Life lessons from an early affair Issue 105 : Nov/Dec 2015 There was no name on her hull when I found her, so I called her Frankly Scarlett in reference to the closing line of Gone With The Wind. That...
A daily duty records a lifetime of memories Issue 105 : Nov/Dec 2015 I am sitting in front of the fire doing research for an upcoming ocean passage. I like to study the passages of others. What routes...
A downhaul is a singlehander’s foredeck crew Issue 105 : Nov/Dec 2015 A friend of mine told me about an incident he witnessed in which the jib furler on a 54-foot sailboat jammed. “You haven’t laughed...
Variations on taking in a slab of sail Issue 105 : Nov/Dec 2015 A sail is reefed to reduce its area so it will not overpower the boat in stronger winds. Of the many reefing systems used, slab or jiffy...
Lettuce and cold drinks — the frosting on the cruising cake Issue 105 : Nov/Dec 2015 This past summer, for the first time in 15 years or more, we had ice in Mystic’s icebox. In years past, we cruised ...
A sailor and a snake give each other the shivers Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 Shortly after Speedwell had been relaunched following a few weeks on the hard at Young’s Boatyard in Jones Creek, just off the...
Ferry it from shore to ship without lifting a drop Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 When you’re on the hook, you fill your dinghy with four basic commodities in addition to passengers: trash, diesel, gas, and...
Eliminate fire drills with a drag-proof system Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 When I was new to boating, many, many years ago, I quickly learned it was far better to anchor securely than to stumble about on...
A sailing legend puts a wayward boat’s demise in perspective Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 “Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” –Buddha In June 2013, at about...
A veteran cruiser’s 12 steps to a well-fed crew Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 Provisioning your boat can be as easy as taking a short walk to the grocery store to stock up for a couple of days on the lake ...
A former tightwad reflects on shoestring budgets Issue 108: May/June 2016 The pastime of sailing has often been compared to standing in a cold shower while tearing up 20-dollar bills. Yacht ownership ...
A faithful and forgiving foul-weather friend Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 Ellen is on top of me! Our legs are entwined! We are lying against the starboard wall of our cockpit footwell. It is horizontal, p...
How we sail is related to how far we are from the water Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 During the summer sailing season I experienced another one of those revelations that occur from time to time. What I fi...
The alluring emanations of a seagoing home Issue 107 : Mar/Apr 2016 At any auto parts store in the country, you can buy an aerosol can of New Car Smell. Have you ever seen a can of New Boat Smell at y...
Seeing current requires GPS and a knotmeter Issue 107 : Mar/Apr 2016 I grew up sailing on a lake in upstate New York on a 16-foot hand-built wooden sloop. No tides. No currents. Only wind. No instrume...
Fatigue, false steps, and a child adrift Issue 107 : Mar/Apr 2016 After four days of the most uncomfortable seas in our entire world circumnavigation, we arrived at the island of Great Inagua, Bahamas...
Surface weather maps, part 1 Issue 107 : Mar/Apr 2016 Surface weather maps offer a wealth of information to the weather-savvy mariner. The key to unlocking the information displayed on these maps is u...
Two-boat-itis arouses ambivalence Issue 107 : Mar/Apr 2016 It is possible to have too much of a good thing. We discovered this in the summer of 2015, the year we had two boats in the water. At once. I...
An enchanting ruse brings a wife on board Issue 109 : Jul/Aug 2016 I’ve never chosen the right boat for me. I’ve always let the right boat choose me. In the November 2015 issue of Good Old Boat, I des...
When the self is inseparable from The Water Issue 109 : Jul/Aug 2016 The Water is always there. The Water forms a continuous thread through my life from my earliest memories to this moment. It has bee...
Canadian sailors broaden their boating skills on England’s canals Issue 109 : Jul/Aug 2016 Here we were, four freshwater sailors maneuvering a 65-foot steel narrowboat in pitch darkness through a damp...
Ways to dispose of expired pyrotechnics Issue 108: May/June 2016 Your flare caddy was overflowing with mostly expired flares. You bought a bigger one. Now it, too, is almost filled with expired flares...
How sailboats stand up to the wind Issue 108: May/June 2016 In a letter to Mail Buoy in the September 2015 issue of Good Old Boat, Rich Morrow of Herring Cove, Nova Scotia, called me to task for putti...
Surface weather maps, part 2 Issue 108: May/June 2016 In the March 2016 issue I introduced surface weather maps, meteorological time-keeping systems, the difference between issued and valid date and t...
From one extreme to another Issue 109 : Jul/Aug 2016 In Part 1 of this article, in the May 2016 issue, Rob described how sailing vessels achieve their stability. Using the C&C 39 as an example of ...
Take one tabloid six times a year Issue 108: May/June 2016 When we hang out in our booth at boat shows, subscribers stop to resubscribe, of course, but we’re amazed by the number of times they tell us...
Repair-centered missions bear unexpected fruit Issue 111: Nov/Dec 2016 While cruising down the U.S. Pacific coast we have had hardware break, alternators seize, water pumps give out, and all manner of...
How they form and how they are named Issue 109 : Jul/Aug 2016 Sailors have been watching clouds since the first boat was launched. As aficionados know, clouds come in an infinite variety of shapes and...
A rack where phones stay dry, charged, and in reach Issue 111: Nov/Dec 2016 Here’s a simple project for 21st century sailors who want a safe and dedicated place to stow expensive little gizmos. I desi...
Eradication attempts wither to a ritual cleansing Issue 110 : Sept/Oct 2016 I have morning rituals when cruising. Though I try to sleep late, I usually rise with the sun, but with deliberate care so a...
