Rhumb Lines: Sailing Through the Big Storm
Halfway between the Cook Islands and Tonga, we spent a whole day preparing or 30-foot ketch for a gale that had been forecast for...
Tips on Anchoring In Mud
Perhaps this seems like going back to school, but procedure can be critical in soft mud, and I’ll wager most old cruising hands from...
Taking Our Test Anchors Out for a Wiggle-walk
First, we established baseline holding capacities for the 2-pound anchors by pull testing each anchor after letting it settle into the bottom for 10...
Deep Anchors Stay Put in Moderate Yawing
Setting history matters. If the anchor is deeply set, a good portion of the rode is pulled underground, the anchor is in firmer substrate,...
Yawing and Anchor Holding
I can’t leave a boat that’s yawing. I can’t sleep. Each time I’ve had an anchor fail suddenly it was caused by excessive yawing....
Fad or Function? Fathead Sails Offer A Little of Both
Full-length battens create a compression load on the luff end, requiring ball bearing luff car system for sails over about 300 square feet. Off...
Finding Balance with Your New Fathead Sail
The center of effort will move aft compared to a pinhead and forward compared to a full roach sail. Whether this is good or...
Pros and Cons of ‘Fathead’ Mainsail
The triangular mainsail of a Marconi rig has never been the most aerodynamic shape. The narrow tip produces wasteful tip vortices and little lift.
Developmental...
Steiner Stands By its Binos
I recently had an experience with the service department at Steiner Optics that deserves mention in your Where Credit is Due, feature.
Thirty plus years...
The Case of the Painted Jib
Polyester sailcloth is amazingly strong and durable stuff, often completing trips around the world or decades of weekend sailing. Its Achilles heel is the...
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...