Waypoints Tips

Choosing a Sailmaker

Sailmakers around the world have been printing up new business cards even though they continue to work for the same franchised lofts. Their new...

The Basics of Sailmaking

What’s important about good sail shape? As one sailmaker likes to explain it, using poorly shaped or blown-out sails is like driving on bald...

Getting Away From the Crowd Is Key

Boatowners who have the option of moving their boats to protected water before a hurricane strikes should consider rivers, canals, or backwater creeks instead...

The Lightweight Anchor

All anchors are a compromise. Since some anchor types work best in certain bottoms, it is a good idea to carry anchors of different...

Design Analysis

Physical measurements of anchors cannot produce definitive conclusions about anchor performance, but they offer clues to likely performance in different conditions. Our analysis found that...

Anchors Reset Tests

When a sailor hooks his beloved boat to good, old Mother Earth, he hopes his anchor will stay put—for lunch, for a good night’s...

Better Mousetraps

And what of the new anchors not yet on the market? Anchoring is a subject that seems to fascinate inventors. It’s not just “build...

Anchors Move

The mud tests suggest that when looking for a good anchorage a sand bottom is worth seeking out—because it’s easier for any anchor to...

Nylon Rope Endurance Test

Nylon three-strand dock lines, anchor rodes, and mooring pendants are the sailor’s safety net, so to speak, and have been for nearly a century....

Know Your Gypsy

When buying chain, there are two things to look for. The first is quality, which we explore through our testing. The critical question, though,...

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...