Im a real fan of downwind sails because they add a lot of speed and fun. On my 40-footer I carry a 1.5-ounce symmetric spinnaker in a sock, a 75-ounce asymmetric, also in a sock, that I set on a collar around the headstay, and a 2.2-ounce Code 0 that I have mounted on a Harken furler. I use the symmetric when I have a good crew but leave it ashore when Im sailing shorthanded. The Code 0 is
This really is an excellent new marine-electronics network protocol. So why isnt the industry getting behind it? It was almost two years ago that I first got out on the water with an NMEA 2000 navigation network and, though the trial rig looked a bit funky (see above), I became a believer. I was bowled over by how easy it was to screw together a multi-manufacturer system of
Sailors have been tying knots for millennia, and no doubt innovators have been trying just as long to invent both stronger rope and better knots. Yet the basic problem still remains: Every rope is weakened when its fibers are bent. Loading a knot with a large amount of weight creates a sheer force on the fibers; given enough force, the fibers break and the rope fails. Todays
This wasnt the first VHF call I had taken from someone seeking advice for an onboard problem, and the caller was clearly distraught. He had accidentally filled his diesel tank with fresh water. To make matters worse, when he tried to start the engine, fresh water had been sucked through the fuel system. Always interested in a challenge, I went over to his boat. Together we fixed the problem
As you get older, you usually discover its a little harder to climb on and off a boat. At least, thats whats happened to me. Attempting to improve my lot, I tried out several commercially available boarding steps. Some had good features, but I wasnt really happy with any of them. Then one day Vince and Dianne Purcell stopped by aboard Finn MacCool, their classic Bill Trippdesigned
As part of a major refit of our BoatWorks Bailout boat, a 1983 Ericson 34, we installed an up-to-the-minute electronics package. It was easier than expected.By Mark CorkeInstalling a new pedestal from Edson gave us space for a number of instruments, with the C80 display taking center stage. The C80 acts as a chartplotter, radar display, and, with optional modules, can be
As part of a major refit of our BoatWorks Bailout boat, a 1983 Ericson 34, we installed an up-to-the-minute electronics package. It was easier than expected.By Mark CorkeInstalling a new pedestal from Edson gave us space for a number of instruments, with the C80 display taking center stage. The C80 acts as a chartplotter, radar display, and, with optional modules, can be
As part of a major refit of our BoatWorks Bailout boat, a 1983 Ericson 34, we installed an up-to-the-minute electronics package. It was easier than expected.By Mark CorkeInstalling a new pedestal from Edson gave us space for a number of instruments, with the C80 display taking center stage. The C80 acts as a chartplotter, radar display, and, with optional modules, can be
Steering CommitteeCastaway, the Bailout boat, needed a new steering pedestal. Mark Corke shows how it was installed.The original steering pedestal on Castaway, a 1979 Ericson 34T, was serviceable, but it was old and in need of some TLC. We could have reused it, which would have involved refinishing it and replacing the control cablesbut it would still have lacked a
A 30-year-old Ericson 34T gets a complete makeoverBy Mark CorkeBoatWorks Bailout was conceived as a project that would generate a series of stories for BoatWorks. We would take a readers tired old boat and bring it up to modern standards using equipment donated by manufacturersa pimp your ride for the marine industry. The fortunate owners would get a
Fifty-four boats participated in the second annual Fast Mermaid Pursuit Race off Marblehead, Massachusetts, on Sunday, July 23, raising funds to help a local sailor
Donald Lawson, who hopes to become the first African American sailor to break a round-the-world nonstop singlehanded speed record, has been reported overdue off the
I first met Sebastian and Samantha in St. Augustine, Florida, at a meet and greet for cruisers. We had to be the youngest people at
When he competed in the first Golden Globe Race in 1968-69, French sailor Bernard Moitessier achieved legend status not for winning, but rather for precisely
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
With the new HH44-SC, HH Catamarans is pursuing dual purposes: producing a luxury, high-performance cat for cruising families and couples, and answering what HH CEO
“What? Are you kidding me? That never happens!” Such was the response from a sailing buddy when I told him I was joining the Rio
If the prospect of 1,500 miles of ocean sailing weren’t enough to put nerves on edge, crews aboard 115 boats queued up for the Salty
The National Sailing Hall of Fame (NSHOF) has announced this year’s class of inductees, people who have contributed to the world of sailing through education,
