping on an aluminum mast is probably the most annoying noise on the water. It’s bad enough if it’s on someone else’s boat, but if your...
Savor the flavor but save the fuel Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 The aroma of freshly baking bread fills the saloon and lifts our spirits. As coastal cruisers, we find it necessary and oh, so satisfying, to...
An innovative design that’s fast and fun Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 Jack Wolf caught the sailing bug at the age of 18 aboard a friend’s 32-foot Columbia Sabre. He later owned and sailed trailerable boats...
Modifying an anchor-locker lid Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 Our C&C 35, Secret Plans, came with a navel pipe on the anchor-locker lid for the anchor rode to pass through. It was also excellent for smas...
Contact cement is the key to speed Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 My bottom was in trouble, and I don’t mean my boat’s bottom. The daggerboard trunk on our 8-foot El Toro dinghy was doing its best to work it...
