Cutting your dreamboat down to size Issue 74 : Sept/Oct 2010 Many of us fall victim to the allure of the big boat at the end of the dock. A tear wells up as we sight along the acres of the teak deckin...
What floats your boat Issue 74 : Sept/Oct 2010 Boats are designed to float. This might seem to be an unnatural act, especially for hulls that are made of aluminum, steel, concrete, or fiberglass. Thes...
When cruising, our days begin with tea and the forecast Issue 74 : Sept/Oct 2010 One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as we cruise is the difference between weather reports for the landed gentry an...
A well-thumbed book has been a faithful companion Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 I was fossicking around in a used-book store the other day when I came across a copy of A Manual for Small Yachts, by R. D. Gr...
A bag of rice resuscitates a $300 lifeline Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 Because we had two children in college in the States as we continued to roam the Caribbean, my husband, Dave, bought me an iPod touch...
Code words let Mars understand Venus Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 The question comes up a lot. Not from sailing friends, they are mostly too polite, but landlubbing friends don’t mind asking, “When you’ve ...
A chance encounter opens a window in time Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 A few years before I was born, my parents bought a 26-foot Sparkman & Stephens-designed New Horizon sailboat built by Ray Green. T...
A well-loved sailboat sparks a romance Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 The town of Annapolis has a reputation as a drinking town with a sailing problem. If that’s true, I would add that many of the sailboats ...
How do boats get our attention? Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 One of these days, scientists will announce a study that shows boats excrete pheromones and that certain groups of humans are drawn irresistibly...
Independence is the best gift for a youth Issue 76 : Jan/Feb 2011 If our priorities define us, then my husband, Dave, and I are irresponsible, capricious, and more fond of boats than money. A few Nove...
Joint ownership provided a path to the water Issue 76 : Jan/Feb 2011 Picnicking one day in a park in Oxford, Maryland, on Chesapeake Bay, we watched sailboats glide into a wooded anchorage. That did i...
A schooner’s crew won’t be dock-bound by a defunct engine Issue 76 : Jan/Feb 2011 Sailing a heavy fixed-keel boat without an engine could be viewed as a challenge and a good opportunity to improve one...
As fast as physics allows Issue 76 : Jan/Feb 2011 Although it’s somewhat of a misnomer, the term “displacement hull” is used in reference to a boat whose displacement at speed is the same as its displ...
Phil Rhodes inspired a generation of yacht designers, including Bob Perry Issue 76 : Jan/Feb 2011 It was about 50 years ago. I was probably 15 years old. I had started sailing and I was studying mecha...
Seafaring women earn the right to lament Issue 76 : Jan/Feb 2011 Not all women believe they were meant to go to sea. I’m convinced, in fact, that the vast majority are sure that women are not meant to...
Even where it’s endless summer, the weather rings the changes Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 My son’s education is lacking. Now in his ninth year of homeschooling, he’s earning A grades in physics, Spanish I...
Consignment stores match good old parts to new old boats Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 Let’s say a part on your boat needs to be replaced. Perhaps the fuel gauge isn’t working. You poke around online for a ...
A boat provides a happy mix of activities and security Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 Naming a boat is serious business. When we upgraded from a decrepit 1972 Cal 20 to our second boat, a 1976 27-foot O’Day,...
A sailor and photographer recalls a dream assignment Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 Every once in a while a boat comes along that captures your heartstrings. Thankfully, it usually happens at a dock or marin...
There’s more to their lines than meets the eye Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 A typical fleet of good old cruising boats will show tremendous variety in the design and layout of their decks. The typical flee...
And guaranteed not to drag Issue 79: July/Aug 2011 Every sailor knows the price of gear goes up exponentially with size. Interestingly, this appears to be completely untrue once an anchor gets above a...
Helping dock “crew” do the right thing Issue 79: July/Aug 2011 When we bring our 1979 C&C 30, Callisto, into a dock, I like to have the docklines made fast and their ends positioned so helping han...
Hold abrasive sheets flat and sorted Issue 79: July/Aug 2011 I cut sandpaper into quarter sheets to keep on hand for finish sanding. In the Florida humidity, sandpaper soon curls and becomes unmanagea...
Grandfathering kids into sailing Issue 79: July/Aug 2011 The story of Pop Pop’s Cruise is rooted in a question asked of me by my 18-year-old grandson, Tony, when he was just 9. Following an extended t...
The secret to harmony aboard Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 There is aboard some couples’ sailboats a phenomenon known aboard our boat as “the Princess Principle.” This is a condition in which the guy (usual...
Shared experiences a world apart Issue 78 : May/Jun 2011 As we worked our way inshore at Lovell’s Island to anchor for the night — after spending a day ashore in Boston — I waited too long to give the...
Fundraising and fun at the Hospice Turkey Shoot Regatta Issue 79: July/Aug 2011 August, 2006 At first we thought it was trash, the Ziploc-enclosed brochure thrown into the cockpit of our Bristol Chann...
Bird sightings enrich the cruising experience Issue 78 : May/Jun 2011 We never took much notice of birds before we went to sea. We didn’t need to. We had human company everywhere we went. Not all of i...
Don’t avoid the subject; do avoid the event Issue 78 : May/Jun 2011 It begins innocently enough. Two young couples meet socially and begin to talk. One couple says they’re sailors and enjoy racing on ...
Soften the helm and sharpen performance Issue 78 : May/Jun 2011 I am often asked by owners of good old boats what they can do in the way of upgrades or changes to make their boats perform better. Depe...
