Safety: Lights and Shapes that Signal Status and Intentions
We have the minimum required lights, including running lights for sailing and motoring, and an anchor light. We might even have an electronic distress...
A Radio Lifeline for Cruisers
Speaking with Patricia Dallas and David Sapiane of Gulf Harbour Radio is a little like speaking to a great-aunt and uncle. Like someone who’s...
An Argument for Plain Nautical Language
I never like writing filled with subtle allegory, puzzles, and hidden meaning. But in the hands of a master, creative use of language is...
Propane Leak: How to Detect, Locate and Fix
There isn’t much that scares or worries me when it comes to all things about boats. Except two: large amounts of water coming in...
What’s the Best Sunscreen?
Social media seems to be stirring up fear that sunscreen is more than harmful than beneficial, without legitimate studies to support this fear mongering....
Safeguarding Sailors via Passage Guardian
Peter Mott has been working with radio his entire life. But only upon retiring did he start to combine his love of sailing and...
How (Not) to Tie Your Boat to a Dock
No sailor can resist the temptation to look over another sailor's work, and nothing draws the eye faster than your neighbor's docklines. We like...
Responding to Emergencies: A Skipper’s Guide for Staying Calm
This article is not a “how to” on COB drills or other procedures. There is lots of good training available on that subject and...
Sailboat Safety on Deck
We often think of safety on deck in terms of PFDs, lifelines and jacklines, but the falls they protect against only happen after something...
Master the Sailing Basics: Never Stop Learning the Little Things
Seamanship is about big concepts and small skills. They work together, but we see them differently and they represent different types of learning. Big...
24 Knot Speed Trimaran – The Dragonfly 40 Ultimate
Most people who want to go cruising to tropical destinations on a sailboat buy a Beneteau or Dufour, but those who want an extremely...
Latest Sailboat Review
Catalina 42 Mk I and Mk II
Under the guidance of Frank Butler, who founded the company in 1969, Catalina Yachts’ philosophy is to offer “as much boat for the money...