How Much Drag is in a Drogue?
Weve long been interested in drogues, devices specifically designed to be towed behind a boat to reduce speed and to produce directional stability in...
Field Testing Drag, Behavior
We did not test every drogue that appears in the accompanying table, PS Value Guide: Drogues. However, we collected a huge amount of test...
Doubling Up: Full-size Tandem Anchoring
When you've tested anchors as long as Practical Sailor has, you feel pressed to explore unconventional arrangements that others advocate-particularly if the advocates include...
Tandem Anchoring
Recent tests on a miserable holding bottom in the Chesapeake Bay (see PS, February 2015 online) showed that conventionally sized anchors just don't hold...
Small Versus Large Anchors
The consensus among anchor makers (Fortress, Bruce, Manson, Mantus) is that holding power in soft bottoms increases in approximate proportion with anchor mass; exponents...
No Drama Anchoring Approach
This months report on tandem anchoring rigs was on my mind as the winds began gusting above 30 knots in the Dry Tortugas. Wed...
Spring Lines for Storm Preparedness
A well-secured boat in the best-designed marina can't be expected to survive a direct hit from a hurricane. Major boat-insurance companies recommend hauling out...
Tips for Riding Out the Storm in Your Marina
Practical Sailor has covered storm preparation on several occasions. The two most extensive articles appeared in July 2008 Gear for Battening Down Ahead of...
Sewn Splices Two-Year Followup
The true test of marine gear is not whether it works when installed, but rather how it functions after years in the field. To...
The No-sew Webbing Strap with Link Buckle
Weve sewn our fair share of eyes in nylon webbing, but heres an easy no-sew alternative for creating a webbing strap with a buckle...
A Fast Small Sailboat from Saffier
If you're looking for a fast sailboat to use as a day sailer, then Saffier Yachts may have just the sailboat to buy. With...
Latest Sailboat Review
Grampian 26 Used Boat Review
The first fiberglass auxiliary sailboats were built in the late 1950s; for the record, the first was the 40-foot Philip Rhodes-designed Bounty II (1956),...