Practical Sailor

Although it conforms to CE ratings for ocean sailing, this boat is better suited for coastal cruising in comfort and short offshore passages. It's got a great set of layout options for living aboard.

A reliable autopilot is great to have onboard because it gives you opportunities to rest your arms and/or eat while under way while still keeping an eye on things. So, when...

Have you ever been sailing along and thought to yourself, something just doesn’t feel right. That is what happened to me with our steering on Misirlou, our ancient but venerable 1964...

Even when your anchor is well designed and ideally matched to your boat, there are four common factors that can cause an anchor to drag: poor bottom, short scope, insufficient shock absorption, and yawing. Each of these reduces the holding capacity of the anchor, and they are additive. That is to say that any one of them can ruin your day, solving only one or two of them does not ensure good holding, and the more problems you solve, the better youll sleep.

Your anchoring system is only as strong as its weakest component, which includes not only the rode, but also shackles, splices, mooring bitts, cleats - in short, any gear used to secure your boat while at anchor. Proper maintenance includes inspection of these as well as laying the rode out for thorough examination at least annually.

Like many sailors, Bill and Cathy Norrie had dreams of sailing the warm waters of the southern oceans, particularly when winter snows beat against their prairie home. They made those dreams...

Sailing used to mean disconnecting from the everyday—for some, it still does. Days were spent watching the waves roll by, adjusting sails, reading books, and sharing happy hours with fellow cruisers....

The crud that is clogging my filters are microrganisms, primitive creatures that live in water and feed on oil, informally called “HUM-bugs.” The HUM stands for Hydrocarbon Utilizing Microorganisms. There are many kinds of HUM-bugs—bacteria and fungus (mold, yeast, algae, etc.). Some need oxygen, some don't. Many are airborne. Some thrive best in freshwater, some in salt. They all create thick slime, which helps them stick to surfaces and protect themselves from attack. It's unlikely that you can buy diesel fuel without getting some.

VHF radios are not included among the minimal safety equipment required on pleasure craft by the US Coast Guard, but they should be. VHF radios can be used to contact nearby...

As the forecast for this season calls for much cooler temps and more frequent higher wind speeds and gusts, thanks to the effects of a Super El Niño, reefing has become...