Cruising Tips

Judging Leeway

by Tom Cunliffe, Posted March 14, 2012

Any boat under way in a crosswind, whether it’s a rowboat crossing a lake or a powerful cruiser reaching along the coast, will be pushed sideways to some extent. The effect is called “leeway,” and even big ships are subject to it. Sometimes leeway is insignificant; often it is not.

File Your Sandpaper

by Zuzana Prochazka, Posted March 14, 2012

If there’s one thing I hate more than varnishing it’s not having all the tools at hand to do the job right. Besides brushes, old cans of varnish, new cans of varnish and thinners, there is the sandpaper.

Sail Cover Tactics

by Charles J. Doane, Posted March 14, 2012

Getting a sail cover on and off a mainsail is often harder than it should be. Once it’s off the sail, it can be hard to tell which end goes where, and when you spread it out to check, the wind will wrestle you for control of it.

How to Create a Deck Dam

by Kimball Livingston, Posted March 13, 2012

When Mark Edwards, a rigger from Auckland, New Zealand, molded the deck for his 50-footer Relapse, he deliberately included raised toerails that trap water on deck for most of the length of the boat: as in, all the way back to the fill-point for the water tanks.

Running Commentary

by Peter Nielsen, Posted March 5, 2012

When we talk about downwind sailing, the debate often seems to be about the relative merits of symmetrical versus asymmetrical spinnakers, or gybing a headsail to go goose-winged. It’s easy to forget there’s more than one way to pluck that particular goose.

Do You Know Your Racing Flags?

by Sail Staff, Posted March 1, 2012

Everyone knows the Answering Pennant (AP or “Cat in the Hat” flag) means racing has been postponed and that the “P” flag means a standard starting sequence. But what about the “M” flag, an “N” flag over an “A” flag, or an answering pennant flying above Pennant 2?

How to Properly Use a Windvane

by Andy Schell, Posted February 6, 2012

It’s not as easy as pressing a button, but once you learn to use a windvane you’ll never get stuck hand-steering again.

Voice of Experience: Cruising Without a Sail

by James Williams, Posted February 3, 2012

My wife, Penelope, and I recently enjoyed a wonderful cruise through the Florida Keys. Our boat, Alizee, a cutter-rigged Cabo Rico 36, was in excellent condition, with fresh bottom paint and recently inspected standing rigging.

Onboard Cookie-Baking Trick

by Carolyn Shearlock, Posted February 2, 2012

Galley ovens often have hot spots. The short distance from the flame to the pan, a small heat shield, and the smaller volume of air inside the oven all contribute to food burning on the center bottom before its outer edges are cooked through.

Seaweed Belongs in the Ocean, Not Your Engine

by Peter Nielsen, Posted February 2, 2012

We were maybe a quarter-mile from the mooring, motoring slowly home on a still summer evening, when the piercing bleat of the engine cooling-water alarm made us all jump. I looked over the side: Sure enough, the flow of water out of the exhaust had ceased.