This month: carrying a kite; a shorter scope; steering tips; sail saver; using lights on the high seas.VisibilityTo Flash or NotFlashing white lights are far more noticeable than fixed ones and can be much brighter for the same average power drain. However, its dangerous and illegal to show anything that could be confused with a navigation aid, so
Going sideways (January 2006)It’s no secret that bow thrusters are a big help when you’re maneuvering in close quarters, which is why they are becoming common on boats in the 40-foot range. One reason for this popularity is that the units themselves have gotten better. But it’s also true that freeboards are getting higher and many of us either are getting older or are sailing with
Stanchion Safety (January 2006)When 200 pounds of force is applied to the top of a 30-inch stanchion, as much as 3 tons of pull can be exerted on the stanchion’s base. That is more than enough to rip poorly mounted bolts up through the deck. Make sure all stanchion bases have oversized metal backing plates (not just shoulder washers), and check all the bases periodically for
‘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
We have a winnerIn response to SAIL’s Hunter 216 Giveaway Contest, we received roughly 1,000 entries that answered the broad question “What would you do if you won a Hunter 216?” The submissions ranged from pleas to upgrade entrants’ existing boats to odes to deserving friends or family to a number of thoughtful plans to share the boat with others. SAIL and Hunter Marine selected a
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
John Ross-Duggan had a full career ahead of him when he won the Hobie 16 National Championship in 1977, during his third year of medical school. Eight months later, he broke his neck in a car accident and was paralyzed from the neck down. He was 23.After battling through months of therapy to finish medical school and his residency, Ross-Duggan got back to racing
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
Many practicing and aspiring cruisers are familiar with the crew of the Delos; they have gained internet stardom via their Youtube video chronicles of the
If you’re curious what it’s like sailing where the water spins counterclockwise down the drain, I recommend a trip to the Whitsunday Islands in Queensland,
Is it really possible to teach someone how to steer a sailboat? Lord knows I’ve tried, but I’m still not sure I know the answer
Because of its similarity to the previous Nautitech 40 Open, a winner in SAIL’s Best Boats contest a few years ago, you could perhaps label
Jeanneau America’s Paul Fenn and Catherine Guiader recently took out a few minutes to talk about the various Jeanneaus scheduled to appear at the upcoming
We recently came across this fun video in which “family guy” Martin Olesen finds himself aboard a Beneteau First 27 trying to set a new
It took the maxi-trimaran Spindrift 2 less than two weeks to reach the Cape of Good Hope after departing France on January 16 with an
Video courtesy of NEEL
Check out this great sailing footage of the Neel 65, the latest in the award-winning, performance-cruiser trimaran line from the French builder of the same
Whatever is in the water in Brittany, it must be powerful stuff. Followers of the singlehanded sailing game are used to pretty heroic performances by
