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Solar Panels

Know-how: Solar Updates

Sixteen years ago, I installed solar panels on my boat. At the time, the peak efficiency at converting sunlight to electricity was around 16%. Today’s

Power Sails, Sails Built with Integral Solar Panels

Alain Janet is pretty talkative these days, and with good reason. The head of the UK Sailmakers loft in southern France, Janet has spent most of his adult life making sails and working on how to make them better—not just for sailors, but also for the environment.

Know How: Upgrade to Energy Independence

When we bought Sea Spell, our 38-foot sloop, we realized she needed a major power upgrade. The existing electrical system was adequate for a boat kept in a slip, plugged into shore power and used for occasional weekend trips, but we intended to live aboard and cruise to distant tropical islands.Far from land, there is no grid to plug into. Instead, we now generate power with a

Eight Bells-Garry Hoyt

In 2001, SAIL’s then executive editor, Charles Mason, awarded Garry Hoyt the magazine’s Industry Award for Leadership, noting his “insatiable desire to make sailing simpler,”

a sailboat on the water

Rigging: Low Friction Rings

Adding low friction rings to your boat’s rigging repertoire can be a lighter, more affordable alternative to line management.

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