Ask Sail: Underperforming Solar
March 17, 2021
UNDERPERFORMING SOLAR Q: I have a pair of solar panels on my aft arch feeding to a solar voltage regulator and then feeding my bank
UNDERPERFORMING SOLAR Q: I have a pair of solar panels on my aft arch feeding to a solar voltage regulator and then feeding my bank
The original saloon table in my Down East 45 schooner was a single heavy sheet of 3/4in laminated plywood, 27in wide by 57in long. It
You may be surprised to learn there’s nothing new about the half-doughnut-half-sheave-shaped bits of aluminum known as low-friction rings. In fact, low-friction rings, in one
TO VANG OR NOT TO VANG Q: Last year, I bought a new, fully-battened Dacron main for my 36-footer. Unlike the old one, the new
I used Sikkens Cetol on the bare wood on my Catalina 30, Morning Dew IV. The can was compromised over the spring, and I put the balance in a 16oz clean glass mayo jar. Last spring when I went to use it, a skin had formed over the top of the liquid, so I just cut the skin off. It is 1/8in thick. In the future, is it still OK to use?
Quiet. That’s what you hear as you back away from the mooring. No chug, chug, chug from the diesel as water cascades out of the
So accustomed are today’s sailors to being able to furl their headsails that we often forget what it was like before this technology became so
Q: I have an early ‘70s Catalina 27. The keel bolts look pretty good. My question is, why not glass over the keel to bond
If you dread your boat’s antics as you try reversing into your slip or have become used to choking on black smoke, it could be
Does anyone else ever get the feeling they’re being followed by hurricanes? It may be a bit of hubris, but it honestly seemed that way
The critically endangered right whale has been a focal point for conservation efforts for decades, and with boat strikes being one of the major threats
Ditch the Squeaky Rope Look at the illustration and guess which rope kept me awake one night. It was, of course, the skinny one. The
A new Scandinavian deckhouse cruiser is coming to America.
Laterr tonight, Quentin Debois is expected to become the fastest person to sail a Mini Transat 6.50 solo, east to west across the Atlantic. The
While most people are shopping for cradles and bottles when expecting a baby, I was deep into researching an area that I thought was much
the Jules Verne Trophy has a new owner. Sodebo Ultim 3 has set a new record.
The risk of going overboard—and how you brief it—depends entirely on context. Mia and I were at a wedding recently in England. The bride and
There’s no straight path to boat ownership. Charter in the meantime.
This week marks the one year count down to the start of the next Ocean Race.
The Sea Tow Foundation’s 2026 life jacket loaner program is getting underway.
