Before heading offshore, take some time to know how your boat responds in various conditions (published October 2016) While sailors often think first of checking the […]
Preparing for Offshore: Know Your Boat
Decision Time
All of the weather forecasts from multiple sources indicated a likely and potentially dangerous passage. The real question was whether or not we would have the […]
Passages South
How to plan a fall passage from the East Coast to the tropics (published September 2016) Several falls ago, I found myself aboard Peter Johnstone’s 68-foot […]
Dealing with a Hurricane
Tropical weather systems, and hurricanes in particular, have their own idiosyncrasies. Understanding them can help us deal with them more effectively. Misunderstanding them can be a […]
Fumbling for Solutions
If you’re attempting to address a medical emergency and you’re not prepared, you’re already too late (published August 2016) Six months before we were scheduled to […]
Our Final Sail
The decision to switch from a symmetrical spinnaker to a Parasailor proved to be the right one for this cruising couple aboard their Pearson 424 (published […]
10 Items to Make Cold Weather Sailing More Comfortable
Whether you’d like to extend your sailing season into the colder months or make a voyage to the wilds of the high latitudes, there’s extra planning […]
Offshore Anticipation
Preparations for the Bermuda Race are about to commence, but getting ready for an offshore passage isn’t unfamiliar territory despite the myriad possibilities that lurk in […]
Emergency Signaling Devices
Today’s sailor has a wide array of devices to call for help in an emergency (published May 2016) Several years ago during the annual Fastnet Race […]
Reaching Into Your Bag of Tricks
With enough time and miles at sea, encountering problems and equipment failures is inevitable. Having the original equipment manufacturers’ authorized spares and repair kits onboard is […]