An automatic bilge pump for the dinghy solves that sinking feeling. Issue 129: Nov/Dec 2019 For the past couple of years, I’ve kept my dinghy at the dock, butter side up. It’s easy to stow it and use ...
My wife, Rhonda, and I didn’t grow up around boats. But after moving to Florida and raising a family, we grew fond of the idea of buying a boat and perhaps one day sailing away. New to the world of wi...
We had been sailing the west coast of Vancouver Island over the past 30 days. Our final day dawned hot and sunny without a ripple on the water, and so we motored our 1978 Islander Bahama 30, Natasha, ...
I was still green, having only a month ago traded my Great Lakes home in Michigan for the salty sea air and hot sun of the Caribbean. Now, here I was, crewing with a bunch of strangers aboard Windy an...
A first cruise after downsizing Issue 128: Sept/Oct 2019 Like many baby boomers, my husband, Chris, and I aren’t quite as quick, strong, and nimble as we once were. Increasingly attracted to the advan...
A Bristol and her crew are schooled on the Chesapeake Issue 128: Sept/Oct 2019 It was a calm, foggy Friday morning in Rock Creek, just southeast of Baltimore. The day before, Keith, Scott, and I had s...
Life and the sailing season don’t always align Issue 128: Sept/Oct 2019 My wife sits down on the seawall above the beach. I tell her that I won’t be long. She laughs and waves me away. “Take your time...
A J/40 races celestially to Bermuda Issue 128: Sept/Oct 2019 On the way back from Bermuda after the 2014 Newport-Bermuda Race, the inevitable “What’s next?” came up. Captain Dana of his J/40, Eagle, s...
Helping the next generation of sailors to find sailing Issue 128: Sept/Oct 2019 In 2016, my family and I were lucky to witness the dawn of the resurgence of youth sailing in American Samoa. I wish eve...
Correct adjustment of your spreaders may save your rig Issue 128: Sept/Oct 2019 Next time you’re at the marina, look up. If there are enough sailboats around, you’ll likely find a variety of rigs, wit...
Vang/preventer: a fast, effective safety device I was guilty of contempt. Never a good thing, in this case it turned out to be a serious error. I had held a thunderstorm cell in contempt all morning. ...
Ease that fear of falling: Techniques for making a trip up the stick safer. The only sure things in life are death, taxes, and that – sooner or later – you will have to go up your mast. Ma...
Buying, selling, new and used: Sail brokers can stretch your sailing dollars Those of us who love good old boats do so out of aesthetic preferences, sailing abilities, and – let’s face it ...
Superstition got you down? John Vigor offers tips for renaming your boat and keeping it lucky I once knew a man in Florida who told me he’d owned 24 different yachts and renamed every single one...
Don Moyer didn’t start out to become the Atomic 4 guru, he just loved ‘messing about with engines,’ and an Atomic 4 was the engine he had … the rest, as they say, is history In...
As you are aware, proper helm balance is a very desirable factor on a sailing yacht and can make the difference between a craft that is enjoyable to sail and one that has a helm that would rupture a g...
What to look for when buying your Dream Boat In the nautical lexicon, it seems these three words – good old boats – always go together. Some of the most aesthetically pleasing designs from...
Sailor and writer Webb Chiles is credited with saying something to the effect that when the engine in his boat died he was set free – no maintenance chores, no need to get fuel, no more worries ...
A clean look at the “dirty” half dozen Pros and cons of the six main fuels for galley stoves When it comes to choosing a marine stove fuel there is rarely anyone completely happy with the choice. All ...
Planning for an unplanned inversion Capsize: how it happens, and what you can do to survive it When Isabelle Autissier’s 60-foot racer capsized in the Southern Ocean, it sent a chill of fear thr...
What’s the meaning of all those numbers used by yacht designers? The terms and ratios that follow are used by all yacht designers, so it’s a good idea to have an understanding of them if y...
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water … Why is it that some sailors go quietly about their business, consistently making quick, safe, and satisfying passages, while others lurch er...
The wind had shifted overnight. A sea was starting to run into the anchorage from the exposed direction, so we decided to leave. We finished the breakfast dishes and pulled in the “off-duty hook...
Fourth of July weekend, all the family gathered at Grandpa’s cottage on Harsens Island in Little Muscamoot Bay. The cousins caught fish off the seawall while the uncles grilled burgers and the aunts s...
Father and son answer a long-dormant desire for coastal cruising Issue 127: July/Aug 2019 Since buying back Quelle Vie, the Grampian Classic 31-foot sloop my father bought new in 1966 and I sold in 19...
Leave the weight in the lake and tow a lighter boat Issue 127: July/Aug 2019 Water can be used in various ways to increase a boat’s stability. One method is as old as yachting itself. Æmilius Jarvis r...
They quell fear of the unknown with caution and careful planning Issue 127: July/Aug 2019 Many old nautical charts bore the warning “Here Be Dragons” scribed across uncharted regions. When my husband,...
Sailing an obscure board boat had big-boat consequences Issue 127: July/Aug 2019 When writer Nathaniel Philbrick felt stranded in mid-life, he dug out the hull of his old Sunfish, the boat on which he...
Memories make up for the deficiency in dollars recouped Issue 127: July/Aug 2019 Hopefully, by the time this issue goes to print she’ll be gone, out of my life. She’d better be, she’s sitting unattend...
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...
