Be careful where you use these similar alloys Issue 61: July/Aug 2008 In comparing bronze and brass, it is helpful to define two key terms before pointing out the differences, attributes, and deficien...
There’s no end to the creative uses Issue 63 : Nov/Dec 2008 Sailors of good old boats are creative problem-solvers. So it’s great to discover a product that can be used in more ways than its manufactu...
As plain as the nose on your face Issue 63 : Nov/Dec 2008 A favorite way to hang my drugstore reading glasses while doing deck or dock work was to hook an arm of the glasses into the neckband of my sh...
No regrets with this lifestyle alternative Issue 63 : Nov/Dec 2008 At some point in everyone’s life, it becomes necessary to stop and think. Consider for a moment: are you doing what you are doing tod...
Preparing for an extended coastal cruise Issue 63 : Nov/Dec 2008 Tired of the same-old, same-old? Finding it hard to get enthusiastic about sailing territory that has, through long acquaintance, becom...
It’s simple when you know how Issue 63 : Nov/Dec 2008 Coastal cruisers looking for overnight shelter are apt to find three choices: a marina berth, an anchorage, or a public mooring buoy. Many prefer ...
All you need to know about U.S. Coast Guard registration Issue 64 : Jan/Feb 2009 “What do these numbers mean?” our guest asked while stowing her gear in the forward berth. “That’s the vessel documenta...
Practice these ideas for safer sailing Issue 64 : Jan/Feb 2009 Having options may prevent a minor mishap from becoming a serious accident. Based on his 20-plus years of experience, Lieutenant Commande...
The logic behind the old-time card markings Issue 67: July/Aug 2009 Boxing the compass was once a very important element of the seaman’s art. Before the colorful and geometric compass rose gave way to...
Simple, sturdy props for those tricky jobs Issue 67: July/Aug 2009 Because some of her previous owners had made a habit of not sealing holes they drilled in the deck, I replaced the plywood under the ...
How to get aid when you really need it Issue 64 : Jan/Feb 2009 There are many ways a sailor can signal for help: body movements, sound signals, pyrotechnics, terrestrial radio, and via the search-and-...
If there’s a hole in the hull, be sure to peek before it leaks Issue 65 : Mar/Apr 2009 Every inboard-powered boat has a number of holes through its bottom. The cooling-water intake, the rudder, and th...
Banish those not-so-good old-boat odors Issue 65 : Mar/Apr 2009 When our good friends Jeff and Dawn told us they had just purchased a liveaboard sailboat, I knew what would make the perfect “boat warm...
Use your own observations to refine the local forecast Issue 66 : May/Jun 2009 A big part of guessing what the weather will do is knowing what it has just done. Reading Gord May’s excellent article, “...
The equipment you hope you never have to use Issue 67: July/Aug 2009 Among the most important pieces of equipment on board our boats are some we’ve spent good money for but hope we never have to use. ...
Don’t bet your life on questionable lifelines Issue 69 : Nov/Dec 2009 The following is an excerpt from the second edition of Don Casey’s This Old Boat, published in April of this year by International...
A personal checklist from a 7-year liveaboard Issue 69 : Nov/Dec 2009 When my wife, Jan, and I decided we wanted to live aboard a sailboat and cruise the East Coast, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean for...
Factors and choices that may make the difference Issue 69 : Nov/Dec 2009 “You may not have enough insured value to save this boat.” The surveyor’s words left me stunned. He had finished his first task...
Maneuvering with the help of a current Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 Maneuvering a boat in a marina with a strong current running through it often seems fraught with difficulty. A vessel heading across the ...
A successful circumnavigator passes on lessons learned Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 My wife, Carol, and I have been bumbling ever westward for the last 20 years in our good old boat, Mary T, an Offshore 40...
Stay safe and sane when sailing singlehanded Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 My friend Dorothy’s brother was visiting from Ohio. She said he was a fellow sailor and invited me over for dinner. Her brother tur...
Learn to make safer, faster passages Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 After spending a few days in Jacksonville, Florida, we planned to head out the St. Johns River and then turn south into the Intracoastal Wa...
Be a model captain by acting like one Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 When you’re the skipper of a boat, you’re responsible for everything that happens on and to the boat. Nerve-racking, isn’t it? It’s hard t...
Shooting stills and video for cruising articles Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 This article is an excerpt from Lin and Larry Pardey’s Capable Cruiser, third edition, which was published earlier this year. Th...
The triumph of the do-it-yourselfer Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 The thing that separates the hard-core do-it-yourselfer from other sailors is just this: no fear. We were replacing a vinyl window in our 17...
Employ virtual dock hands to control your boat’s bow Issue 73 : Jul/Aug 2010 At our marina, the finger piers are aligned north and south but the winds are generally easterly or westerly. On most days,...
The ins and outs and aftermath Issue 73 : Jul/Aug 2010 Flash — BANG! My eyes flew open. I had been sound asleep, so it took me a second to orient myself. I was sleeping in the V-berth, the hatch above...
What advertising and operating manuals don’t tell you Issue 73 : Jul/Aug 2010 Retrofitting your good old boat with a new GPS receiver? A GPS chart plotter? Beware. Whatever the salesman told you, what...
Keep your onboard supply fresh and pure Issue 74 : Sept/Oct 2010 Keeping the water in a sailboat’s tanks tasting fresh is often a challenge and, if a tank goes bad, the consequences can be outright aw...
Cutting your dreamboat down to size Issue 74 : Sept/Oct 2010 Many of us fall victim to the allure of the big boat at the end of the dock. A tear wells up as we sight along the acres of the teak deckin...
