Singlehanding is controversial. Some thoughts on that, as well as some tips to make it safer.
Even though this is from the investing industry, it’s relevant to us offshore sailors.
We often get emails from members asking us to make a particularly popular article, usually with a safety theme, free, because they feel that many sailors would benefit from it. And, hey, that’s gratifying, thank you. And, almost invariably, the writer suggests that doing so would increase our membership. Makes perfect sense that showing a […]
Hard won practical tips from 50 years of standing watches at sea.
Relevant reefing tips, which we will add to over time.
I just took the cover off the salt water pump on our engine to find a blade missing off the impeller, despite the pump only having about 100 hours on it. Annoying, but here’s where things really went down hill: Login to continue reading (scroll down) Learn About Membership Get to know us for FREE […]
It’s all too easy to regard watchkeeping as a hated chore, but these tips will both help to avoid that and make offshore sailors safer and offshore boats less likely to break.
John’s thoughts on the probable cause of the loss.
Get together over Zoom with John and a like minded group of cruisers.
How many reefs are optimal? Two, three or four? If we think about this the right way, for most of us the answer is simple. We also tackle the relationship between reefs and whether or not we have a storm trysail, also much misunderstood.
Despite the well-documented risks of being dragged after falling overboard, many (probably most) offshore sailboats are still using sidedeck jacklines, raising the key question: Is that solution worse than nothing? At last we have numbers to help each of us make that critical decision.
For those who put done ahead of perfect.
It’s vital that before we head offshore we really think about the watch system we will use. A poor system can be the start of big problems.
After 40 years of using furlers John has a palm-slap to the forehead moment.
I have long been concerned about the state of marine journalism, particularly in North America. In my view, most all marine magazines have for decades been little more than extensions of the marketing departments of boat builders and marine gear manufacturers. Heck, it’s been about 20 years since one of my favourite editors, and marine […]
Filtering the water while filling our tanks can be a great idea, particularly for aluminium boats, but there are things to know.
Duplicate email mess up apology.
The junk rigged dory-schooner Easy Go that was sadly abandoned in the Atlantic some years ago. The modern junk rig has been used for yachts since Blondie Hasler rigged a Folkboat that way for the first Observer Singlehanded Trans-Atlantic race way back in 19601. Since then the popularity of the rig has waxed and waned, […]
Adding a hard dodger to an offshore cruising boat. While this dodger was built in aluminum, the techniques and details will be useful for a similar project in any material.
Some thoughts on Charlie’s win, and design changes that may have benefits for cruising one day.
Watermakers are great…but they are also expensive, use a ton of electricity, take up a lot of space, and are a royal pain in the neck to maintain. Just another damned thing to spend time and money on when we could be sailing our boat or out enjoying the places we sailed to1. Given that, […]
What really happens when a crew member falls overboard while tethered to the boat? We know this often results in a fatality but there were no in-depth studies to help us reduce the risk. Here’s the first step in fixing that.
I fear that many of you may be think that Phyllis and I bought the McCurdy and Rhodes 56 back and disappeared over the horizon. Not so, but four factors, two good and two not good, are taking up a lot of our time: So given all that, the relative silence will continue for a […]
An innovative solution for those of us who want to keep our offshore boats uncluttered.
FREE Tip. The only six things we really need to think about before we sail offshore.