John continues to make backing-in approaches easy, with four detailed step-by-step recipes (complete with diagrams), one for each wind direction.

The general wisdom, repeated over and over again on wharves, in sailors’ bars, and on the forums, is that it’s difficult to back a boat into a tight space, and impossible if said boat has a long keel. But that’s just dead wrong. John shares backing techniques that will work, and even make the process easy, with most any boat.

Managing a boatyard stay is all about good planning and getting the details right. Colin provides vital tips that will help from haul to re-launch.

More and more cruisers are working while cruising at jobs that require long hours at a computer. And even among cruisers who leave their jobs completely behind when they head out, many are blogging as well as editing photographs and video; all computer intensive. Here’s a look at the gear we use and where we work day to day.

A simple guide from Colin on how to select, manage and (perhaps?) enjoy your stay in the boatyard, wherever it may be.

The debate is incessant in the cruising community: what is the best cruising boat? John comes up with an answer that may surprise you.

As usual, we have made a slideshow to share our year, although this year we have gone for a cool and modern mobile-friendly approach.

Details matter on an offshore cruising boat, and nowhere more than the running rigging. John shares how to select the right rope diameters, attach sheets and halyards to sails the right way, and keep chafe from ruining your day.

Andy shares how he used his understanding of the weather and strategic route planning, together with high-tech tools, during his recent Atlantic crossing, to make a faster and better passage than just sticking with the normal route would have.

We offshore sailors are presented with a bewildering array of options when buying rope for running rigging. John demystifies the process and makes detailed recommendations, including brand names, based on decades of experience, together with recommendations from one of the best riggers in the business.

The final chapter in John’s magnum opus on aluminum boat care. Includes some good news about how durable the material really is and some thoughts on why you might want to buy a boat built of it.

John’s thinking about food (always), cool tools, stinky towels, and other stuff.

Andy takes a deep dive into the world of automated weather routing, integrated with navigation, and all running on an iPad, a very different approach than the one John has detailed earlier in this Online Book. You can decide which works best for your type of cruising.

What started as a simple list post is now a care manual for aluminum boat owners. If you are an aluminum boat owner or are considering buying an aluminum boat, don’t miss this series, it could save you tens of thousands of dollars and untold heartache.