A New Era in Weather Forecasts
Benjamin Franklin is credited with the quote “the weatherwise and the otherwise.” It remains savvy advice for all sailors, and thanks to modern oceanographic...
Solar Panel Self-destruction?
Solar power has become ubiquitous on sailboats, first on cruising boats, but now even on sport boats, where a small solar panel is the...
Green Boating From a Practical Perspective
Before diving into the topic of responsible boating, we’re required to say something about global warming and carbon. Primordial carbon was sequestered by several...
Online Crew Management Software Compared
If you are familiar with how coaches, parents, and kids coordinate details of their team sports with each other through software, you may have...
2 Weather Routing Apps Go to Sea
During a recent delivery from Punta Gorda, FL to St. Augustine, FL I had the opportunity to compare two routing apps, one of them...
Weather Routing with Iridium Go
Last month, in part one of this report on portable weather routing options, I described why I selected Iridium Go to help guide my...
Getting Weather Data at Sea
As a USCG Master who does offshore deliveries, I rely on accurate and current weather forecasts. After exploring several options, I finally settled on...
Networking the Old and New
Over the years, Practical Sailor has done many articles analyzing VHF radios, chart plotters, etc. This article will discuss how to get various brands...
Making Sense Out of NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000
. This article is a sidebar to the article "Networking the Old and New," that appeared in the January 2019 issue. Use our search...
Converters and Connectors Round Out the Expenses
Although wireless systems have gradually made their way aboard modern cruising boats, hard-wiring remains an essential part of most systems, especially when you are...
The 51 Foot Wharram Catamaran He Finally Found!
If you’ve ever wanted to build your own sailboat, you’ve undoubtedly come across Wharram Catamarans. These home-built DIY sailboat plans are a big hit...
Latest Sailboat Review
Vancouver 27 Used Boat Review
I was single handed on our Islander Bahama 30 on a spectacular fall afternoon, white caps dancing on the blue waters of Plumper Sound...