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The Gill Pro Long Finger ($50) is Practical Sailor's top pick for sailing gloves.

Five Best Gloves: Sailing and DIYing in All Weather

Hands take a beating while sailing, from chafe, pressure points, cuts and cold. Hard heads will say “you just need to let the calluses...
Leszek Wolnik, left, with granddaughter Reija, center, and crew Marija before their Atlantic crossing on a Vancouver 32. Reija and Marija had their hair braided in preparation for the voyage, while Leszek's hair was naturally voyage-ready. (Photo/ Leszek Wolnik)

Crossing the Atlantic with Kids: Intergenerational Voyaging Tips

“It was Reija who started it all,” smiles Leszek, talking to me from his home in Dublin, Ireland. The idea of crossing the Atlantic had...
The Beneteau 393 is a comfortable, extended coastal cruiser with a handsome interior. Photo courtesy of Yacht World.

Beneteau 393 Used Boat Review

Beneteau is one of the few builders (along with perhaps Catalina, Hunter and its own corporate cousin, Jeanneau) whose volume of production can generate...
Propane tank valve and pressure gauge. Since a propane leak can be catastrophic, make sure to schedule in a propane tank and fitting check into your maintenance calendar. (Photo/ Marc Robic)

Propane Leak: How to Detect, Locate and Fix

There isn’t much that scares or worries me when it comes to all things about boats. Except two: large amounts of water coming in...

Revive Your Mast Like a Pro

Unobtainium is the metal at the top of every Naval Architect’s wish list. It’s a perfect marine material; light, strong, stiff yet flexible—it’s as...

Sailing Triteia: Budget Bluewater Cruising

If I were to sum up, in one word, how James Frederick has managed to create his sailing life, I’d say “resourcefully.” The 49-year-old...

How To Keep Pipe Fittings Dry: Sealant and Teflon Tape Tests

After replacing the raw water pump on his 30-plus-year old Universal diesel, former PS Editor Darrell Nicholson reconnected the tangle of hoses on the...

Why Choose the Wharram Design?

Gathered on the sofa, I fumbled with the HDMI cable, trying to connect my laptop to our TV. “What’s this movie about?” Ryder, our eldest,...
Covering the boat is one of the last steps in the winterizing process which readies all of your boat systems for the coming temperature drop. (Photo/ Marc Robic)

Winterizing: Make It Easy With Checklists

When summer turns into fall, most DIY boat owners start exchanging ideas on how each one proceeds with their winterizing process. This is definitely...
Replacing AGMs with Blue Nova lithium batteries. This was way above my pay grade! After trying to install twice with the help of "mates," I eventually found a brilliant young engineer in Cape Town. (Photo/ Brett Campbell)

Boat Improvements for the Technically Illiterate

My wife Amanda often asks fellow cruisers the question: Would you prefer to sail with an experienced mechanic who knew little about sailing, or...

43 Foot Cruising Sailboats – The Elan Impression 43

In a sea of French production cruising sailboats like the new Beneteau 37.1 and Oceanis 40.1, or the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 350 and 380,...
Fast Cruising Sailboat J 45 video from Practical Sailor

Fast Cruising Sailboat J 45

Latest Sailboat Review

Beneteau First 375 Used Boat Review

A Mexican vacation with her husband had Debbie Bulk dreaming of a better way to see local village life, away from the regular tourist...