A long-admired boat, finally acquired, revealed its shortcomings Issue 126: May/June 2019 After waiting years, I found the right boat at the right price in the right location. But was she needed to ca...
A few — of many — rules to race by Issue 126: May/June 2019 Robb Lovell introduced readers to the fun of racing (“Testing the Waters in PHRF Part 1,” January 2019) and shared tips on how to sail fast ...
When winter impounds the keelboat, the trailer-boat heads south toward spring The voice of Elvis Presley is running through my brain once more as I write. It’s the same refrain that played often durin...
Too wide for a container’s door? Turn the problem on its side. Issue 126: May/June 2019 My best friend, Ante, and I have been small-boat owners all our lives. Growing up in Croatia, on the Adriatic Se...
Whether for babies or boats, it’s the human condition Issue 126: May/June 2019 When my first daughter was a newborn, I’d have jumped in front of a car to save her life, not because she was my daughter...
A hand-powered pump, glass jars, and ingenuity are the recipe Issue 126: May/June 2019 About 30 years ago, at the Houston Boat Show, I saw a product called Pump-N-Seal, a device that restores a vacuum...
Where wind and tide play tag beyond Seal Rocks Issue 126: May/June 2019 The sail hangs limp. The tiller swings free. I let the mainsheet slither out of my fingers to the deck. My wife, Ellen, yawns an...
Good Old Boat contributor Chas Hague turned us on to Sailing Soulianis, and now we want to share. This young couple is squeezing all they can out of life and today that life centers around their good ...
Singlehanded sailing and photography don’t always go together. Throw in some brisk wind, maybe a tender boat, perhaps no autopilot, and capturing the moments and scenes on camera can be a real challen...
We tend to forget how much GPS, accurate weather forecasting, and modern hull, sail, and communications technologies have improved our ability to get around faster and more safely on the ocean. Oh, an...
Boat projects and pastimes relieve the symptoms of winter withdrawal Issue 125: March/April 2019 For the sailors among us who live in the northern latitudes, the sailing season is woefully short — bar...
If at first you don’t have speed, trim, trim, and trim again Issue 125: March/April 2019 In “Testing the Waters in PHRF Part 1,” November 2018, Robb Lovell introduced us to the world of PHRF sailboat ...
A rally cruise for small sailboats could become habit-forming Issue 125: March/April 2019 The best way to start any voyage is by seeking advice, in my case from an old high school friend who was once ...
Trying to undo them exposes their stubborn side Issue 125: March/April 2019 The title of Henry James’ classic novel The Turn of the Screw is a metaphor for the stress felt by a governess in her strugg...
An old salt learns an old trick from a docking master Issue 125: March/April 2019 On day six of a challenging singlehanded adventure tackling the Delmarva loop aboard Base Camp, my 27-foot Pearson, I ...
Could the 2018 Golden Globe Race have been fairer and safer? Issue 125: March/April 2019 As I write this column, four of the five sailors remaining in the 2018 Golden Globe Race have rounded Cape Horn...
Novelty luggage tags help prevent embarrassing oversights Issue 124: Jan/Feb 2019 We all have a checklist, formal or not, that we consult before casting off. Depending on our boats and ambitions, to-d...
A high school sailor questions their value Issue 124: Jan/Feb 2019 My former high school sailing-team coach was always telling us “consistency is key.” What does that even mean? What if consistency fo...
Fulfilling dreams with boats once destined for landfills. Issue 124: Jan/Feb 2019 In an age where the norm is to throw away the old and buy something new, I have learned that thrown-away sailboats can...
All-inclusive fleets welcome novice racers at the starting line. Issue 124: Jan/Feb 2019 When I was a child, my family would spend every summer cruising and sailing out of our home port. Years later, ...
Learn to refine it by chasing good old boats around the buoys Issue 124: Jan/Feb 2019 I am not a very skilled sailor. I’ve sailed thousands of miles in all types of weather, from Glacier Bay to Panama...
In warm weather, full-length foul-weather pants are rather uncomfortable to wear for too long...
Editor’s note: Has this happened to you? You’re out for a sail and realize the cockpit-led reefing line or mainsheet that has sailed many years with you is showing signs of wear or UV damage. Back at ...
As our boat is 40 years old, she’s not free of blemishes but so far there is no indication of chalking on the gelcoat. Accordingly, every year when my wife, Eileen, and I polish the hull of our good o...
A ravenous rat unites a community while wreaking havoc on board At our farewell party at the Club Náutico de Sevilla, Spain, I ate something I shouldn’t have, and on returning to Entr’acte, I lay down...
We occasionally go to potluck events in our marina where four or five couples are trying to cook their food on a single gas/charcoal grill. There is usually too much food to cook on the grill at one t...
Editor’s note: A Taste of Sail! I love this concept and I know it’s practiced at clubs all over. But if it doesn’t happen in your community, hopefully you’ll be inspired by A Taste of Sail to start so...
2017 was a disastrous sailing season for the boaters of the lower Great Lakes. At launch time in late April, the water was several feet higher than normal. Owners donned rubber boots to wade through s...
Keeping up an older boat pays back in family time, not dollars What is the point of all the effort and expense I put into owning a good old boat? I often find myself asking this question, usually afte...
This project, like so many others, just didn’t go as planned. A surveyor had pointed out the need to replace a failing exhaust hose on Second Star, the 1993 Sabre 362 I’d just bought. Complying ...
