By Peter NielsenMany drivers develop a kind of mechanical sympathythey learn to recognize the sounds an engine makes when its being over-revved or is in too high a gear for the speed. The ability to empathize with sails is not so easily acquired, which is one reason why sailmakers will never be short of repair business.Step one is to keep the sails from flogging. Flogging
Okay, so youve anti-fouled, varnished, polished, and cleaned. Now that all the obvious spring jobs have been completed, why not turn your attention to your nether regions?There, that got your attention. I actually mean the boats nether regions, as in the bilges. Clean, sweet bilges contribute more than you think to the quality of life on board. Lower yourself down there and take a
Troubled marine retailer West Marine reported a 10 percent year-on-year sales decline for the first quarter of 2008. The $113.3 million in sales was down $12.5 million on Q1 2007.CEO Geoff Eisenberg said sales were down more than expected, and that he was anxious about sales going into the spring fitting-out season, traditionally one of the peak selling periods for West Marine.
One of the worlds most prestigious boat brands has changed hands. Oyster Marine, founded by Richard Matthews 35 years ago, has been bought by private equity firm Balmoral Capital. The company already owns the Italian luxury motoryacht builder Canados. Oyster Marine builds a range of luxury yachts from 45 to 125 feet, and its revenues amount to more than $100 million a year. Matthews will remain
If your boat has been laid up for the winter, youll be dying to get back aboard and start getting it ready for the new season. The sooner you begin on the essentials, the more wiggle room youll have when the inevitable last-minute jobs crop up close to launch time. It might be too cold to paint, varnish, or use epoxy before April, but here are five things you should be able to take care of now.
In the “Know-How” section of the March issue, Steven J. Henkind wrote about how fuel gauges operate and how you can prevent fuel-gauge errors. Here’s the mathematical formula he discussed in the story. You can also calculate the amount of fuel in a tank mathematically. For a rectangular tank, the calculation is easy: the overall volume of the tank = Length x Width x Height; if the
Betsy waves me over as I jump off the stern of La Mouette, our chartered Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 453, into the warm waters of Cooper Islands Manchioneel Bay. My mask and fins are already on. Betsy has found an octopus hiding against a rock shelf; it pulls an empty conch shell over itself when I get too close. I follow a couple of stingrays over to a reef where I spy a school of sergeant majors,
Seized motor? Don’t be so quick to junk it. In the Fall 2007 BoatWorks, editors Dave Baldwin and Mark Corke brought a dead outboard back to life. Their mission was simple: Take the engine apart, diagnose its problem, and get it running againand hopefully have a little fun in the process. The entire project took two days and the biggest problem they encountered was finding enough space in the
The rapid evolution of communications technology in the last decade has meant that more of us are able to keep in range of a regular cell phone. We asked many of the entrants in the 2006 ARC transatlantic rally how they planned to stay in contact with those back home and received a variety of answers. Here we describe what systems were chosen and why, and explain some of the
The rapid evolution of communications technology in the last decade has meant that more of us are able to keep in range of a regular cell phone. We asked many of the entrants in the 2006 ARC transatlantic rally how they planned to stay in contact with those back home and received a variety of answers. Here we describe what systems were chosen and why, and explain some of the
If you’re an avid sailor and passionate traveler at the same time, you probably start making plans for your next sailing adventure as soon as
Buddy Melges, whose career in sailing and impact on the sport has been so remarkable that few superlatives come close to describing it, has died
During The Ocean Race’s Newport stopover, SAIL magazine had a chance to catch up with some of the sailors that make this race possible. Here’s
During The Ocean Race’s Newport stopover, SAIL magazine had a chance to catch up with some of the sailors that make this race possible. Here’s
During The Ocean Race’s Newport stopover, SAIL magazine had a chance to catch up with some of the sailors that make this race possible. Here’s
During The Ocean Race’s Newport stopover, SAIL magazine had a chance to catch up with some of the sailors that make this race possible. Here’s
During The Ocean Race’s Newport stopover, SAIL magazine had a chance to catch up with some of the sailors that make this race possible. Here’s
During The Ocean Race’s Newport stopover, SAIL magazine had a chance to catch up with some of the sailors that make this race possible. Here’s
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
Most sailors take months or more to learn a new boat since, truth is, most of us have limited or sporadic time to devote to
