A knowledge of knots, bends and hatches is central to good seamanship, and while its true that in the vast majority of cases a limited number of them will suffice, we could all probably stand to know a few more. For me, the kicker is the anchor bend. Its a great way to attach a line to a shackle, but I rarely use it and can never seem to retrieve it correctly from my cerebral database on those
From the office of Why didnt I think of that? comes Forespars new quick-release Steering Control Arm, which is basically a tiller extension for a wheel. The arm has a twist-lock extension, like those found on many boathooks, and a quick-release clamp, so it can be attached or detached from a wheel in seconds. As with a tiller extension, the Steering Control Arm allows you to steer from
Lin and Larry Pardey have long been fixtures in the sailing world, thanks to their many instructional cruising videos and DVDs, and Lins 11 books about the couples life afloat.Lins most recent work, Bull Canyon: A Boatbuilder, a Writer and other Wildlife, breaks with this tradition by addressing the time they moved to an isolated California canyon 60 miles inland to build their
The new Zephyr Softshell jacket from Atlantis WeatherGear combines the warmth of a fleece midlayer with a Sheerline softshell laminate that repels water like an outer layer, offering the best of both worlds without a lot of bulk. When the spray or rain really starts to fly, just pull over a conventional shell, the same as you would with any other fleece jacket. The Zephyr is available in both
Heres incontrovertible proof that todays sailors have it easier than their forebears. The TugTub is a portable floating hot tub that takes just five minutes to deploy and an hour to heat to 104 degrees, providing even the lowliest weekend cruiser with an amenity worthy of a megayacht. Larry Ellison, eat your heart out! The tubs can be used in fresh and salt water, and employ an 88,000BTU LPG
Perhaps you like to plan your passages when youre away from your boat. Maybe you spend a lot of time sailing on other peoples boats. Maybe you just like to take your nav gear home at the end of the day, or you like having a backup in a bag. Whatever the reason, theres a lot to be said for being able to tote along your own tried and proven gear.My own experiences on any number of
Perhaps you like to plan your passages when youre away from your boat. Maybe you spend a lot of time sailing on other peoples boats. Maybe you just like to take your nav gear home at the end of the day, or you like having a backup in a bag. Whatever the reason, theres a lot to be said for being able to tote along your own tried and proven gear.My own experiences on any number of
In 1983, Dodge Morgan, then 53, sold his electronics company and made a promise to himself: he would sail around the world, alone, without stopping. He hoped to complete the 27,459-nautical-mile voyage onboard his 60-foot cutter, American Promise, in 220 days. That would require him to sail 100 miles a day at an average speed of 6.25 knots. As Morgan boarded American Promise in
The Iridium system has gotten more robust and now has 66 low-earth-orbit satellites arrayed in a constellation that delivers Arctic-to-Antarctic coverage. One big advantage of this system is that the company has recently decided to transition to a 2015 upgrade called IridumNEXT that will be backward compatible. The new satellites and software will allow current sat-phones to remain fully
KVH has been a long-term industry leader in antenna stabilization and satellite communication. Its latest V3 satellite phone delivers crisp voice calls, competitive data rates and faster connections. The cost per minute is now at a price point that will appeal to more than the megayacht crowd.The new V3 phone utilizes a stabilized antenna and a belowdecks-mounted controller/modem. The
The sailing sisterhood was out in force on Labor Day weekend in Annapolis for the second Fleet 3 J/105 Women’s Regatta. Host Sailing Club of
Elan Yachts has created the second model in its cruising Impression line with an eye to the ultimate voyaging boat, with comfort, ease of use,
For those of us on smaller boats, it’s always a challenge to figure out how and where to place enough solar panels to power our
It’s about a two-block bike ride from Bill Pinkney’s house in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, to the marina where a 44-foot Norseman catamaran is moored. He
When talking shop among sailors or reading about safety at sea, ventilation is not a topic that comes up much. Evidently it’s secondary to things
Beneteau’s new 37-footer is the latest in the seventh generation of the French builder’s Oceanis line, which began in 1986. It updates the popular 38.1,
I had been at the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis for a couple of days when I took a brief break from the 50-footers and
Steve Earley doesn’t sail like you and me. Example: One night, he and his 17-foot open boat, Spartina, were anchored in a cove near Crab
It’s not ordinary for a sailor to be captivated by the sight of boulders the size of pianos slipping beneath the keel. In my experience
I was but a shiftless wharf rat, recently shipwrecked, working the docks at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in search of a ride across the
