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.
“Starting my engine often wipes out some waypoints in my charting program. My multimeter tells me that the voltage to the charting system drops only .5 volt when the starter is cranking, but that seems to be enough to cause the problem. Everything else still works fine with the lower voltage. Any ideas?”– Janet Margelli, Marina del Rey, CaliforniaGordon West
“I’m building a 42-foot cutter that I hope to launch this year, and my present sailplan is a fractional rig with running backstays. I plan to use a carbon-fiber mast, but I want to do away with the runners. Can a rigger redesign the standing rigging—particularly the chainplate locations—or will I have to redo the whole sailplan? And if that’s what’s required, where should I go to get a new
You know you’ve nailed the start of a race when, after just one tack, you’re crossing the rest of the fleet’s bows. That’s a familiar
In an alternative universe, I might be writing about how I test sailed the new X4.3 performance cruiser in a super-scary thunder squall, and the
It’s not uncommon to spot a rainbow after a squall when the sunshine breaks through the clouds—a marker of hope and fairer weather ahead for
Whatever you call it, green, clean, or eco-friendly, the move toward carbon-free sailing has begun to take center stage in the conversation. Putting an ambitious
The Jules Verne Trophy is a prestigious award for the fastest time around the world on any type of sailing yacht with a crew of
Attracting non-sailors to sailing can be difficult; more challenging still is making the sport available to youngsters who lack the means or opportunity to get
With just one leg remaining before the finish of the 2023 Ocean Race, check in on the standings and all the highlights from Leg 6,
Adventuring solo was her joy. How would that fit on a two-month cruise with her teenage son?
At Marine Weather Center, a client recently asked why the computer model forecast had predicted small seas on the windward side of Saint Martin, when
What do you do on a boat for days on end if you’re not constantly tweaking the sails to get an inch ahead of the
