Bracing for Cold and Wet Sailing
Although our office is snugly situated on Floridas southwest coast, the challenges of winter and three- or even four-season sailing are never far from...
Caring for Encapsulated Ballast Keels
If your boat has an encapsulated iron keel, don't get lulled into believing that you are completely free of keel worries. Although you are...
Pondering Options for Varnishing a Mast
One of the most common questions we get regarding marine varnish is what kind of finish is best for a mast. Even though aluminum...
Eight Bells for Jeremy ‘Mac’ McGeary
This summer we said goodbye to Jeremy McGeary. For four years, Mac and I shared a corner of the editorial office at Cruising World,...
Tips on Choosing and Sizing Anchor Shackles
No matter what brand of anchor shackle you decide to use, understanding sizing and grades of shackles is essential, since this connector between your...
Squall Tactics for Sailors
The danger in running before a squall (or jibing downwind, a tactic sometimes employed by Transpac racers) is the inevitable wind shift that can...
Lightning Protection: The Truth About Dissipators
About this time of year, when lightning strikes become frequent occurrences, we receive a good deal of mail asking about static dissipators such as...
Testing Sailing Knots that Really Grip
Im as prone as anyone to being enchanted by the big picture-but I learned quickly where that can lead. About 10 miles off the...
Conquering (or Coexisting with) Waterline Stains
Summer is here, and our routine maintenance chores now require some serious elbow grease. Our first impulse is to go for the super-strength acids...
Reframing Our Views on the Auto-inflate PFD
In the July 2019 issue of Practical Sailor we dive again into the world of inflatable PFD/harnesses. This time our focus is on auto-inflation...
The BEST and WORST Boat Washing Machines
Are you looking into how to wash clothes on a boat? I set out to figure out which washing machine to install on my...
Latest Sailboat Review
Cape Dory 30 Used Boat Review
When the Cape Dory 30 entered production in 1976, it was the largest boat in the expanding line of the Taunton, Massachusetts boatbuilder. In...