The Best of Ask SAIL: Summer 2015
November 16, 2015
NEW JIB TRACKS Q: I have been rehabbing a Pearson 35 for the past eight years. I am just about done and plan on sailing
NEW JIB TRACKS Q: I have been rehabbing a Pearson 35 for the past eight years. I am just about done and plan on sailing
Q: Filling my diesel tank is a pain, since fuel coming out the vent is the only signal that it’s full. This is because my
MMSI: YOUR NUMBER PLEASE Q: I just purchased a slightly used Jeanneau with a relatively new Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponder. The previous owner had
PROP ZINC DETERIORATION Q: My 2014 Dehler 38 has a Volvo saildrive 130S-F and a two-blade Flexofold prop. After six months in the Annapolis area,
TWO FULL-LENGTH BATTENS ENOUGH? Q: Can you resolve a debate I have been having with a fellow sailor? He insists that I should have full-length
HOW TO PLUG A NEW HOLE Q: I am putting an outboard on my Grampian 26, and I will be taking out the old Westerbeke
Q: I have a new Icom M-802 that I am installing aboard. I read about wires that make up the needed ground, and a wire
Q: My headsail has hanks and I am thinking of buying a new roller-furling unit. Can I convert the sail to a reefing headsail? Paul
I’m trying to determine why the diesel fuel for my 4.108 low-line Perkins is getting black. I use the word “black” instead of dirty, because the fuel looks as if it is getting crankcase oil (or soot) mixed in it.
While in the Bahamas, I tried, with no success, to pick up weather using the SSB function on my portable Grundig YB400 radio. Can this little radio effectively hear SSB bands like weather, ham radio, or international shortwave?
This weekend saw the fourth annual Northeast Ocean Racing Symposium (NORS), held at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. The day of technical lectures and networking
Contributing Editor Christopher Birch’s much anticipated book The Four Seasons of Boat Maintenance is out now. Billed as “the maintenance manual that should have come
On March 1, the U.S. SailGP Team shook up the Grand Prix series and won the Sydney Sail Grand Prix, marking their first victory since
Lessons learned by others are a great guide when putting together a vacation to remember.
After being the Chief Designer at Tartan Yachts for 48 years, Tim Jackett has found a new home with Niche Watercraft. The company has announced
A trans-oceanic performance catamaran loads up on practical features and comforts of home.
A classic racing yacht, three weeks at sea, and eight crewmates you’ve never met. What could go wrong?
Editor’s Note: This story is excerpted from SAIL Contributing Editor Christopher Birch’s upcoming book The Four Seasons of Boat Maintenance(available for order soon)—a compendium of
Ever notice how sea stories just get better with the passage of time? The more years that disappear in the wake and the more times
We spend too much time in the sun as sailors and need all the protection we can get… but, have you ever put on a
