Notes for creating harmony on board Issue 123: Nov/Dec 2018 On a torturous August crossing of Lake Superior from Isle Royale to Grand Marais, the wind was either light and on the nose or roaring up ra...
They’d set sail tomorrow if it weren’t for . . . Issue 125: March/April 2019 We see it all the time. A boat is purchased and an announcement made, but, after some time has passed, either realit...
Ready to buy a boat and sail away? Try this first. Issue 132: May/June 2020 I blame YouTube. I blame those sailing channels filled with bikini-clad sailors living carefree lives in tropical paradises....
A quick dismasting led to months of navigating insurance claim waters. Issue 136: Jan/Feb 2021 Five seconds is all it takes. Five seconds for your entire rig to come down, causing tens of thousands of...
A pulpit-mounted spotlight can make all the difference when navigating in the dark. Issue 136: Jan/Feb 2021 I tend to sneak up on new ideas, so it took me many years of night sailing in the Chesapeake...
Trailer getting in the way of your boat work? Here’s a no-crane solution. Issue 139: July/Aug 2021 Trailers are great for moving modest-sized sailboats from one place to another. They’re also a good p...
Issue 142: Jan/Feb 2022 I spend a lot of time navigating shoal waters, and my dedicated (and expensive) chart plotter only gets fresh information about such places when I install an updated SD card, y...
A luff tape cleaner makes mast groove maintenance easy and sail hoisting smoother. Issue 142: Jan/Feb 2022 The most basic part of sailing—hoisting your sails—should be easy and straightforward. While ...
Do you really need to splice a thimble into that line? Maybe not so much. Issue 143: March/April 2022 Traditional wire or metal thimbles are common gear on boats, usually spliced into a line where a r...
Storing the dinghy on the hip while moored is an easy, useful practice. Issue 143: March/April 2022 A mother often finds it convenient to rest a toddler on her hip. A mother ship can benefit from the ...
As electric propulsion technology leaps forward, that’s a question worth constantly revisiting. Issue 143: March/April 2022 When we repowered our Liberty 458, Nine of Cups, a decade ago, we took a clo...
Issue 144: May/June 2022 Circuit Certainty The Hubbell Circuit Tester (LED, 125VAC, 30A) is a handy, affordable little device that could save a boater a great deal of electrical frustration when deali...
The only thing predictable about lightning is how scary and potentially destructive it is. Issue 144: May/June 2022 Joe Miano was relaxing on the deck of his Endeavour 42, Bonzee, in a Punta Gorda, Fl...
It’s time to ditch the disposables. Issue 144: May/June 2022 When it comes to batteries, dockside debates nearly always default to the rapidly evolving technologies that are changing how we power our ...
Lobster pot lines aren’t the only things to avoid while cruising Maine’s coast. Issue 144: May/June 2022 It had been a gorgeous Maine sailing day up from Biddeford Pool across the wide mouth of Portla...
For owners of older sailboats, the insurance market is getting complicated. Issue 144: May/June 2022 David Sharp, who’d sailed his 1969 Tartan 34C, Pegasus, for many years out of Newport, Rhode Island...
Issue 145: July/Aug 2022 Taking the Nip Out of Flies Sailors who assume mosquitoes are the pastime’s main insect issue clearly haven’t experienced biting flies. Mosquitoes primarily come out at night,...
Trailer-sailing depends on finding a good launch ramp. Issue 145: July/Aug 2022 One advantage of owning a trailerable boat is being able to explore distant and unfamiliar waters on a tight timeline an...
Here’s a cook’s tour of seaworthy recipes suitable for a good old boat’s chef. Issue 146: Sept/Oct 2022 Pity the poor cook. Think of the limited space for a galley on most good old b...
A fun night sail after a dinner out with friends turns harrowing for a father and son. Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 In the moment before disaster struck, I distinctly remember working on the foredeck of my...
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...
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...
There is a common saying that every object on a boat must serve more than one purpose, and I recently learned that the sentiment can be applied to clothes as well. Although we cast off for cruising tw...
Navigating turbulent insurance waters calls for planning, preparation, and patience. Issue 144: May/June 2022 You’ve never made a claim, yet your insurance carrier just dropped you. You’ve just receiv...
How to set a stern hook for a better night’s sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep at anchor is bliss. Gently rocking in your berth and drifting off to sleep, only to wake in the same spot, is the defin...
Every sailor knows to investigate when they hear noises out of the ordinary, whether mechanical (the bilge pump running a bit too long) or natural (distant thunder to windward). It’s expected, a part ...
Since moving from a mooring to a slip, I’ve noticed that there is a great variety in the way people secure their boats to a dock. Some methods are seemingly bulletproof, others interesting, whimsical,...
The anchoring issue of Good Old Boat (May/June 2021) was full of great tips. In it, technical editor Drew Frye showed us how to make a kellet—weight added to anchor rode itself, to decrease the angle ...
Want to successfully sell your boat on your own? Here’s how. Issue 136: Jan/Feb 2021 Over the past decade, my husband and I have bought six sailboats and sold five of them (we live aboard the boat we ...
