Sail Magazine

by Mark Corke

Varnishing Point

by Mark Corke, Posted April 13, 2013

Any brightwork on your boat, inside or out, needs regular maintenance to stay in top condition. Varnishes are expected to fulfill two important functions—they enhance the natural beauty of the wood and protect it from the elements.

On the Level: Mark Your Waterline with Ease

by Mark Corke, Posted February 25, 2013

Whatever the reason, re-marking the waterline fills many sailors with dread. Get it right, and the resulting perfect boottop between contrasting bottom paint and the hull will be stunning. Get it wrong, and your shaky paint job will stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.

Learning the Ropes

by Mark Corke, Posted October 31, 2012

Your ropes and lines are a very important part of your boat’s inventory. Mark Corke offers some advice on cleaning and care.

Installing a Fire Suppression System

by Mark Corke, Posted October 26, 2012

Of all the things that scare boat owners the most, sinking is probably at the top of the list. But fire is no less of a threat. Indeed, a fire, even if you manage to put it out, can easily lead to a sinking.

Fix-it Kit: Essentials for DIY Sail Repair

by Mark Corke, Posted August 14, 2012

Nothing will ruin your cruise faster than a damaged or torn sail. With the BoatWorks sail-repair kit on board, you’ll be able to make emergency repairs and keep on sailing. Ours cost less than $100 to assemble but could save us hundreds in repair bills.

Paint Your Bottom

by Mark Corke, Posted April 11, 2011

Sailors early on recognized the importance of keeping the bottom of their craft free of fouling, as they discovered that a hull covered with barnacles and weeds performs poorly. They used sheets of copper to protect the underbellies of their boats, and this practice is still used on some large sailing vessels.Fortunately for modern sailors, we can now use paint with similar properties to

Marinco Cordset Adapter

by Mark Corke, Posted October 19, 2007

This product, made by Marinco (www.marinco.com), was sent to SAIL recently, and after looking it over, we wonder why no one has thought of it before. Basically it’s a right-angle cord adaptor for plugging in a shore-power cord to the boat. The right-angle version is more streamlined than the usual straight plug, it looks neater, and there is far less chance of

Broadblue 435

by Mark Corke, Posted April 2, 2007

I’ve had a penchant for sailing on two hulls ever since I built a 26-foot racing micro-multihull some years ago. That boat routinely sailed at double-digit speeds but was frequently wet, so it was with some enthusiasm that I stepped aboard the considerably larger Broadblue 435 for a test sail on Chesapeake Bay. On deckThe 435 has plenty of deck space for walking