A cruising dream ends on a Caribbean reef Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 We were at the eastern end of the Sir Francis Drake Channel in the Virgin Islands and dusk was descending quickly. Ahead of the boat r...
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 ...
Getting a grip on a slippery problem Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 Just as Imelda Marcos was addicted to footwear, I confess I’m addicted to tools. And not just any tools, either. I’m addicted to pliers. At...
A modern adaptation of an old tradition Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 On sailing ships, an opened cask, or butt, of water was often placed near the galley scuttle. This “scuttlebutt” was where the crew coul...
Color-coded coils take stress out of docking Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 When cruising, it helps to have aboard an assortment of docklines of various lengths so you can secure your boat in a variety of tr...
Their third boat met their elusive ideal Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 Sitting in the oyster bar in Key West, four wannabes and an old salt debated the merits of sailboats for cruising: “You must have a hea...
Cruisers learn to race — Bahamas style Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 We were with cruising friends, enjoying a lazy morning of harbor-watching in Nassau, where the parade always included a number of native ...
A special pulley silences a protesting engine belt Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 My wife clapped her hands over her ears. “What is that awful noise?” she exclaimed. I knew what it was. I had just flipped th...
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...
Get more years from an aging backing plate Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 Most outboard motor-mount backing plates these days are made of plastic. For decades, however, those on most boats were a thick hunk ...
Could she be the classiest Cal 25 ever? Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 I have always loved boats, the sea, and being by water. I dreamed of one day owning a classy sailing vessel that would have a luxurious,...
A venerable Triton gets a valuable upgrade Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 One of the enjoyable aspects of owning a good old boat is exercising your creativity to make it it your own. My boat, a 1960 Pearson ...
How one owner designed and built a sturdy sea hood Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 Magnolia, my 1970 Cheoy Lee Offshore 27, came from the builder without a sea hood, either as an oversight or a budget decisio...
A radical but simple cure for the rock-and-roll blues Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 “The sails flapped and banged — about the ugliest sound a sailor can hear. Apart from nearly driving me crazy, the conditi...
Reappraising cruising possibilities led to a radical change in platform Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 In this, the first of two articles, Dave Martin examines the reasoning behind his choosing a multihull a...
Primary tools for controlling sail shape Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 On a sailboat, the sheet that controls the mainsail boom can be adjusted through a block or blocks that are attached directly to the de...
How racing cured one woman’s fear of sailing Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 Ever since I was 11, my goal has been to sail around the world. A few years ago, when I was 29, my husband, James, and I bought our...
Trimming your sails to the wind gradient Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 You can have a very happy life and never understand sail twist. You can even be a reasonably good sail trimmer without understanding al...
A hide-all that doubles as a handy holder Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 The previous owner of our 1973 Albin Ballad had installed an array of brand-new electronic instruments ranging from a fishfinder to a ...
A boat’s back end speaks volumes about its character Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 In the previous issue (November 2009), I discussed how the shape of a sailboat’s bow affects performance and handling. Now ...
This racer/cruiser is the real deal Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 In 1971, the Grand River, Ohio, premises of the Douglas & McLeod Plastic Corporation, builder of the legendary Tartan 27, burned to the ...
It’s time to step to the dock Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 As I head rapidly toward my 60th birthday (and Jerry sees his 70th arriving in a few years), I have noticed that our attitudes about sailing are e...
