No matter how long you have been around boats, there’s always something new to learn.
We sailors love to talk about anchor tests, and yes, they are useful, but never forget that they are all fundamentally flawed.
Now we get to the nitty gritty: How to convert your boat to a cutter rig and how to make existing cutters better.
When does the cutter rig make sense, both when buying a new boat and considering a conversion? We have a simple decision-tree to make things simple.
There are few things more interesting and useful than a tour of another experienced offshore voyager’s boat. So here’s a video deck tour of “Morgan’s Cloud”.
12 reasons that the true cutter is simply the best rig for short-handed offshore voyaging. And even if you don’t have a cutter, this chapter can help you make your boat easier to sail and faster too.
Staying in the cockpit of a sailboat most of the time at sea and not getting out on deck often is not a good idea or safe.
Propane is an intrinsically dangerous fuel to have on a boat. Here are 10 tips to ameliorate the risk of an explosion.
It’s time for yacht clubs to rethink and to stop projecting a stuffy last century vibe.
Celebrating the middle of the sailing season (in the North) with post on a cool meeting with great potential for AAC, a great video, and some other fun stuff too.
Solving a fundamental problem standing between us and a real Adventure 40 that we can sail away.
A chapter that will give you a whole new way to think about boat maintenance, including an easy-to-use gear selection method that will save you a bundle as well as untold grief.
I’m seeing gross misuse of the Beaufort scale. Let’s not do this.
Your engine mixing elbow can damage your engine. Here’s how to prevent that.
I would be the first to commend the authors of the report on their diligence in analyzing the capsize of the Beneteau First 40.7 Cheeki Rafiki and the tragic loss of four lives. Having said that I believe said report failed the offshore sailing community in its recommendations. Here are my thoughts on what we need to do to prevent another tragedy in the future.
Here’s a simple easy-to-build gadget that will make a huge difference to the effectiveness of your freezer, by circulating the air so the stuff at the top and farthest from the plates does not thaw, while the food at the bottom and against the plates remains frozen, particularly when the freezer is packed tight.
After we have bought our best bower (primary anchor) and kedge, what should our third anchor be? The logical answer will surprise you…as it did me.
A few thoughts and photographs to start the month off: lee shores, pubs, books, and a sobering reminder.
Thinking smart, rather than lazy, can make all the difference when voyaging…and in life.
The second most important anchor on our boats after the best bower is the kedge. What type should it be and how big? We make it simple.
You should lubricate your seacocks every year before launching, and here’s an easy way to do that.
We in the offshore cruising community talk a lot about the right way and the wrong way to equip and maintain our boats, but that’s all meaningless until we have answered one basic question…
John tells a story about an exceptional seaman, and what we can all learn from it about the seamanlike way to make decisions.
Learn why this Online Book is worth your time and will change your cruising life for the better.
Learning to tie knots quickly is a vital seamanship skill. But the good news is that you only need to learn five simple knots.