Whence Thou Comest, Highfield?
Because increasing numbers of serious sailors have become interested in retrofitting inner forestays for heavy weather headsails, a look at quick-detach hardware is in...
Whats Going On With Sailmakers?
During our recent cruises through boat shows and seminars, we were surprised that changes in sailmaking are occurring as rapidly as consolidations in the...
Are Masts Getting Too Skinny, Too Fragile?
Dear Editor: Some time ago you published a letter from a marine surveyor who said he’d seen three boats whose masts failed when sailing...
Consider The Self-Tending Jib
During the 1960s, the CCA (Cruising Club of America) rating rule promoted boats with large mainsails and smaller foretriangles. Despite the fact that many...
Offshore Log: Rigged For Downwind
A cruising boat has for downwind sailing much the same hardware as a racing boat. The only difference is that the cruising boat is...
Harken Boasts Best Overall Quality Among Backstay Adjusters
In these times when everyone seems interested in tight tacking angles, a taut forestay is the ticket to ride. And to create a...
Sail Track Lubes: Slide-All Lasts Longest
Whether fitted with slides and shackles on a metal track or plastic slugs in a mast slot, mainsails can be difficult to hoist or...
Top 10 Products for 1999
Choosing the best gear for sailboats isn't easy. But at Practical Sailor were used to doing just that. The job is easiest when empirical...
Offshore Log: A New Sail Inventory
PS readers sometimes comment on our seemingly profligate ways: trying one thing, getting rid of it if it doesn’t perform perfectly, replacing with something...
A Foolproof (and Simple) Way to Set Jib Leads
An excellent, surprisingly simple way to set jib leads is to use jib luff telltales as a guide. This technique applies to all types...
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),...