Know-How

How To Cope With Liveaboard Projects

by Amy Schaefer, Posted July 12, 2012

When we arrived in Cartagena, Colombia, after a year of cruising, I knew we had work to do. While we had kept up with the necessary (read: constant) maintenance on our 45-year-old Bill Tripp yawl Papillon during our first year aboard, now it was finally time for some major upgrades.

Solve Electrical Problems with a Multimeter

by Clark Beek, Posted March 14, 2012

Tutorials about electrical systems and multimeters often involve theoretical analogies to flowing water. In these primers, the authors test well-designed, functioning circuits, and everything behaves exactly as anticipated.

Hurricane Prediction Now, and Then

by Kimball Livingston, Posted June 26, 2003

This is now: SAIL contributing editor Ben Ellison, after a pilgrimage to the government's Tropical Prediction Center on the campus of Florida State University, some 12 miles west of downtown Miami, says: "Without doubt the most thorough and timely hurricane information is on the World Wide Web. The Web is also a terrific place to pursue background studies and collect resources for those

Wireless Resources

by Sail Staff, Posted November 5, 2004

No Strings AttachedWireless technology is constatantly evolving and improving. To keep abreast of the latest developments log on to the following sites:www.BandG.com; B&G’s site has information about the company’s RemoteVision wireless system that can control and monitor various electronic systems wirelessly

Autopilot Manufacturers

by Sail Staff, Posted September 14, 2004

Alpha Marine Systems, Mercer Island, WA"Alpha" "Spectra"Web: www.alphamarinesystems.com B&G/Brookes & Gatehouse, Clearwater, FL"Network," "H1000," "Hydra" & "Hercules" "Pilot" linear drives & hydraulic pumpsetsWeb: www.bngusa.com Benmar Marine

Looking after sails

by Peter Nielsen, Posted April 30, 2009

Dacron is a tough, long-lasting cloth that has only two real enemies—sunlight and chafe. There is not a lot you can do to ward off the effects of ultraviolet light except to make sure the mainsail cover is always in place when you’re not using the boat and to check that the sacrificial strip on the leech and foot of a roller genoa is in good condition.Chafe is another matter. It likes to

8-Strand splice

by Peter Nielsen, Posted April 30, 2009

When I replaced the ground tackle on our project boat I did not hesitate to relegate the 15 feet of half-inch three-strand nylon rode to the bottom of the cockpit locker. During the years I spent sailing around Europe, I became a firm fan of plaited nylon anchor rode. It piles up tightly in the anchor locker and pays out neatly, without kinking or twisting, and I believe its shock-absorption

Decommissioning Checklist

by Sail Staff, Posted October 25, 2006

By Charles MasonBefore you do anything else, compile a detailed list of all the projects that need to be done before the boat goes back in the water next year. Detail each item as carefully as possible and take photos and measurements of the project area so you can use them when ordering materials and in planning work sessions. Make this list when the boat either is still in

Keeping Connected: Communications for Cruisers

by Sail Staff, Posted November 13, 2007

The rapid evolution of communications technology in the last decade has meant that more of us are able to keep in range of a regular cell phone. We asked many of the entrants in the 2006 ARC transatlantic rally how they planned to stay in contact with those back home and received a variety of answers. Here we describe what systems were chosen and why, and explain some of the

Smart Plan

by Sail Staff, Posted June 24, 2008

MAKE A PLANNING SPREADSHEETI use Microsoft Excel spreadsheets for my planning documents, and I use four different worksheets. The main sheet covers a full year of sailing (I know, that sounds llke a lot of planning but I have found that it is very helpful to me) while the other sheets detail my plans for a long trip in the spring, plus shorter weekend trips and another long trip