Chocolate bars made on board are tasty and economical Issue 96 : May/Jun 2014 Could there be a sailboat afloat that doesn’t have chocolate bars, chocolate chips, or chocolate drink powder crammed into...
Registries can reveal a lot Issue 96 : May/Jun 2014 We’re all curious about the good old boats out there. You’ve probably learned to recognize some boats by their sail insignias, cove stripes, the sha...
Use them for handles, tethers, and tie-downs Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 We have dozens of lanyards aboard Nine of Cups. We use them on pelican hooks, zippers, key rings, flashlights, and even USB flashdr...
Celestial bodies have lost their star appeal Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 I was in my early twenties when I first learned about celestial navigation. I had an interest in astronomy as a kid, was a fairly k...
Make inspection and maintenance your watchwords Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 During the golden age of sail, old salts greeted new crewmembers with the advice, “One hand for the ship and one hand for yourse...
The elusive measure of comfort at sea Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 The subject of seakindliness comes up any time the conversation turns to long-range cruising. Someone who asks about a particular boat, “H...
Some sailors still value the printed world Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson recognized the necessity for accurate coastal navigation charts. Since 1862, the U.S. government ...
Being prepared for the “what ifs” Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 Decades ago — when I took driver’s education in anticipation of my 16th birthday and in the hope of earning a much-valued driver’s license — t...
. . . and realizing that “perfect” is the enemy of sailing Issue 99 : Nov/Dec 2014 I once helped a friend who was looking for an apartment. We found one I thought was especially cool and in a convenie...
How to find an anchored boat at night Issue 99 : Nov/Dec 2014 Normally when traveling from the shore by dinghy I have no trouble finding my boat at night . . . except, for some reason, in the Great Sa...
An indoor shower for a boat that lacks one Issue 100: Jan/Feb 2015 Afew years ago, a friend told me a story about taking a hot shower as the boat he was helping deliver passed through Hell Gate in New...
A boat-selling ad was bait for a phish Issue 99 : Nov/Dec 2014 During the winter, when temperatures were well below zero, we decided to sell our modest 27-foot sailboat in hopes of upgrading to someth...
A solo sailor uses a basketful of tricks Issue 99 : Nov/Dec 2014 This is the second in Karen Sullivan’s series of articles about prepping a boat and sailor for singlehanding. She’ll discuss sail chang...
When solo, planning is the key to smooth sailing Issue 100: Jan/Feb 2015 This is the third in Karen Sullivan’s series of articles about prepping a boat and sailor for singlehanding. In the March and M...
Ahoy! Who goes these? Issue 100: Jan/Feb 2015 AIS, the Automatic Identification System, allows vessels to “see” and identify each other (and for shore stations to “see” vessels). It was developed as a...
The head-to-wind drop under sail or power Issue 101 : Mar/Apr 2015 No matter how you anchor, the basics are the same: have your ground tackle ready for instant use, choose your anchorage with care, an...
It’s a springtime rite in a boatyard Issue 102 : May/Jun 2015 It begins slowly. Just a rustling of loosened winter covers and the occasional soft thump as hatches open and close. It’s not that the boa...
Advanced methods enhance options, safety, and fun Issue 102 : May/Jun 2015 The art and science of making a boat stay put in an anchorage is vast and interesting. In part 1 of this series, in the March...
Cheap and effective, they don’t wrap or slide Issue 108: May/June 2016 I sail my Boston Whaler Harpoon 5.2, Quee Queg, on lakes and reservoirs in Arizona, where accurately discerning wind direction ca...
A wet towel puts a damper on a loose helm One morning, we were at anchor in a pretty cove when an empty water bottle blew overboard. We raised the anchor and chased down the errant bottle. Once the an...
A cell phone signal booster brings the world aboard Issue 108: May/June 2016 Like many sailors who still work, I like to keep abreast of things back at the office every few days, even when on vacation...
Exercise that gets you somewhere on the water Issue 104 : Sept/Oct 2015 For many of us, our very first boat was a rowboat — in my case an old and leaky one — so every outing is a trip down memory lane...
A downhaul is a singlehander’s foredeck crew Issue 105 : Nov/Dec 2015 A friend of mine told me about an incident he witnessed in which the jib furler on a 54-foot sailboat jammed. “You haven’t laughed...
Variations on taking in a slab of sail Issue 105 : Nov/Dec 2015 A sail is reefed to reduce its area so it will not overpower the boat in stronger winds. Of the many reefing systems used, slab or jiffy...
Lettuce and cold drinks — the frosting on the cruising cake Issue 105 : Nov/Dec 2015 This past summer, for the first time in 15 years or more, we had ice in Mystic’s icebox. In years past, we cruised ...
Ferry it from shore to ship without lifting a drop Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 When you’re on the hook, you fill your dinghy with four basic commodities in addition to passengers: trash, diesel, gas, and...
Eliminate fire drills with a drag-proof system Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 When I was new to boating, many, many years ago, I quickly learned it was far better to anchor securely than to stumble about on...
A veteran cruiser’s 12 steps to a well-fed crew Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 Provisioning your boat can be as easy as taking a short walk to the grocery store to stock up for a couple of days on the lake ...
Seeing current requires GPS and a knotmeter Issue 107 : Mar/Apr 2016 I grew up sailing on a lake in upstate New York on a 16-foot hand-built wooden sloop. No tides. No currents. Only wind. No instrume...
Surface weather maps, part 1 Issue 107 : Mar/Apr 2016 Surface weather maps offer a wealth of information to the weather-savvy mariner. The key to unlocking the information displayed on these maps is u...
