The inevitable, unpredictable, freshwater fertility frenzy Issue 108: May/June 2016 Each year, along the south shore of Lake Ontario in late April when it’s time for painting and varnishing boats, the...
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...
A twin-keeler from across “the Pond” Issue 108: May/June 2016 First we’ll address the elephant in the room: the wild paint job is the result of work done by William Barnhart of Mesa, Arizona, for an I...
An oil change that led to a life change Issue 108: May/June 2016 The convergence of boat and boat owner is serendipitous. We expect the new owner to find the boat; sometimes the boat finds the new own...
A fine example of English lines and lineage Issue 105 : Nov/Dec 2015 In the retail publishing business, it’s the cover photo that sells a magazine on newsstands. “Lose 25 pounds in one week!” screams ...
A sailor and a snake give each other the shivers Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 Shortly after Speedwell had been relaunched following a few weeks on the hard at Young’s Boatyard in Jones Creek, just off the...
A salad bowl was the dressing it needed Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 When we purchased Sundew, our Watkins 27, she needed love in many areas, (see “Sundew Returns to Bloom,” May 2013). What she did have, ...
A cockpit shelter that gets around a dodger-defeating boom Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 Our San Juan 7.7 has a large mainsail and a low-sweeping boom that prevents the use of a dodger, but we’ve come up w...
Cleaning the mainsail track made easy Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 Some time ago, Don Launer came up with a great device for lubricating the mainsail slot (see “Sailtrack Lubricator,” March 2008) but I ha...
A cardboard box is an instant spray-painting booth Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 Proper anchoring depends on knowing how much rode is out. Fiber rode can be measured by arm span (fathoms) and chain can be ...
A cat-rigged unballasted sharpie for gunkholing Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 John and Julie Mohr of Seymour, Indiana, own a 1992 Bay Hen 21 named Orca. John, a cartographer, was looking for a simple boat ...
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 sailing legend puts a wayward boat’s demise in perspective Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 “Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” –Buddha In June 2013, at about...
She looked the part . . . but now she also walks the walk Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 We bought our CT 54 from a couple who had been cruising on her for a few years, always with at least another couple a...
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 ...
He was “through with boats” until . . . Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 In 2003, I sold my Catfisher 28, Bullfrog, and moved ashore with my soon-to-be wife, Sue. After 15 years as a liveaboard, living ashore...
Wired to a solar panel, it knows when it’s dark Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 Wouldn’t it be nice if someone sold an automatic switch for a masthead anchor light? There may be one for sale, probably online...
Thoughts about the little boat that tends the big boat Issue 108: May/June 2016 Conditions at Fire Island Inlet on the south shore of Long Island were “a bit sporty,” as they say in New England, but n...
Diodes overcome a dearth of switches Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 I recently replaced the fragile and outdated original plastic circuit breaker panel on Nurdle, my 1979 Bristol 35.5. As part of this proje...
Better backing plates restore rigidity Issue 108: May/June 2016 When a concentrated load is applied to a structure, that load must be distributed widely enough that the surrounding structure is not ov...
After pushing up daisies, a whole new life Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 I recently moved aboard a 30-foot trawler yacht and needed a dinghy for shore excursions. It had to be small to fit on what passes f...
Easy on the eye, exacting in the making Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 While constructing a forward stateroom for a customer, my husband, Dave, was given mostly free rein to design and build what he thought...
Keeping leafy greens fresh without a fridge Issue 108: May/ June 2016 When my partner, Robin, wants to get my attention, he’ll come home with a big beautiful bouquet of freshly cut collard greens. If ...
A former tightwad reflects on shoestring budgets Issue 108: May/June 2016 The pastime of sailing has often been compared to standing in a cold shower while tearing up 20-dollar bills. Yacht ownership ...
Ice-cooled air for a cool night’s sleep Issue 108: May/June 2016 Some nights in mid-summer it’s just too hot to sleep on the boat. Even with the companionway and all the ports and hatches open, ...
Installing air conditioning was a cool move Issue 108: May/June 2016 My Down East 45 schooner, Britannia, had neither air conditioning nor heating when I bought her one December in Fort Lauderdale. In...
Obscure tools the the gymnastics out of routine jobs Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 We have owned our Pearson 386, Lakota, for more than 20 years. She is a lovely and reliable good old boat that has served ...
