A sailor quickly learns the right way to gybe a mainsail: Trim the mainsheet carefully, and always keep the boom and sail under full control. But in all the moving around, the headsail, often a genoa, tends to be forgotten. Unless you have a crew of eager sailors in search of a permanent job, that’s usually a good course of action. Do nothing with the headsail until the mainsail has been
If you really want to know what kind of weather is coming your way, skip the radio and TV broadcasts and look up at the clouds. Even though forecasts are a lot more reliable than they used to be, this old-fashioned way is still valuable.With today’s sophisticated devices, including satellite imagery and Doppler radar, an international network of weather experts can keep an eye on
In general, a line is happier and therefore behaves better if you coil it in a clockwise direction. Any three-strand line will try to kink up if you force it the other way. A multibraid line may be able to go in either direction, but the habit of right-handed coiling should be so ingrained that you couldn’t do it counterclockwise if you wanted to. Old-time sailors called it “coiling against the
A serious cruising boat should carry at least three different anchors on board, and one should be better than the other two for a particular type of bottom. I’m not a great fan of anchor-sizing formulas; if your boat is heavier or has more windage than an average boat of similar length, you’ll usually need a bigger anchor than the one recommended by any simple formula. Remember, too, that
“Yachts shall comply with the US SAILING recommendations of OSR 5.11, Preventer or Boom Restraining Device. The boom-restraining device shall be installed and demonstrated at the time of the yacht’s mandatory courtesy inspection. A process and plan for its use shall be part of the crew’s training and practice.”This paragraph, from the Notice of Race; Special Requirements for the
Edited By Mark CorkeBetter Water-Tank VentJim Hancock sends us this idea from New Zealand, where he and his wife, Eleanor, cruise aboard their Freya 39, Solstice. Solstices freshwater tank vented into the bilge, so when the boat heeled, water from the tank would siphon into the bilge. Jims solution was to buy an inexpensive off-the-shelf dishwasher air gapa device that
The cockpit lockers on my 20-foot trailersailer leak because the lid destroys any seal that is attached to it. Ive resigned myself to needing a waterproof container for anything I store there, but I still have to deal with the water that has leaked in. My solution was to attach a small electric bilgepump (with a hose) to a handle. I used 1/8″ by 1″ aluminum bar stock, which is easy to
Gray R. Riddick of Chocowinity, North Carolina, asks:”I know you have discussed using a multimeter to check a batterys voltage. What does the reading mean? Will it tell me whether or not a battery should be replaced? My two house batteries, for example, read 12.82 and 12.36 volts.”Nigel Calder replies: A specific voltage reading wont tell
“Many books on fiberglass repair, including one of yours, have drawings showing how to lay up cloth and mat over a tapered repair area, like a hole. The repair always begins with a small piece of cloth at the bottom, and as the layup continues, the pieces get larger. This makes sense to me, because a layup schedule doesnt depend on just one interface bonding. Going from smaller to larger would
“I have a 28-foot boat with a fractional rig. I’m thinking about mounting a radar reflector on the leading edge of the mast between the forestay and the masthead. Is this a good idea?”– Dave Adams, Newington, ConnecticutGordon West replies: Having a radar reflector is always a good idea; it can increase your boat’s target visibility by up to 6 miles.
Even before they joined forces with Beneteau back in 2018, Seascape’s Slovenian principals, Andraž Mihelin and Kristian Hajnšek, were brainstorming with their go-to French designer,
Aug. 10/2023: My summer sailing schedule has been chopped up by intermittent book appearances, and it certainly didn’t help that the first several weeks were
Simon Fisher, who has twice stood on the winner’s podium for the world’s premiere professional crewed round-the-world race, has earned the Magnus Olsson Prize, awarded
Jeanneau brings a catamaran design brief to the monohull market with the new Jeanneau Yachts 55. The cockpit layout is unconventional, with twin helms moved
Back in the 1960s, the ornithologist Roger Tory Peterson was watching a tragedy unfold in and near Great Island saltmarsh, where the Connecticut River enters
It has been more than three weeks since Jacqueline Lawson last heard from her husband, Donald Lawson, aboard the ORMA 60 trimaran Defiant, which he
Are you happy with your boat? Few of us are, at least not 100%. There’s always something that could be improved or altered. There are
It’s really not fair. That’s what I was thinking perched on the weather rail of the Italia Yachts 14.98 Artemis while beating up Eastern Bay
I must admit, I cracked. The last voice shouting mansplanations at me about how to work the bow thruster that we didn’t have was the
Applications for The Magenta Project’s mentorship program are now open for the 2023-2024 cycle. This program aims to improve diversity and in particular support women
