Having capitulated, here’s how to raise the waterl...
September 25, 2026
Issue 138: May/June 2021 At the core of sound seamanship, aside from all the navigational, weather, and sailing skills required, lies a deep and thoughtful preparedness for all contingencies. At sea, ...
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...
Some boats you just can’t live without. Issue 139: July/Aug 2021 Somewhere along the line, my boat ate one of my favorite earrings. It was a small, silver-set piece of green glass, with a clasp that k...
Issue 139: July/Aug 2021 Since 2009, when the EPA banned the sale of traditionally vented gas cans, we’ve all endured a generation of gas cans compliant with California Air Resources Board (CARB) spec...
Fabricating a spray hood changes the companionway game. Issue 139: July/Aug 2021 Our 1965 Alberg 35 has been a wonderful boat to us, but there are a few places where she could stand to be a little mor...
A voyage to a new home in North Carolina offers something fresh around every bend. Issue 139: July/Aug 2021 I’ve spent 40-plus years sailing—mostly singlehanding—New Jersey’s Raritan Bay. It’s been gr...
Worry about a bobstay failure inspires a rigging and anchor locker redesign. Issue 139: July/Aug 2021 Over the years, I’ve come to know my 1978 Allied Seawind II pretty well. Yet, that part of my boat...
A near-dismasting on a Pacific passage calls for teamwork and trust. Issue 139: July/Aug 2021 It’s 0800 and I am snug in my bunk, still half asleep, contemplating greeting the day aboard Galapagos, ou...
Writer Don Casey has helped and inspired countless sailors and their good old boats. Issue 139: July/Aug 2021 When Don Casey quit his job as chief operations officer for the Federal Reserve in Miami i...
Trailer getting in the way of your boat work? Here’s a no-crane solution. Issue 139: July/Aug 2021 Trailers are great for moving modest-sized sailboats from one place to another. They’re also a good p...
Trading a dipstick for a digital meter takes the guesswork out of water use. Issue 139: July/Aug 2021 Our family’s Alberg 35 has a pair of freshwater tanks that total about 50 gallons. Unfortunately, ...
Thanks to devoted designers and an Ontario museum, C&C’s legacy is preserved. Issue 139: July/Aug 2021 Soon after George Cuthbertson parted ways with C&C Yachts in 1981, he donated the majorit...
… and Two More Spirited Coastal Cruisers Issue 139: July/Aug 2021 The key element driving the evolution of yacht design over the past 150 years has been the rating rule in effect at the time. Ea...
An Easy-to-Sail, High-Quality Coastal Cruiser Issue 139: July/Aug 2021 From the San Juan Islands of Washington State north to the shores of Alaska, the British Columbia coast has it all for fabulous c...
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...
Our fleeting imprint on the water reminds us that now is what matters most. Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 Paul’s wet shoes left a trail on the wooden dock, but it wouldn’t last long. Water trails never do....
Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 I have a small head. However, to borrow an adage, I always believed that meant that good things were kept inside its small package. Unfortunately, my small head has meant that...
If you’re tired of bogus bungees, try this custom-built alternative. Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 The average bungee has a one- to two-year life expectancy when enduring stressors such as UV and chafe tha...
Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 Buffing can help or hinder. Doing a good job buffing vinyl windows requires considerable effort and patience, and it is quite possible to make things worse. I recommend not tr...
Properly maintaining dodger and enclosure windows is a lot trickier than it looks. Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 Perhaps the most fragile and vexing part of any boat’s exterior is the clear vinyl material ...
Nobody likes a leaky hatch. Here’s how to re-bed one. Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 My husband, Robin, and I met fellow cruiser Adva Reshef in a boatyard, and we became fast friends making repairs to...
Completing their boat’s much-needed refit was almost like building her twice. Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 How many people can say that they built the same boat twice? My wife, Ellen, and I can safely rai...
A little sewing, some clever woodwork, and voilà, a better quarter berth. Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 Nurdle, my 1979 Bristol 35.5, has a quarter berth, a common feature on boats of this size and vintage...
A series of misjudgments leads to a nearly catastrophic bridge encounter. Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 My wife, Terri, and I, aboard our 2006 Beneteau 423, departed our home port of Clear Lake, Texas, to ...
Here’s how to give your old ropes a new life. Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 Every sailor has gazed longingly upon the rack of shiny new ropes at the local chandlery, admiring the smooth finishes and ...
Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 In 2011, a sophomore at State University of New York’s Maritime College in the Bronx jumped into his car and drove 300 miles north to the Adirondacks to join a landscaping cre...
The world’s most famous physicist was a devoted, if unconventional, yachtsman. Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 What name would you give an amateur sailor who capsized, hit rocks, and ignored bad weather? Who...
Wherein loose lips end up sailing ships, that is, a venerable fishing schooner. Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 Decades into my successful marriage, I know that compromise is requisite to happiness. Which ex...
Arguably Canada’s most influential racing boat, Red Jacket broke all the molds. Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 The name Red Jacket invokes instant pride and recognition among knowledgeable Canadian sailors....
