Cruising Tips

“Send me an article on the essence of seamanship,” was the editor’s brief. I wonder what you would have included in this article if he had asked you. I can tell you, it isn’t easy.

Keeping sharp knives in drawers on boats is not only a waste of prime storage real estate, it is also dangerous, as you can easily cut yourself rummaging through the drawer with your fingers.

I had been warned about the swirling currents of Hell Gate, but it was the profusion of lights from ships, shore and navigational aids that overwhelmed me as I entered Lower New York Bay after sunset in search of an overnight anchorage.

Setting a stern anchor is not for the faint of heart and can be a real pain. My friend Maurice Roper belongs to a club that always anchors in the same cove where anchors fore and aft are mandatory.

Often when cleaning our boat, we have to remove stubborn stains and marks from the fiberglass. My girlfriend has discovered that Mr. Clean Magic Eraser will remove the toughest marks with little or no scrubbing.

Anchoring involves more than dropping a chunk of metal overboard and fastening your boat to it. The best way to improve your technique is through practice, but this can be hard to come by if your boat is often on a mooring or dock.

The first bareboat I ever hired in the Virgin Islands, many moons ago, was from a small hole-in-the-wall charter outfit with a rather motley fleet of vessels.