Deck-level Wind Vanes
There are two primary wind indicators on a sailboat. First, we watch the sails. Sailing to windward we watch the jib for luffing and...
Selecting a Stern Anchor
I have a 30-foot sailboat and I was considering keeping an emergency anchor ready to lower quickly as a temporary way to stop drifting...
Overheating Ropes
We have a love-hate relationship with nylon rope. When it comes to absorbing shock, it offers the best available combination of strength, elasticity, and...
Cam Cleat Wisdom
Sailing is all about pulling and securing strings. For infrequent securing, a horn cleat works fine. Others are constantly tweaked and require something more...
Adding a Polyester Cover to Dyneema Single Braid
Extremely low friction allows Amsteel and other high molecular weight polyethylene (HMPE) lines to run like lightening through low friction rings. Unfortunately, they also...
Splice Failure Linked to Fatality
You don't have to look far to find a case in point supporting our recent Practical Sailor Special Report on high-tech lines, which emphasized...
A Sure Way to Secure the Boom
When the wind really blows, the pleasant chiming of a marina takes on a different character. Above the howling of the wind is the...
Making Sail Repairs Last
Polyester has long been the workhorse sail fabric; durable, easy to sew and handle, and relatively stretch resistant. It is also relatively easier to...
Long-term Clear Vinyl Protection
When the clear vinyl on one of our multihull test boats began to crack and fade after approximately 10 years, the costs estimates for...
Best Sailing Gear of 2018
3)]DebondersIn an update to our January 2017 wide-ranging test of adhesive removers, we zeroed in on 3M 5200, looking for an antidote to its...
The History of Cape Dory Sailboats
Cape Dory Yachts was founded in 1963 by Andrew Vavolotis in East Taunton, Mass. In the following 28 years, the company built over 2,800...
Latest Sailboat Review
Catalina 22 Used Boat Review
In its 10th anniversary issue in 1980, Sail magazine named the Catalina 22 the boat that had represented the breakthrough in trailer/cruisers in those...