There is a common saying that every object on a boat must serve more than one purpose, and I recently learned that the sentiment can be applied to clothes as well. Although we cast off for cruising tw...
This Old Boat author Don Casey used the Coronado 35 as the poster child for ugly sailboats. Hollywood must not read such books. In two of the 10-episodes of The Night Agent currently on Netflix, a Cor...
Charley Morgan — 1929-2023 Sailing legend Charles E. Morgan (Charley to his friends, which was just about everyone) passed away January 6, 2023 on Treasure Island, Florida, at the age of 93, mere hour...
For six-time circumnavigator Webb Chiles, small boats are bluewater revelations. Issue 145: July/Aug 2022 I have owned three great boats, and two of them were small: Chidiock Tichborne, an 18-foot Dra...
Size evokes no envy when sailing is its own reward My wife, Jen, and I were settling down in one of our favorite anchorages after a hard but rewarding day of sailing. We’d broken out the margaritas an...
If one Bristol Channel Cutter fulfilled their sailing dreams, two could only be better. Issue 145: July/Aug 2022 “This poor, poor boat,” I thought, looking at the forlorn Bristol Channel Cutter tied t...
We’ve all heard it: “The two happiest days in a boat owner’s life are the day you buy the boat and the day you sell the boat!” While the idiom can be overused, it does apply to many sailors. I c...
This sailing tale needs to begin with the caveat that we are cruisers, not racers, and our 1978 Alberg 37 is outfitted as such. Yes, at one point in the Alberg’s past glory, she was considered fast by...
“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, by my example, how . . . much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow,...
Navigating turbulent insurance waters calls for planning, preparation, and patience. Issue 144: May/June 2022 You’ve never made a claim, yet your insurance carrier just dropped you. You’ve just receiv...
Four friends and a refit rocket tackle the raucous Race to Alaska. Issue 136: Jan/Feb 2021 Gripping the tiller in my left hand and the coaming in my right, I spin my head from side to side, desperate ...
The fluffy snow that fell a few days ago has gone slushy. The wet cold soaks my gloves and stings my hands as I clean off the dinghy’s gunwales before turning her over on my front yard. My palms...
How to set a stern hook for a better night’s sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep at anchor is bliss. Gently rocking in your berth and drifting off to sleep, only to wake in the same spot, is the defin...
Out with the old, in with a new boating currency It is usually frowned upon in polite company to speak openly and specifically about personal financial matters. Instead, we use vague generalities abou...
Every sailor knows to investigate when they hear noises out of the ordinary, whether mechanical (the bilge pump running a bit too long) or natural (distant thunder to windward). It’s expected, a part ...
If your idea of sailing fun involves tacking rapidly into a strong wind, grinding away at your genoa sheets and crashing through the waves as you lead the way to the next buoy, read no more. This arti...
Baranof Island’s wild beauty and singular towns open a summer-long journey through Southeast Alaska. Issue 141: Nov/Dec 2021 Two hundred miles from the nearest point of land, it’s 11 p.m. on the summe...
Since moving from a mooring to a slip, I’ve noticed that there is a great variety in the way people secure their boats to a dock. Some methods are seemingly bulletproof, others interesting, whimsical,...
In high school I was a wide receiver and punt returner on the football team, so I ran with the ball a lot. At the time, the team’s coach had a drill he made me and other members of the offense do ever...
The anchoring issue of Good Old Boat (May/June 2021) was full of great tips. In it, technical editor Drew Frye showed us how to make a kellet—weight added to anchor rode itself, to decrease the angle ...
One of the ironies of being the editor of a sailing magazine is that you rarely get to sail. That is, the duties involved with the day-to-day management of a sailing magazine—or any magazine, for that...
Years ago I owned an O’Day 25 on which my family and I explored the coast of British Columbia. Our travels took us from the far reaches of the Salish Sea all the way up to Desolation Sound and beyond,...
A mission to meet a circumnavigating friend takes an unexpected turn. Issue 138: May/June 2021 Bill Norrie had been singlehanding Pixie, his Bristol Channel Cutter 28, for nearly 90 days, sailing from...
Love ruins everything, until the right one comes along. Issue 138: May/June 2021 I grew up with a sailboat because I have a big brother. Steve is five years older than me with a can-do attitude and an...
After a long hiatus, the first sail is more than sweet. Issue 138: May/June 2021 Six a.m. I tiptoe out of the quiet house, pausing only when I reach the water’s edge. Buzzards Bay broadens like the ba...
Vineyard hopping through Long Island Sound makes for a mellow shakedown cruise. Issue 137: March/April 2021 It had been three years since we had last sailed through Long Island Sound. To be honest, it...
Wherein a foolhardy notion and a puff of wind nearly end in disaster. Issue 137: March/April 2021 Get a bunch of sailors gathered around a table at the club and they’ll tell stories. Sometimes the sto...
Anxiety can scuttle everyone’s time aboard. Here’s how to understand it and help. Issue 137: March/April 2021 My husband and I were sailing our 1974 Olympic Adventure 47 slow and easy down...
Want to successfully sell your boat on your own? Here’s how. Issue 136: Jan/Feb 2021 Over the past decade, my husband and I have bought six sailboats and sold five of them (we live aboard the boat we ...
For years I’ve been landing 36- to 48-inch striped bass during the Chesapeake Bay spring trophy season. It’s a spring ritual and yet, I never cease to be amazed at how easy it is to wind in 200 feet o...
