Sails, Rigging & Deck Gear

Working with High-Tech Ropes

If you are working with low friction rings, sooner or later you're going to work with Amsteel and other high molecular polyethylene (HMPE) ropes,...
Using only what they had available onboard, the cruisers rebuilt a broken clue on their genoa which lasted for thousands of miles of sailing.

Getting a Clue for the Blown-Out Clew

How do you manage major sail repairs in remote locations? By using whatever you have onboard to get you home—or beyond. After an easy three-day...
This Hayn Hi-Mod shackle was securing a shroud. The shackle failed without damage to the threads when the rigging wire snapped and the pin unscrewed. Thankfully, there were no injuries and the deck-stepped mast fell to leeward with limited damage to the Corsair F-24. (Photo/ Jim Love)

Monel Seizing Wire is Worth the Extra Cost

Just weeks ago, a fellow Corsair 24 owner dismasted due to a seizing wire failure. More than once I’ve had stainless seizing wire fail...

Need a New Headsail Furler? Here’s What’s Involved

You know it's time to swap out your old headsail furler for a new model when the springtime hoist encounters excess friction and even...

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...
1. Winch handle camera mount. It can’t fall of, is quick to place or remove in any conditions, and you can rotate it to change angles. (Photo/ Drew Frye)

How to Mount Your Camera on Deck: Record Your Adventures with DIY Innovations

Most of the time I singlehand, so how do I take photographs for Practical Sailor without awkwardly holding a selfie stick? I have a...
The crew at Hop-O-Nose Marina in Catskill, NY helped us remove our mast. They also helped us build cradles on the deck so that we could carry our mast and rigging on deck as we traveled the Erie Canal. (Photo/ Alison Major)

Un-Stepping the Mast for America’s Great Loop

As a family on a sailboat traveling on the Great Loop, our crew of four aboard Fika was a bit out of the ordinary....
Das Boot's symmetric spinnaker is flying while the boat races downwind at the Fran Byrne Regatta, Aug. 2007. (Photo/ Nick Van Antwerp)

Headsails and Spinnakers: How to Explain Their Functions to a Beginner

Over the past few decades, we have seen a tremendous advancement in sail design technologies—innovative sail materials are now common in the marketplace and...

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...

The AMAZING 50 Footer You’ve Never Heard Of – Pegasus 50...

A 50 footer packed with innovation for shorthanded cruising, the Pegasus 50 has features like carbon fiber rig, bulkheads, and bimini. When compared to...

Latest Sailboat Review

Pacific Seacraft 34 and 37

Pacific Seacraft was founded in 1976 by Henry Morschladt and Mike Howarth, who first produced 25-foot daysailers. Like many boatbuilders, the company suffered during...