On a good day a furling headsail is like magic. You pull on the furling line and your sail is neatly rolled away until you need it again. At some point, however, most of us have rolled up our headsail in such high winds that it furls much more tightly than usual…
See our five most useful boat items and then share your own! If we like your list, we might print it in an upcoming issue of SAIL.
I’ve been on the wrong end of a towline twice. At the very least, being towed will ruin your afternoon. At worst, it can cause serious damage to your boat or injury to your crew. Knowing what to expect and what to do to help yourself—or to help others help you—will ensure things go safely and smoothly.
A few years ago, the Gulf Stream swiftly carried me home from the Bahamas while simultaneously tormenting me with waterspouts. It got me thinking…
“I’m waiting, “ said Charles Doane, SAIL’s executive editor. “That’s all anybody is doing.” Doane, along with many other boat owners, has been forced to delay moving his Tanton 39 cutter Lunacy south from New England, and eventually to Bermuda, because of approaching hurricane Sandy.
Fuel capacity usually isn’t an issue in home waters, but it becomes important when long-range cruising sailboats have to motor for extended periods.
A well-built Hypalon inflatable dinghy can last well over 10 years if properly cared for. In many cases, the first thing to fail isn’t the fabric but the fiddly little spring-loaded valves used to keep the boat inflated.
On arriving at Alligator River Marina after a 15-mile passage across Albemarle Sound, we got a bit of a surprise. The place was practically empty, which was weird considering it was October, the height of snowbird season.
If you’ve ever wondered what goes on inside that little tender’s house up on a drawbridge, you’re not alone. It’s a bit of a fishbowl up here, and everyone who walks by seems to look in.
When covering my boat for the winter, I like to use heavy gray-green poly tarps, as they are inexpensive and last several years if they are protected against chafe and are properly secured.
On this day in 1851, the schooner America won the 100 Guinea Cup, which would then be renamed the “America’s Cup” in her honor. American
The final night of a Bermuda passage is marked by fog and a restless imagination.
Spinnakers are too fun—and useful—to not take full advantage of, even when sailing shorthanded.
Newport’s 24-hour distance race hit a milestone anniversary this year, and with it a full range of conditions and challenges for the 35-boat strong fleet.
These spotlights can help sailors safely navigate at night.
The term “feeling blue” is commonly used to mean feeling melancholy or sad, but the phrase actually originates from which nautical usage?A) Homesickness felt by
Left for dead after a horrific shooting, a sailor defies all odds to return to the water.
On August 18, 1838, Lieutenant Charles Wilkes embarked on what became known as the U.S. Exploring Expedition—a major global voyage that significantly expanded scientific and
There are few boat projects more satisfying than repainting the topsides of a pretty boat. I did exactly that with my 1969 Cape Cod Knockabout
Growing up sailing a Shannon 38 with his family, a sailor and his dream boat are reunited after 27 years.
