Sometimes it can be difficult to refill water tanks while cruising. Local water may be unsuitable, expensive or simply unavailable. Watermakers can also come up short, as you shouldn’t run harbor water through them
When anchoring on chain rode it is usual to fasten a length of nylon line between the chain and the boat as a snubber. This absorbs shock loads if the chain suddenly gets yanked up tight.
”Uh-oh,” I heard myself say. “We’ve got a problem!” Running aground was the last thing on my mind that gorgeous July afternoon as I guided Tackful, our “new to us” Catalina Capri 25, into the harbor.
My ketch Silverheels didn’t have any cockpit canvas when I bought her, just an old two-bow dodger frame. I had visions of installing a hard dodger and bimini, but a lack of time, patience and skill caused me to opt for a hardtop for the dodger frame instead.
Like most long-range cruisers I carry a lot of anchor chain, but I was having a problem with pyramids in my chain locker. When weighing anchor my chain piled up beneath its deck pipe, sometimes reaching up high enough to block it, so that the chain being fed in would suddenly jam the windlass gypsy.
Every cruising boat should carry a sailmaker’s palm along with a kit of essential sail-repair tools
The vertical windlass on my boat is designed to handle only one anchor. Like many cruisers, however, I carry two bow anchors and occasionally need to use both. The problem is my windlass, like most vertical windlasses, feeds just one anchor rode through a deck pipe built into its casing.
For years I’ve been using a 3-gallon insecticide spray can as a portable pressure-water dispenser. You’ll find these in any hardware store.
The first time I tried to pick up a mooring singlehanded in a stiff breeze, I approached from dead downwind in the usual manner and stopped the boat with the pickup buoy right where I wanted it.
One of the more mundane aspects of bluewater cruising is having to clear in and out of all the foreign countries you visit. The task is often routine, but can sometimes be frustrating, perplexing or even hilarious. We have found this to be true on any number of occasions.
I was inspired to write this column when Axel and I were in the car listening to the Moana soundtrack, and I was crying cathartic
The new 36-foot trimaran from Denmark’s Dragonfly is a versatile boat with incredible speed potential. The 36 is offered in a touring or performance version,
Last fall I helped some friends deliver a new-to-them boat from Annapolis to Newport. It’s a route that I have traced a few times before,
Here at SAIL, we understand that having the right accessories can make all the difference. That’s why we’re excited to bring you our weekly roundup
When it comes to keeping it clean, a little insider know-how goes a long way.
The latest in this performance cruiser line has J/Boat DNA through and through.
Known for its racer-cruisers, Grand Soleil builds a sleek daysailer with sustainability driving its brief.
James Cook, famed British explorer, navigator, and cartographer was born in this day 1728. He is best known for his three exploratory voyages around the
This weekend, the four Transat Café L’Or (formerly the Transat Jacques Vabre) fleets will set off to cross the Atlantic. Among the competitors in the
If the weather’s turning and you’re already dreaming of next sailing season, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with the news and stories to get you through.
