Understanding what’s happening on the bottom goes a long way to improving anchoring success. Issue 130: Jan/Feb 2020 Any article about anchoring can smack of fear mongering. And the audience is ripe b...
A bracket fabricated from Coosa board keeps an outboard tiller out of mischief. Issue 136: Jan/Feb 2021 The outboard tiller had been bothering me for a while. The friction lock on the engine side—the ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
Losing the steering is not necessarily the end of steering Issue 126: May/June 2019 Loss of steering is possibly the most common reason boats sailing long offshore passages are abandoned. The inabilit...
