‘Smart’ Circuit BreakersThe remotely operated switches in a distributed power system use electronic circuit breakers (ECBs). Current practice is to cluster several electronic circuit breakers in what I will call a Power Distribution Module, or PDM. The PDM is connected to the boat’s main two-wire bus, and then the individual circuits in one area of the boat (such as the lighting circuits
Before going cruising, I had a long career skippering fishing boats in Alaska. Twice I had the need to resort to a liferaft. The raft must always be the last resort. Never give up on the boat until it has given up on you.The first time, I was alone aboard a small boat fishing salmon. While the boat did a slow roll all the way over, I ran up the side like a Laser racer
This month: attaching lifelines, poling the headsail, calculating tides, and oil anchor lampsSafetyUV damageInstead of attaching lifelines to pushpits with clevis pins, its good practice to use lashings of prestretched line. They provide enough tension to take the slack out of the lines but can be cut in an instant if need befor instance, to clear the
This month: tethers, fouled props, halyard retrieval, and chicken gybesSafetyTreble tetherIn the 2002 ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers), one of two brothers sailing a 50-foot boat fell overboard while working on the foredeck. He was clipped on to a jackline, but his brother could not get him back on board and he drowned. I thought about this incident, and
This month: Hurricane precautions, anchor handlingHurricane PrepPlanning shoreside precautions Hurricane-force winds (over 64 knots, or 74 mph) and the resulting storm surge are serious business. If your boat is in an area that might see hurricane conditions, you need to know what action to take. If possible, get the boat out of the water and remove
At the DockDinghy-dock smartsDon Street, who has been rowing rigid dinghies around harbors in Europe and the Caribbean for more than 60 years, thought he had learned everything there is to know about handling a dinghy in any conditions. But hes come up with a new trick for handling a hard tender around a crowded dinghy dock. The usual routine, says Street, is to
This month: coping with fog, inshore pilotingSeamanshipSailing in fogSummer sailing and fog seem to be inextricably linked in some parts of the country, and everyone who races or cruises will run into a bank of the gray stuff at one time or another. When you do, your priorities change from making good time toward your destination to not running into other
VisibilityHow to be seenWe all hope the lookouts on those huge container ships will see our little sailboats in rain, mist, and low light. Should we find ourselves in trouble, we pray that our rescuers will be able to make us out in the breaking waves.Some sailors have long recognized the value of being highly visible. Many ocean-racing boats have brightly colored hulls
For multihulls, there are four important indicators of performance and stability: the Bruce Number; the Real Performance Index; the Stability Number; and the Stability Factor.Bruce NumberBruce Number is another form of the sail area-displacement ratio (a power-to-weight ratio). It shows how much sail area relative to displacement (weight) a boat has, but tells nothing about a
In the July issue of SAIL we published Jim Hancock’s Scope for Improvement?” in which the author argues that the traditional anchoring rules of thumb may need revision. More scope is almost always better, unless you don’t have the room to swing, or the bottom is foul.There’s more to know, however, and this is where Hancock lays out the facts surrounding the catenary curve, as we
What if we could simplify the equipment at the top of our masts? Instead of a farm of devices, take an approach that cuts down
Four years, half a planet, and 50 crewmates later, a young sailor opens new doors to bluewater sailing.
Learning by doing is the MO for two fledging sailors and a new-to-them Cheoy Lee 48.
This tried-and-true piece of gear will keep your dinghy where you put it.
Last weekend Bentley College hosted the Northeast Ocean Racing Symposium, a day of lectures, panels, and networking centered around all things offshore.
I have never been very good at standing night watch alone.
An odyssey begins in the Mediterranean as one sailor sets out to bring his new boat home.
No boat should be without a compass, no matter how much cool electronic navigation capability it has.
The latest from Dufour continues the French builder’s move toward refining its performance cruising chops under the guidance of naval architect Umberto Felci.
The Cruising Club of America (CCA) is a collection of 1,400 ocean sailors with extensive offshore seamanship, command experience, and a shared passion for making adventurous use of the seas.
