There’s No Excuse For Pounding

by John May 1, 2007
Morgan’s Cloud drives to windward in Denmark Strait. We had 5 days of 20 to 30 knot head winds on this passage between Greenland and Iceland. The Cloud loved it and never pounded—we hung on.

Are voyaging sailors considered curmudgeons when many new boat designs start to worry them? If so, I guess I’m there; in fact, I guess I’ve been there for a while.

It Takes Guts To Own A Wooden Boat

by John May 19, 2007
Replacing the horn timber on a wooden sailboat.

Our neighbour here in Down East Maine, where we have been refitting Morgan’s Cloud for the last three winters, is Jeff: lobsterman, talented photographer, Persian carpet dealer and, for the last two years, wooden sailboat owner.

K.I.S.S.*

by John December 1, 2007

I always learn something, or have my existing thinking clarified, when talking with other experienced voyagers.

The London Boatshow—A Real Disappointment

by John February 1, 2008
A row of motorboat bows at the London Boat Show.

We just got back to our cottage in Nova Scotia from the London Boatshow. While the people we met and the old friends we reconnected with made it a great trip for Phyllis and me, and well worth while, I have to say that the show itself was a disappointment.

A Rugged Boat For The High Latitudes

by John June 1, 2009

A few weeks ago we met up with our friends Michael and Martina on their beautifully designed and built custom Hutting 54 Polaris. They were kind enough to give me, camera in hand, a tour and to patiently answer my many questions.

Morgan’s Cloud’s Designers Have A New Website

by John October 1, 2009
McCurdy & Rhodes sailboat Selkie under sail.

McCurdy and Rhodes, designers of Morgan’s Cloud, have a new and very classy web site. The firm is now run by Ian McCurdy, whose father, Jim, was a founding partner and designed our boat.

Boats We Like: The Saga 43

by John November 1, 2009
We sailed offshore next to this Saga 43 for several hours last fall and were impressed by her speed. On a close reach, when the wind was light, she actually pulled away from Morgan’s Cloud. As the wind filled in we had the legs of her, but not by a lot. There is a lot to be said for these modern long water line boats, although, on the flip side, they do not have the reserve buoyancy in the ends that longer overhangs confer.

We have come across a couple of Saga 43s in the last two years. I can’t say we have made a close evaluation, but they do seem like nice boats with good and moderate lines, that avoid the problems caused by excessive beam, particularly aft. The designer, Bob Perry, has a history of wholesome offshore [...]

S/V Polaris, Built For The Arctic

by John December 1, 2009
The red drums contain a shore survival kit in case the crew is forced to abandon. The blue bag is a small light inflatable that is both a backup to the larger tender and intended to assist in getting ashore during the freeze-up.

Those of you who have read some accounts of boats wintering over in the polar regions may have visions of dented hull plates, narrow escapes and three inches of frost on the INSIDE of the boat. That is not the Polaris way.

France: The Source For Aluminum Sailboats

by Colin December 1, 2009
Ovni 385 under sail

The summer of 2009 was a good one in Scotland, at least compared with the rest of the UK and Ireland. But as is generally the case, once the weather breaks, that’s it, the summer is over, and it’s time to make tracks.

Of Cockpits, Wheelhouses And Engine Rooms

by John January 1, 2010
The above photo was taken of Polaris from the salon looking aft

Some years ago, my friend Frank Luke, of Paul E. Luke Inc. in East Boothbay Maine, told me a story: Frank was at a boat show and the proud owner of a new boat wanted to buy a Luke-made stove, propeller, and anchor. First the buyer insisted that he needed the items in just a [...]

Restoring A 30-Year Old Boat: What It Takes

by Phyllis February 1, 2010
The 30-year old Cape Dory 36 Far Reach, undergoing a complete restoration.

Over the years we have received numerous questions from readers asking whether it is better to buy a newer more expensive sailboat or to restore an older less expensive boat. We usually recommend buying a newer boat as, in the long run, the price will probably come out to about the same, so why not [...]

Another Way To Go Cruising Relatively Inexpensively

by John March 1, 2010

We have been writing lately about ways to go voyaging in older less expensive boats.

OVNI Photographs At SetSail

by John March 25, 2010
The underside of an aluminum OVNI sailboat, showing the lifting keel.

Steve Dashew over at SetSail has just published some interesting photographs of, and comments on, an OVNI. This is the type of boat that our European Correspondent, Colin Speedie has written about extensively here at AAC.

An Engineless Junk Rigged Dory—Another Way To Get Out There

by John March 25, 2010
Junk Rigged Dory

In the last couple of weeks we have written about some ways to get out voyaging without spending a huge amount of money, at least relatively speaking, and in turn got several great comments from our readers. In the same vein, last week we had dinner with an interesting couple who built their own boat [...]

Building An Aluminum Boat In South Africa

by John March 25, 2010
An old Perkins 6.354 diesel engine out of a farm truck that they are salvaging for S/V Eva.

To continue our series on different ways to get out voyaging, here is a link to an interesting site about the build of a near sister ship to Hamish & Kate Laird’s Seal, one of the most interesting aluminum boats we have ever seen.

The Real Story On The MacGregor 65

by John June 1, 2010
A MacGregor 65 under sail

[We just got a great comment by Lawrence Trimingham from Bermuda, on our post on a late season crossing in a MacGregor 65, that we thought was so interesting that we are putting it up as a post. Lawrence has literally lived with the boat “man and boy” since his father bought Bermudian Escape 20 [...]

Keeping The Water Out

by Colin July 3, 2010
Rainy Night In Spain From Boat Cockpit

After nearly 20 years of going North, our decision for 2010 was to head South in search of new horizons and the sun. Last year in the Hebrides was wonderful, but when the weather broke in August we were glad to move on, and we know we’ll be back one day.

Vagabond–An Extraordinary Polar Yacht

by Colin August 18, 2010
Vagabond-400x265

There’s no mistaking the profile of certain boats, so it was easy for us to recognise the red yacht transiting the Caledonian Canal one day in early April, despite the near blizzard conditions at the time. ‘Vagabond’ is a well-known yacht in polar circles, and there is really nothing quite like her visually.

Rudder Options, Staying In Control

by Colin October 17, 2010
OVNI's always attract attention

Whenever we lift our OVNI out at a boatyard, she soon attracts a lot of attention. Partly that’s due to the sight of a sizeable boat (seemingly) without a keel, sitting on her bottom, but especially the rudder in its kicked up position, pointing out behind her.

New Versus Old

by Colin December 11, 2010
It's taken us a long time to get here - rounding Cape St Vincent in company

When we arrived in Lagos, Portugal, I recognised a very smart looking cutter berthed near us as belonging to people I knew, so when I could see there was someone aboard I wandered over to say hello. After a brief chat, I was told that this obviously ocean-ready yacht was now up for sale due [...]

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