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Cruising Tips

Choosing a Spinnaker for Your Sailboat

Why are so many cruising sailors scared of spinnakers? Today’s cruising A-sails are so forgiving and easy to deal with that there’s really no excuse for not having one on board.

Surveyor’s Notebook: Using the Proper Seacock

According to Boat US, boats sinking at docks account for a disproportionate number of insurance claims. Frankly, I’m not surprised. Even a modest boat often has six or seven through-hull fittings below the waterline. Should one of these fail, the inrush of water will swiftly sink the boat

Voice of Experience: “Daddy, We’re on the Rocks!”

I woke from a deep sleep to the sound of my 8-year-old daughter, Asha, exclaiming: “Daddy, we are really close to the rocks! I can step out onto them!” That was enough to get me out of my groggy, dreamlike state, and I leapt out of bed and headed for the companionway with my shorts in my hand.

Tips and Tricks to Prevent Falling Overboard

Those are the two words no one on any boat ever wants to hear. It is no surprise then that MOB recovery is a subject high on the list of any sail training activity. Kids in Optis and 420’s learn about it. Sailing schools teach it, offshore races have seminars on it, and there are detailed reports and debriefings on it.

Rope Caulk Marine Bedding

Forget those pricey marine compounds. Rope caulk, a non-hardening stranded putty that costs a few dollars at any hardware store, is ideal for bedding just about anything above the waterline.

Tips for Sailing After Dark

The process of piloting in deep water is the same at night as in the daytime. Once clear of channels and buoys, it’s down to GPS fixes checked against estimates, distances and courses to steer.

Maintaining Belt Tension

One day I discovered the romantically named Belt Tension Jack. Suddenly belt tensioning not only lost all its emotional tension, it even acquired a certain elegance.

Photo by Jose Carlos Pitti Rios

Countdown to the ARC

Sailors from over 30 nations came together yesterday in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, at the opening ceremony of the 40th Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC),

Savvy Navvy_NMEA Connect

Savvy Navvy Gets Connected

These days connectivity is everywhere. From smart appliances to assisted driving, all of our electronics seem to have an app. So it only makes sense

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