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.
A primer on the science of sleep and how to use it to your advantage on passage.
Beneteau is debuting the first of what they call the “planing cruiser” with the First 30, which pushes small boat sailing towards a full cruising
Sporty, sleek, and comfortable—meet Beneteau’s new and versatile GT 40.
When getting away means more than just a weekend out of the slip, here are some ideas for achieving range and independence when you go cruising.
Stretching the comfort zone can be awesome.
With this model, Lagoon has introduced some interesting sustainability features. The structure of the deck and hulls is done with vacuum infusion molding, for a
After sinking in the Newport-Bermuda Race, one sailor makes her slow way back to offshore racing—and maybe sets a new Annapolis-Newport record in the process.
In St Tropez, a maxi yacht is born. Take a look behind the scenes at sailing’s latest spectacle.
As winterizing gets underway, the
question keeps coming up: Can’t we do something about all this plastic?
Nautor Swan’s latest one design race boat prioritizes simplicity, quality, and speed in a compact model. Drawn up by Juan Kouyoumdjian, it’s designed to be
