Making the case for a feminine pronoun Issue 43 : Jul/Aug 2005 “I wonder why people refer to boats as ‘she.’ Why not call it an ‘it,’ ” a charter guest aboard our sloop asked me one day. I shrugged an...
Dreaming of green flashes and northern lights Issue 43 : Jul/Aug 2005 Northern lights are just below the green flash on my list of rare and delightful phenomena. There may be some doubt in some circle...
A senior sailor undergoes a slow transition to power Issue 43 : Jul/Aug 2005 Ever since childhood, machines have fascinated me, especially if they had big diesels in them. The sounds that emanate from...
Bob Johnson both designs and builds this best-selling cruising line Issue 43 : Jul/Aug 2005 Robert K. Johnson, N.A., Founder of Island Packet Yachts in Largo, Florida, has been committed to the shipwr...
Cruising royalty Larry and Lin Pardey continue their adventures — and encourage you to have your own Issue 43 : Jul/Aug 2005 Meeting Larry and Lin Pardey can be a bit intimidating for a weekend-and-va...
Four generations of family expertise benefit this Lake Superior boatyard Issue 43 : Jul/Aug 2005 If a time traveler were drop into Bingham Boat Works today, he or she might well wonder what decade it ...
Swallowing the anchor in Maine — for how long? Issue 43 : Jul/Aug 2005 After 16 years of cruising, Jaja and I are taking a break. We bought land in Maine, and we’re building our first house. We’re doi...
Do we navigate from place to place or from time to time? Issue 43 : Jul/Aug 2005 As a gift, my brother-in-law presented me with a Maptech water proof book for the Block Island-to-Nantucket region. It ...
Here’s what makes a boat turn turtle — and recover Issue 43 : Jul/Aug 2005 A few weeks ago, a relatively inexperienced sailor told me he and his wife were planning to retire. They plan to do some exte...
A strong invisible force dulls the brain, grabs the heart Issue 43 : Jul/Aug 2005 The first time I saw her she took my breath away. She was in the end slip by the sea wall at the Oakland Boat Show. I ...
An invisible thread passes from father to son Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 Dad first took me clamming when I was 10 years old. On a still August morning we loaded the long-handled tongs and climbed from th...
Only one thing’s worse: winter Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 Boatless. What could be worse than being boatless in the summer? This is essentially what Jerry and I have become now that we’ve implemented my “...
When you’re up the creek with just one paddle Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 An event occurred recently that drives me to pass on, to those who may not already be familiar with it, the ancient Welsh techniqu...
Make a note of all those details you should know, but don’t Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 My slip mate had a problem with his inboard engine. He had recently bought a Tartan 27 from a friend and thought it ...
This business wasn’t planned — it just “grew and grew” Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 Contrary to what the MBAs will tell you, it is possible to start a business without a business plan. Ask Gordon Torresen....
How an old wooden 25-foot gaffer found a new home Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 It was one of those days in Washington’s San Juan Islands, early January 2002. One of those cheerful Seattle gray-sky days, on...
Learning to bloom where you’re planted Issue 44: Sept/Oct 2005 IT WAS MID-JUNE IN DULUTH/SUPERIOR on the Minnesota/Wisconsin border. We had a cockpit awning up . . . but not because of the sun. It rai...
Memories of pure delight in the restless Tasman Sea Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 The Navy, by custom rather than training, imbues seamen with a dread of the midwatch. That hated watch starts at midnight, a...
Going cruising? Here’s how to read the weather maps Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 Ode to the Weatherman And in the dying embers, These are my main regrets: When I’m right, no one remembers; When I’m wrong, ...
You don’t need a fortune to live a rich cruising life Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 A question frequently asked of cruisers is, “What do you do for money?” This inquiry has always amused Jaja and me. It’s a...
How a gutsy sailor founded a well-known magazine Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 “The safe enjoyment of cruising under sail.” That phrase, which concluded the first editorial in the first issue of Cruising Wo...
How a good old canoe fooled generations of sailors Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 Ever dreamed of crossing an ocean? Most of us have. And, if you’ve done your homework, you’ll have read about some storm-surv...
Boaters need free VHF weather forecasts at sea Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 Now and then our fearless political leaders have a really bad idea. The federal luxury tax on boats, which went into effect in 19...
When a pond and a river were heaven on earth Issue 46 : Jan/Feb 2006 I grew up on an old farm in Connecticut. A hundred yards behind the house was what we called “the cow pasture” — a boggy area beyon...
Wintertime on the Great Prairie Issue 46 : Jan/Feb 2006 Parade rest! The voice shouted at me from long ago and far away. Haulout on the northern prairie is a melancholy time. There was a light frost o...
How to move your stranded boat by human power Issue 46 : Jan/Feb 2006 My edition of the Oxford English Dictionary lists the origin of the word “kedge” as “uncertain” but goes on to describe it as “a v...
An Alaskan summer idyll Issue 46 : Jan/Feb 2006 What are your favorite sailing memories? Do you flip through last summer’s mental photo album searching for a scene to replay that’ll get you through a ...
Marine surveyor Tim Lackey makes a name for himself Issue 46 : Jan/Feb 2006 How puffed up would you feel if almost 3,000 people a month admired your handiwork? Tim Lackey’s boat projects get at least ...
It’s for the hardy and it starts at 50 degrees north Issue 52: Jan/Feb 2007 LATELY I’VE HAD REASON TO CONTEMPLATE THE CHARMS AND challenges of high-latitude sailing. Since we’ve just completed the pro...
The boat sleeps under snow now, but tropical sunsets will follow Issue 46 : Jan/Feb 2006 It’s a cold New England winter morning. I’m up early to get a few sights of Jupiter before the morning twilight...
