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Read more: Quick Carpentry HacksFor those who put done ahead of perfect.
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Read more: 11 Tips For A Good Watch SystemIt’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.
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Read more: The Intrinsic Fragility of Furling SystemsAfter 40 years of using furlers John has a palm-slap to the forehead moment.
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Read more: The Last Marine Journalist?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 […]
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Read more: Dockside Water Filter Trade OffsFiltering the water while filling our tanks can be a great idea, particularly for aluminium boats, but there are things to know.
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Read more: New Email SystemDuplicate email mess up apology.
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Read more: The Two Hidden Problems With The Junk RigThe 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, […]
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Read more: Building a Robust and Practical Hard DodgerAdding 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.
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Read more: Well Done Charlie DalinSome thoughts on Charlie’s win, and design changes that may have benefits for cruising one day.
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Read more: Safe Water Without a WatermakerWatermakers 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, […]
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Read more: Tether Tension On A Dragging Crew OverboardWhat 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.
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Read more: More Offshore Sailing New Year’s ResolutionsI 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 […]
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Read more: An Easily Removable Solar PanelAn innovative solution for those of us who want to keep our offshore boats uncluttered.
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Read more: An Offshore Sailing New Year’s ResolutionFREE Tip. The only six things we really need to think about before we sail offshore.
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Read more: A Great Seamanship ArticleFREE tip: No one who sails offshore, or plans to, should fail to read this article by John Vigor.
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Read more: Why We Suggest Avoiding TeamO and Kru TethersFREE tip: We can’t believe that tethers with these clips are still being sold.
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Read more: Happy HolidaysAs you can see in the above picture, it looks as if we will have a white holiday season here at AAC World Headquarters, also lovingly known as “The Hovel”. We call the yellow addition that we built some years ago, when we moved ashore, “The Folly” because that’s what adding on to a hovel […]
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Read more: Estimating Distance HackTo be good boat handlers we need to develop the ability to estimate distances reasonable accurately by eye.
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Read more: 8 Offshore Cruising Boat & Gear Evaluation TipsWhen we think of going cruising it’s often about exotic locations, warm waters, and palm trees, but the process of getting there requires hundreds of good decisions, or at least minimizing the bad ones.
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Read more: Rigging Tips Part 2Carrying on from the last chapter in our Rigging and Sails Online Book, here are a bunch more curated and relevant rigging tips.
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Read more: Reducing Boom Dip Risk©2024 Bill Greenwood While we were discussing preventers, a couple of members mentioned being worried about the boom end dipping in the water while restrained by the preventer, particularly if the preventer is attached somewhat inboard on the boom to oppose a centre boom mainsheet. Certainly a rational worry. Here’s what to do about it: […]
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Read more: Enabling DSC on Crew Overboard Beacons in CanadaA month ago I had a good old rant about the DSC feature of Crew Overboard Beacons not being approved by the Canadian authorities. Well, AAC Contributor Matt Marsh went way better than ranting by writing an eloquent and well-researched letter to François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science, & Economic Development. And, better yet, all […]
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Read more: Good Sailcloth ExplainerWhile I was researching for my recent tips on buying sails I came across a great page over at North Sails explaining the tradeoffs of pretty much all the fibres used in sailcloth. One quote jumped out at me: Ultra PE fiber [Spectra/Dyneema] is expensive, but very long sail life ensures high value in these […]
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Read more: Spinlock Deckvest 6D ReviewJohn and Phyllis have used lifejackets with built in harnesses from Spinlock for over 20 years. Here’s our review of the latest version.
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Read more: A Book That Will Help You Afford A Cruising BoatSo is this a book full of refit tips so you can buy an old boat cheap and fix it up to go cruising? No, better than that.
