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...
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...
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 ...
Fiddler’s Green had overheating problems from the very beginning of our ownership. We got used to checking the temp gauge for the Perkins M30 every 15 minutes or so while motoring, throttling down or ...
Spring is here and marinas will soon be filled with mast-raisers. And while the world is filled (to the brim?) with mast-raising solutions, I have another. I believe my method is possibly the simplest...
I used to own a Guest model 461 anchor light, a popular piece of gear when many of our good old boats were built. A fundamentally well-made device, the incandescent bulb suffered from poor light outpu...
If you don’t want to be taken to the cleaners when it comes to cleaning, try these DIY solutions. Issue 137: March/April 2021 Over the years, I’ve gradually ditched store-bought boat cleaning pr...
The DIY deck paint job looked fantastic. Then the surveyor showed up. Issue 137: March/April 2021 Toward the end of a 13-month refit, my 1968 Santana 22 was looking pretty spiffy. Just the decks remai...
An easily assembled base and two Bluetooth speakers provide a rockin’ sound system. Issue 137: March/April 2021 I spend a lot of time aboard my boat just tinkering. Other times, I sail her alone...
Furniture protectors make a quick, easy fix for sharp solar panel corners. Issue 137: March/April 2021 It wasn’t long after I installed the solar panel on the stern pulpit that I discovered the proble...
Installing a new impeller in a water pump can be a bit of a struggle, especially if you’re working under the engine by braille. That’s the position I found myself in with the Yanmar 3GM30F aboard my 1...
Dynamic climbing rope can be an intriguing option for some uses aboard. Issue 135: Nov/Dec 2020 I’m a sailor, and I’m a climber. For both pursuits, rope is central. Not surprisingly, because the use c...
Easily taken for granted, rope is a critical thread throughout human history. Issue 135: Nov/Dec 2020 What do sailors, the Egyptian pyramids, Britain’s cotton mills, and the first space shuttle all ha...
No halyard? No bosun’s chair? No problem for this crew. Issue 135: Nov/Dec 2020 It was a warm July day when my crew and I set out from Chesapeake Bay aboard Sequoia, our modest but trusty 1977 T...
Sailing seemed over, till an old friend returned. Issue 135: Nov/Dec 2020 “Sailboat for sale. $400.” The ad caught my attention: just what I was looking for, and the price was right. “It just ne...
A simple elevator system enables top efficiency for depth sounder transducer. Issue 135: Nov/Dec 2020 If you haven’t run aground, you haven’t sailed the Chesapeake,” is a common refrain among those wh...
Bolted boltrope? Try this handy harpoon to retrieve it. Issue 135: Nov/Dec 2020 Many good old boats (and newer boats with laminate sails) feature mainsails that attach to the mast via a boltrope in th...
Working alongside shipwrights shines a new light on hands-on. Issue 135: Nov/Dec 2020 Not long ago, as I was combing through the employment want ads, one job leaped from the page. A shop that speciali...
It’s been said that the most useless things aboard a sailboat are an umbrella and a Naval officer. However, sometimes that’s just not completely true. Cruising in New England, I would ofte...
Being able to get the sail cover on quickly means we don’t have to resent the time it takes to protect our sails. Just as important, if a halyard starts slapping the mast just when we are starting to ...
Cleaning a fouled diesel tank started with polishing some dirty fuel on the fly. Issue 134: Sept/Oct 2020 Aboard our 1984 Moody 47, diesel is the elixir of electricity, and electricity is what drives ...
When we bought our 1976 Westerly Centaur, Breaking Wind, it came with an ancient-but-working Marinco solar-powered vent. Then, on a sporty day sailing on the Chesapeake Bay, the fan, poorly attached t...
Thanks to a little help from her friends, a good old boat finds a new paramour. Issue 134: Sept/Oct 2020 I didn’t really know Nat. Nothing beyond a friendly smile and hello as we passed each ot...
