Tether Failure Cited in Fatality
Just as we were wrapping up the report in our December issue describing how to make your own safety tether, 60-year-old British sailor Simon...
Building a Custom Safety Tether
A safety tether keeps you safely on board, but it also comes with its own risks.Previously, we investigated jackline materials (Jackline Materials Evaluation, Practical...
Revisiting the Two-Legged Tether
Driven by World Sailing standards, the sailing tether market is dominated by single 6-foot tethers and two-leg 3-foot/6-foot tethers. In fact, if you intend...
Sailing Safety Tethers Are No Guarantee, Say Pro Sailors
Recent fatal accidents in the Clipper Around the World Race inspired a closer look at sailing safety tethers this month. The most recent one...
Simple Steps Will Keep Salt Out of the System
Depending on the collection area and the sailing, salt can be a primary problem. Spray falls and dries, layer after layer, until the decks...
Winterizing Wisdom from the Chemistry Lab
Each winter sailors must tackle the project of winterizing their potable water system. Our preferred method is to dry the system completely (see PS...
Lessons from the Storms
Every storm is a learning experience, but sometimes it takes time to deconstruct the events and recognize what worked and what didnt-and what can...
Trouble-Free Winter Sailing
For most sailors the off-season begins on Labor Day, which is a shame because fall brings the best sailing of the year in many...
Short Scope Anchor Test
In the process of our ongoing investigation on the effect of time and wind gusts on anchor setting and holding capacity, we performed limited...
Stopping Anchor Chain Twist
When an anchored boat spins, the anchor chain twists, and the anchor can come up backward. One solution is an anchor swivel, but failures...
Abandon Ship! Coast Guard Rescue Beneteau 523 in the Atlantic
What would cause the captain and crew to abandon ship in the Atlantic ocean? There was no sailboat disaster here, but a coast guard...
Latest Sailboat Review
Catalina 34 Used Boat Review
American sailboat manufacturers have had their highs and lows, and many have dropped right off the map. But Catalina has been going strong for...