Knowing the Land and Sea Breezes
February 28, 2014
When sailing close to the coast it often seems that NOAA’s wind forecasts are maddeningly inaccurate. How could NOAA get it so wrong?
When sailing close to the coast it often seems that NOAA’s wind forecasts are maddeningly inaccurate. How could NOAA get it so wrong?
The news that NOAA was going to stop offering printed nautical charts was hardly a surprise, but all the same it hurts to see the end of an era. All we boomer types who spent our formative cruising years frowning over dog-eared paper charts, stamped with coffee cup rings, crisscrossed by part-erased pencil lines and dotted with semi-legible scribblings, will feel a warm fuzzy pang of sentimentality at the news.
Clever tips for using your smartphone’s built-in camera to achieve the best possible photos.
For aspiring sailing photographers, an evening shooting photos with Onne van der Wal is like golfing with Phil Mickelson, hitting balls with Roger Federer or skiing with Lindsey Vonn—there’s nothing quite like hanging out with your idol in his or her element.
How the Pros Take Sailing Photos, On the Water with Onne, 6 Tips for Smarter Smartphone Photography and The Latest and Greatest in Waterproof Cameras.
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.
If there’s a reason that Gulf Coast cruising is not much talked about, I can’t tell you what it is. Three friends and I spent a month this past summer exploring the towns and marine parks of the Gulf shores under sail and found more than a few reasons to talk about it.
”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.
Part of the remodeling of the chart table area on my 45ft schooner Britannia involved making a new section of floorboarding or, to use its
Thousands gathered in Bath, Maine over the weekend to see the replica Virginia hit the water for the first time. The tall ship, which is
This June, after over 25 years of research, planning and work, the completed replica of the Virginia will be launched from the Bath Freight Shed
As long-term cruisers, my partner, Timo, and I are used to up-cycling our belongings into any new items we might need rather than looking for
In the 11 years since Spindrift Racing made its debut, the pro sailing team has made a big splash, and the upcoming season is expected
I’ve just returned from a week offshore on SEA’s Corwith Cramer (which I will be very happy to tell you all about in an upcoming
With so many manufacturers dreaming up bigger production boats, more and more mid-sized cruisers fall on the smaller end of their lines. However, “smaller” does
A sail on Lake Tahoe has been on my bucket list since the day I first laid eyes on it, and come hell or high
I was never supposed to take my boat through New York City. After getting sucked backward through the Cape Cod Canal on my way south
As a classic-boat sailor, I’ve long held that simpler is the better. I still think this is true: a simpler boat is cheaper, she has
