Signals from space are subject to interference Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 The satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS) provides very accurate navigational information, but everyone who uses it sho...
Inside and outside viewpoints for a GPS Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 When Jim Stedman updated the electronic equipment in his 1972 Cheoy Lee Luders 36, Song, he gave considerable thought to what he would l...
Obsessive design disorder became a career Issue 79: July/Aug 2011 Who can say when the first hint of the madness appeared? Was it on my first sail on a Lightning at age 12? I hadn’t been aboard for mo...
Have your boat text you when it’s in trouble Issue 83: March/April 2012 Recreational boats can lead a lonely life. On the weekends, it’s party time with lots of guests and action. During the weekdays,...
How we see in the dark, or not Issue 83: March/April 2012 We live in a world of constant bright light: sunlight during the day and artificial light at night. As a result, we may not realize that there...
An autopilot gets an inexpensive pod Issue 84 : May/Jun 2012 My recently acquired Pacific Seacraft 31, Ann West, has a very long “to do” list, which is probably why I could afford her. (She’d been a l...
Marine adhesive caulks are put to the test Issue 84 : May/Jun 2012 After experiencing poor adhesion results when replacing an acrylic port on my 1985 Hunter 28.5 sailboat, I decided to test a number o...
How rating-rule number crunchers shaped sailboats Issue 83: March/April 2012 I have been looking forward to writing this. If your boat was designed between 1970 and 1985 it probably shows the effect o...
Antique technology that still finds favor Issue 86: Sept/Oct 2012 The gaff rig was the rig of choice for more than 250 years until the Marconi rig (also called the Bermudan rig) came along. The gaff-r...
Satellite radio delivers data and images to the cockpit Issue 90: May/June 2013 It seemed almost magical. I was in the cockpit of our J/32 on Sequim Bay in western Washington state, yet displayed on t...
Cruise with an iPad instead of paper Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 My wife and I were loading our Flicka for a five-week cruise on the Trent Severn Waterway, Georgian Bay, and the North Channel of Lake Huro...
Boat evolution is a non-linear process Issue 90: May/June 2013 Any search for exactly the right words can be a frustrating experience. This is especially true if you’re trying to explain a fundamental...
Fitting an Autohelm without harming the teak wheel Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 I searched high and low for my factory original all-teak wheel, the top of the line of about five wheels and a tiller that E...
Inside/outside viewing when navigating by tablet Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 About 30 years ago, I fabricated a teak swing-out arm for my navigation aids, a Loran and depth finder (it’s pictured in Mail ...
A museum examines Canada’s modern boatbuilding history Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 This past spring saw the opening at the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston, Ontario, of a unique and ongoing ex...
Fashion and formulas reshape the forefoot Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 Nothing looks quite as “yachtie” or traditional as a clipper bow with a long bowsprit pointing the way ahead. Some of the most classic...
Tablets and laptops and smartphones, oh my! Issue 96 : May/Jun 2014 Not long ago, I had the pleasure of helping to sail Alaria, a Pacific Seacraft 34, from Maine to the Caribbean. The other members of...
The long road to separation of keel from hull Issue 102 : May/Jun 2015 In a previous article (“How Sailboat Rudders Evolved,” January 2015), we looked at the evolution of the rudder on sailing yachts ...
See, be seen, and talk about it Issue 103 : Jul/Aug 2015 “This is sailing vessel Entr’acte WYR 3025 — at latitude 24 degrees 16 minutes north, longitude 97 degrees 14 minutes west — calling the cargo ...
Separation achieved Issue 103 : Jul/Aug 2015 In part 1 of this series about the evolution of keels (May 2015), we looked at the early use of external ballast let into the keel timbers of early British...
Bites, sweep, fins, bulbs, wings, and winglets Issue 104 : Sept/Oct 2015 In Part 1 (May 2015) and Part 2 (July 2015) of this narrative, we explored the evolution of the keel from a longitudinal struct...
Techno wizardry informs the sailor Issue 109 : Jul/Aug 2016 Quantum leaps in technology have enabled us to leave the dock with a thorough knowledge of our planned destinations, the routes to sail, and...
