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...
Electric Winch and Windlass Safety
A decade ago a woman from Venezuela was hoisting her husband up the mast of their Amel Maramu 54. The winch was electrically powered,...
Severed Anchor in the Bahamas: Seven Lessons Learned
Leaving Rhode Island to sail to the Bahamas, I wanted to be untethered, for a while. Adrift at dawn and heading for rocks in...
Another Look at Fitting Jacklines
“Keep the crew on the inside and the water on the outside.”
This old salt's advice to new offshore sailors is somewhat “tongue in cheek”...
Collision Avoidance When ‘See and Avoid’ Fails
The obvious answer for how to maneuver when vessels meet at sea is for everyone to follow the Convention on the International Regulations for...
When a Welcome Home Becomes a Rescue
Bill had been sailing single handed aboard his Bristol Channel Cutter 28 Pixie for nearly 90 days from Christchurch, New Zealand to Victoria, British...
Emergency Steering? You Can Jury-Rig a Drogue For That
I had been driving my 34-foot catamaran down the Chesapeake Bay at 8-9 knots all morning, propelled by a fresh breeze. “Thud … thud.”...
Practical Sailor Classic: The Load on Your Rode
Without really meaning to, over the past several years, Practical Sailor has acquired a considerable reputation for testing anchors and anchoring gear. On more...
Anchor Rodes for Smaller Sailboats
The usual advice for anyone seeking all-rope anchor rode is usually to just get some three-strand nylon anchor. The makes sense. Three-strand nylon is...
Catalina 356 Cruising Sailboat with BIG Features!
Thirty-six-foot Sailboats didn’t always have aft cabins, island beds, in-mast furling, electric windlasses and winches. The all-new Catalina 356 is a couple’s cruising boat...
Latest Sailboat Review
Ranger 33 Used Boat Review
The Ranger Yacht division of Jensen Marine was created in 1969 to build performance-oriented boats designed by Gary Mull. Jensen’s Cal division had been...