Driven mad by noisy halyards, a sailor plans his revenge Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 I’M BAD. I ADMIT IT. I’VE BRAZENLY JUMPED aboard other people’s boats without even asking “permission to come aboard” an...
Some sailors need a house just as much as they need a boat Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 OVER TIME I HAVE COME TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE MOST CRITICAL item of cruising equipment for us is a house. “E-e-e-k!” sa...
How to bring a kerosene anchor light into the 21st century Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 FIRST I FOUND A GREAT KEROSENE ANCHOR LIGHT AT A MARINE swapmeet. Then I brought it into the 21st century with an LED ...
These sockets and drivers won’t fall apart in use Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 THE 41-PIECE TOOLKIT FROM LINK TOOLS IS A VERY NICE SET of sockets and drivers with solid steel forging and a chrome finish tha...
An elegant solution to the dropboard problem Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 VERN ALLEN IS A retired pilot. He spent many years in Alaska, flying helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for charters, sightseeing, ...
A patient sailor learns the hard way how to bulletproof his ports Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 I DO NOT RECALL READING ABOUT A DETAIL I encountered while replacing the ports on my Allied Seawind, Zvirbulis ...
This compatible couple makes mainsail handling a snap Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 WHEN SAILBOAT OWNERS UPGRADE their sail-handling systems, the first thing they usually do is add a jib roller-furler system...
Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 I REMEMBER EXACTLY WHEN IT ALL started. I was standing on a dock in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, looking at a lonely sailboat. A light breeze tapped the halyards against the mast and g...
A boating author falls in love with “an exceedingly odd boat” Issue 34: Jan/ Feb 2004 PUBLISHERS ARE PUPPETEERS. Writers are marionettes. On a summer day in 2001, I had a call from Doug Gibson, of McC...
An interview with the first U.S. woman to sail solo around the world Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 WHEN KAREN THORNDIKE SAILED into Hobart, Tasmania, in the late 1990s she was greeted as a hero. She’d just c...
A little tender loving care brings longer trouble-free life Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 DIESEL ENGINES ARE NOW THE ENGINES OF CHOICE FOR auxiliary sailboats, and with good reason. They have a superior reco...
For a group of Air Force wives, it’s been 43 years of learning to sail Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 ALOVE OF SAILING AND THE SEA brought a group of women together in 1961, and the group they founded has bee...
A comparison with three of its rivals Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 AVID NUMBER CRUNCHERS WILL SEE I’ve added a new item to the table below: the dates the boats were built. I feel this is significant for two...
This enthusiastic couple cruises the greatest Great Lake Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 ALL HUSBANDS QUAKE WHEN GREETED by their wives with the words, “Sit down. We need to talk.” Six years ago, those dreaded...
A classic Alden yawl becomes a treasured family cruiser once more Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 THE 1961 ALDEN CHALLENGER yawl looked quite large on the jackstands that brisk fall day. The price and this som...
Why there will be no magnetic compasses for future generations Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 AROUND A.D. 1090 THE CHINESE first reported the use of a magnetic needle to indicate north. This primitive compass...
A liveaboard sailor makes her list of essential gear Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 OLDER BOATS USUALLY COME outfitted with a variety of gizmos, courtesy of the previous owner. It’s one of the perks of buying...
Successful cruising means knowing what you don’t need Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 TWENTY YEARS AGO, FITTING OUT A boat for cruising was less complicated because products such as solar panels, 12-volt refri...
Tom Green’s daughter remembers him traveling around the Northwest giving advice to sailors completing their own Chinooks and Cascades. Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 I CAN’T REMEMBER A TIME WITHOUT BOATS. The...
This small little-known company built one of the first fiberglass auxiliary sailboats Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 IN 1956 FIVE ENTERPRISING GENTS, MEMBERS OF THE ROSE CITY Yacht Club (RCYC) in Portland, Or...
A prominent yacht designer discusses the importance of beds Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 IN THE NOVEMBER 2003 ISSUE OF GOOD Old Boat we discussed arrangement plans: aft cockpit, center cockpit, and pilothou...
Experienced sailors build a comfortable, shallow-draft 50-footer Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 IN THE 1960S I WAS ANCHORED OFF the Gold Coast of Queensland in Australia aboard my home-built plywood ketch. Sh...
No string, no knots — but is that good? Issue 35 : Mar/Apr 2004 It happened within my lifetime, but I hardly noticed. I surely wasn’t aware of the significance of the trend. In my grandmother’s time, ...
A jib downhaul clears the foredeck of sails and sailors Issue 35 : Mar/Apr 2004 I learned long ago that having three dozen or so brightly colored lines with three dozen or so purposes not only did not...
How to get rid of scratches on plastic windows Issue 35 : Mar/Apr 2004 One of the most vexing problems facing boaters is the appearance of fine scratches on clear plastic windows. The process of remov...
All thumbs? The Speedseal will see you right Issue 35 : Mar/Apr 2004 If your auxilary pump uses a water pump with an impeller, inspecting it regularly can prevent serious problems. In 1999, when we pu...
A hangover with a dangerous potential Issue 35 : Mar/Apr 2004 On a sunny Tuesday morning last summer I awake in a our aft berth with a headache for the second time in as many days. Monday’s head...
When the fog arrives, it’s time to blow your own horn Issue 35 : Mar/Apr 2004 Operating your boat in a dense fog can be an anxiety-filled experience. You need to maintain a safe course; check your com...
The solution for simple boats and limited budgets Issue 35 : Mar/Apr 2004 I had known about my delaminated foredeck for a very long time. The surveyor had missed it when I bought the boat, but I disco...
An exhausted crewmember hears sweet voices at night Issue 35 : Mar/Apr 2004 Brave Ulysses headed due east under power with sails furled. It was one of those nights when only the occasional reflection ...
