Handy Printable VHF Reminder
September 27, 2016
There’s a right way to communicate via VHF radio—and many wrong ways. The reason for VHF protocol is to avoid ambiguity and ensure that messages
There’s a right way to communicate via VHF radio—and many wrong ways. The reason for VHF protocol is to avoid ambiguity and ensure that messages
To begin You don’t need to know much about how a piston engine works in order to drive a car. You get in, turn on the engine, shift into gear, step on the gas, and off you go. In a sailboat, though, you play a far more active role in harnessing the energy that propels you forward. You can get
There is an unequivocal principle in maritime hierarchy—a ship can have only one captain. On our boat, there are two. As young cruisers, 33 and
Modern weather forecasting is so good that we aren’t often caught out, but we all take a chance once in a while, especially when we’re under pressure to be somewhere else. Coastal sailing in near-gale conditions isn’t the same as ocean storm survival. Instead, we have to think hard about possible shelter and local dangers. Different boats have varying abilities. So do crews. Here’s a hypothetical
A. If a quick maneuver doesn’t spin her off, try reducing the draft by heeling her over with a backed sail and shifting some weight. B. In
If you have your boatyard help out with repairs, upgrades and routine maintenance, you can often be one of the first to launch in the
Cuba is huge—it spans more than 600 miles from east to west. We saw abundant signs of civilization as we sailed along the coast and
We are always told when outfitting our boats for cruising that we need to make sure our onboard electrical system can handle our projected daily power usage. But that raises an important question: what sort of day are we talking about? Is it a day spent at anchor, the day we have a lot of guests and friends on board, a day spent in a marina, or—and very often this is not considered—a day spent
Photos courtesy of Simon Cohen; Alexis Courcoux; Jose Guijarro Back in 1992, when I was working at a British sailing magazine, I volunteered for some
Certain boatyards always seem to attract would-be voyagers with large ideas, small budgets and vessels of suspect provenance. I once kept a boat in one
If you’re an avid sailor and passionate traveler at the same time, you probably start making plans for your next sailing adventure as soon as
Buddy Melges, whose career in sailing and impact on the sport has been so remarkable that few superlatives come close to describing it, has died
During The Ocean Race’s Newport stopover, SAIL magazine had a chance to catch up with some of the sailors that make this race possible. Here’s
During The Ocean Race’s Newport stopover, SAIL magazine had a chance to catch up with some of the sailors that make this race possible. Here’s
During The Ocean Race’s Newport stopover, SAIL magazine had a chance to catch up with some of the sailors that make this race possible. Here’s
During The Ocean Race’s Newport stopover, SAIL magazine had a chance to catch up with some of the sailors that make this race possible. Here’s
During The Ocean Race’s Newport stopover, SAIL magazine had a chance to catch up with some of the sailors that make this race possible. Here’s
During The Ocean Race’s Newport stopover, SAIL magazine had a chance to catch up with some of the sailors that make this race possible. Here’s
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
Most sailors take months or more to learn a new boat since, truth is, most of us have limited or sporadic time to devote to
