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...
Reviving a derelict dory sparked a young boy’s passion Issue 79: July/Aug 2011 We rescued Hee Haw from death at the hands of a boatyard employee armed with a can of gasoline and a match. She was a 16-...
Under cover of snow, new skills emerge Issue 78 : May/Jun 2011 It’s been a tough winter for folks from the Pacific to the Atlantic. In Minnesota, we had snow on the ground before Thanksgiving (the har...
A sailboat sailing? . . . What’s the problem? Issue 80 : Sept/Oct 2011 Our sanity has been questioned on more than one occasion. If you pack three sons and two parents on a 34-foot boat and sail away,...
Ways to cope with motion unease Issue 79: July/Aug 2011 Call it mal de mer, Neptune’s revenge, or the breakwater flu . . . chances are, if you venture very far offshore, you will become acquainted wit...
When boats leave the safety of the drawing board Issue 79: July/Aug 2011 In my more than 50 years designing yachts, I’ve had my share of problems with owners and with boatbuilders, including raw amate...
A captain of fantasy puts to sea at last Issue 80 : Sept/Oct 2011 In the summer of 2007, I would not have been able to tell you the difference between a bowline and a reef knot. Flash forward one year...
A long-term cruising sailor comes clean Issue 80 : Sept/Oct 2011 When we made our escape from the house, careers, and land nine years ago, certain domestic chores followed us on board our Creekmore, E...
Rallying to the call of the Baja Ha-Ha Issue 80 : Sept/Oct 2011 Richard Spindler, founding editor of California’s regional sailing magazine, Latitude 38, has led his annual Baja Ha-Ha rally from San D...
Steps in the process of measuring progress Issue 80 : Sept/Oct 2011 Speed on the water is measured worldwide in knots. A knot is a speed of one nautical mile per hour and is abbreviated as kn or kt. A...
Mystic’s mad scientist is at work again Issue 80 : Sept/Oct 2011 Strange noises have emanated from our basement ever since we moved in 20 years ago. I’ll hear high-pitched whines, odd buzzings and whi...
Sailing creates sensory addiction Issue 81 : Nov/Dec 2011 What is it about sailing that so completely captures our hearts, captivates our souls, and enchants us with its magic? I believe this enchantm...
Good old racing on Tampa Bay Issue 81 : Nov/Dec 2011 Every sailor knows the place to be in January is on a modern high-tech sailboat at Key West Race Week. While that may be true for the hired guns on...
Boat parades are a seasonal spectacle Issue 81 : Nov/Dec 2011 Spectacular water parades are held up and down the coasts of North America every Thanksgiving and Christmas season. These family parades w...
The alternative doesn’t bear thinking about . . . or does it? Issue 81 : Nov/Dec 2011 Our friend Harold has always hated powerboats. Now pushing 70, he’s been a sailor his entire life and has distinct...
But life ashore afterward is stifling Issue 81 : Nov/Dec 2011 The docklines are once again tied and my feet plod once more on solid ground. My body is back in port, but I don’t know if my sailor’s sou...
Issue 83: March/April 2012 Brian Cleverly was born in Sydney, Australia, on October 17, 1936, and died on November 6, 2011, two days after his 75th birthday. Brian is known to many of our longtime sub...
Do it in a jiffy with a tape splice Issue 83: March/April 2012 I needed to replace the internal spinnaker halyard on my Catalina 27 and chose the easy way to do it, using the old halyard as the messen...
Using a radial-arm saw and a simple jig Issue 83: March/April 2012 Sometimes, the lumber you have (or can obtain) isn’t long enough for the job you want to do. When building a wooden boat, for example...
Practice, observation, restraint, patience, persistence Issue 81 : Nov/Dec 2011 Blinken, Sabot dinghy In 1949, I was racing my Naples Sabot dinghy with very modest success. I complained to my mentor, ...
It’s invisible, insidious, and destructive Issue 83: March/April 2012 Everyone today knows we shouldn’t go out in the sun without wearing adequate protection, but it wasn’t always so. Noel Coward wrot...
Good old designs that still catch the eye Issue 81 : Nov/Dec 2011 When I was a kid in the early 1960s, there were quite a few yachting magazines. Each had its own character but they all had one thing ...
Mastering the machine assures entry to the club Issue 81 : Nov/Dec 2011 Defining moments can occur at any time. I was sewing a couple of covers for the new (larger!) winches Jerry installed this past ...
