A drift down the fairway provides a lesson in boat handling and hubris Issue 150: May/June 2023 I spent the first six years of my sailing life sailing my fin-keeled 1980 Hunter 36, Gudgeon, and for mo...
A sailor flouts an age-old superstition and pays the price Issue 150: May/June 2023 After what seemed like a short, mild winter, I was ready to splash for the summer season. The boatyard didn’t launch...
A cherished daily ritual helps a passagemaking sailor transition to cruising Issue 150: May/June 2023 Waking up in the V-berth of mySabre 30, Ora Kali, I can tell by the sun shining through the compan...
Issue 150: May/June 2023 It wasn’t two-foot-itis, but bluewater-itis, that sent us on a search for a new boat more than a decade ago. The desire for a seaworthy cruiser launched a quest that would tak...
Amid tumultuous times, a beloved Morgan 30 is a haven for a family of six Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 Clear skies, 12- to 15-knot winds, and a following sea made for smooth sailing from our mooring ball ...
Ruminations on sailing in years past drive home a fundamental truth Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 I’m climbing down the ladder from the stern of Affinity and pulling the tarp zipper as I descend, perhaps f...
Lessons learned while sailing down the East Coast to warmer weather Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 You’re ready. You have the boat of your dreams and you’ve spent enough time sailing your home waters to be ...
When a PLB is accidentally activated in a remote area, the Canadian Coast Guard responds Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 This past summer, my wife, Terri, and I set out to circumnavigate Vancouver Island on ...
A coastal sailor jumps at the chance to cross an ocean Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 A lifetime of sailing the protected waters of Vancouver Island on British Columbia’s west coast had given me a wealth of...
Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 This issue of Good Old Boat, #151, marks 25 years since the magazine was first published in the summer of 1998. Great Lakes sailors Karen Larson and Jerry Powlas, who met thro...
A mariner grapples with an unfamiliar reluctance — and finds the cure Issue 152: Sept/Oct 2023 The grayer I get, the more of a serenity-seeking sailor I become. Or is “serenity-seeking” another way of...
Why taking care of things big and small on your boat makes a difference Issue 152 Sept/Oct 2023 Perusing a Craigslist ad for a 40-year-old, 40-foot sailboat, I laughed out loud when I read, “Everythin...
A winged visitor catches a ride on a glorious late summer sail Issue 152: Sept/Oct 2023 Early on a brisk September morning, as we motored out past the Absecon Inlet jetties on our way offshore and lef...
A young couple finds a boat to call a home, from San Francisco Bay to the Chesapeake Bay Issue 152: Sept/Oct 2023 The idea of buying a boat came about one afternoon in my apartment off Mission Street ...
After a lifetime of sailing, an ideal last boat creates enduring memories Issue 153: Nov/Dec 2023 There are many resources for learning how to sail. It is a fascinating subject with so many things to ...
Memories of food and boats swirl together, powerfully evoking time and place Issue 153: Nov/Dec 2023 Eating while afloat ranks among my greatest pleasures, with the old saw about salt air quickening t...
An engine failure prompts an unexpected road journey through three states Issue 153: Nov/Dec 2023 I was pushing up the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) approaching mile 403 when the engine quit. Again. I w...
Grimsby to Georgian Bay, and why you should never bring bananas on board Issue 153: Nov/Dec 2023 In the cold days of January 2023, my wife and I made the move from Hamilton to Barrie, Ontario. There w...
A serendipitous spotting of a family’s first boat sparks a nostalgic mystery Issue 154: Jan/Feb 2024 I’d like to think most people have experienced déjà vu, that odd feeling that you are reexper...
Nasty weather provides a curtain call for a memorable cruise Issue 154: Jan/Feb 2024 I knew the last storm was coming. I’d been checking the forecast daily on my C. Crane pocket weather radio. My wife...
When it comes to sailboats, bigger isn’t always better. Issue 155: March/April 2024 “Buy a bigger boat.” That’s the refrain we’ve often heard from friends and family. The reason: Finn, our Barnstable ...
A cruise leads to a harrowing experience and an important lesson for newbie sailors. Issue 155: March/April 2024 It all started when I found an available mooring just a few yards’ walk from our beach ...
From pocket cruisers to beloved classics, dying boats need to be saved. Issue 155: March/April 2024 Last spring, the yard where I store my sloop for the winter cleared out a small trove of derelict sa...
A series of bad decisions leads to a potentially fatal situation Issue 154: Jan/Feb 2024 Squalls were building rapidly as Jo Beth rumbled along under engine power, some 10 miles southeast of the entra...
Hitting a Tanker in the Dark Issue 153: Nov/Dec 2023 Sailing through the night is a phenomenal experience. I have had some of my best and worst moments in the inky black of night — ghosting, coasting,...
The challenges and rewards of 48 days sailing the Florida Keys Issue 152: Sept/Oct 2023 It took hours to rig, pack, and launch the boat. We suffered in the heat and humidity, sweating through our too-...
A desert native goes cruising and takes a leap into unfamiliar territory Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 The story starts in Kanab, Utah, where we bought a sailboat. Nobody thinks of sailboats when they thin...
Sitting in the cockpit together, my wife Jill and I watched daylight slowly appear over the Washington coast as our boys, Porter and Magnus, slept soundly in the gentle swell. It was good to be out on...
To rest or wait out weather, heaving to remains a tried and true tactic at sea Issue 150: May/June 2023 Some seafaring traditions are worth carrying on, especially those based on knowledge and techniq...
This Old Boat author Don Casey used the Coronado 35 as the poster child for ugly sailboats. Hollywood must not read such books. In two of the 10-episodes of The Night Agent currently on Netflix, a Cor...
