Tether Lanyard Simplifies MOB Recovery
For years, safety advocates have touted the use of a four-part block and tackle attached to the end of the boom as the hoist...
Mailport: anchoring etiquette, stern-tied boats, and wind generators
Anchoring Etiquette
I really appreciated the article Anchoring in Crowded Harbors (see Practical Sailor, June 2019). The difficult and critical part is always estimating distances,...
Inflatable PFDs: Know the Ins and Outs
The following is an updated advisory regarding the care and use of personal flotation devices. It's a relatively long post, but if you depend...
Inflatable PFDs Wont Save You Without Proper Care and Use
I recently interviewed Mark Bologna of Landfall Navigation. Hes a safety expert, major supporter of safety training and has decades worth of experience selecting...
Rethinking the Use of Inflatable PFDs
In the early 1800s Norwegian sailors started wearing cork filled vests dubbed the Seamans Friend. And over the next two centuries, life jacket design...
Cold Water Survival
When we read about a sailor lost overboard in a storm, we think about PFDs and personal locator beacons, and accept the sea is...
The DYI “Last Chance” Self-rescue Line
Most sailors are familiar with Thor Heyedrahl's adventures aboard his balsa raft Kon Tiki. Some may remember the self-rescue line that they dragged behind...
Solo Sailor Safety
Yes, an auto-inflate jacket will automatically turn you face up, even if unconscious. Unfortunately, if you regain consciousness, you might be drowning against the...
Leg Straps Put the Load on Fanny
Considering the shortcomings of existing leg loops for harnesses, we designed an add-on set of leg loops that can transform any ISO 12401 chest...
Horseshoe and Ring Buoy Mounts for PFDs
The December, 1993, issue contained an in-the-water test and evaluation of 16 different Type IV life preservers (cushions, horseshoes and ring buoys). Besides their...
The Boat From True Spirit – Sparkman & Stephens
True Spirit is a 2023 Australian biographical drama film directed by Sarah Spillane and written by Spillane, Cathy Randall, and Rebecca Banner. The film...
Latest Sailboat Review
Beneteau 311, Catalina 310 and Hunter 326 Used Boat Comparison
In an ideal world, all sailors would start in prams at the age of six, then move to small, forgivingsloops, and then one-design racingboats,...