If youve ever anchored in a really muddy bottom, or amidst blocky granite seafloors, you know firsthand that pulling an anchor up by hand is neither fun nor fast. Quick Nautical Equipment recently unveiled two new vertical windlasses, the Aleph and the Dylan. Each model comes in three sizes. The Aleph is for boats between 22 and 49 feet; the Dylan is for boats from 38 to 64 feet. The windlasses
Atlantis Weather Gear recently introduced two new items in its coastal sailing line, the Aegis Hybrid Bib and the Aegis Spraytop, as well as a re-tooled version of its flagship Aegis Jacket. The gear utilizes Atlantiss triple-layer, highly breathable laminate Typhoon fabric. For years, Atlantis has held that sailing gear can be versatile and comfortable without the bulk of
Summer sailing and fun in the water go hand-in-hand, and there’s nothing like a few water toys to keep younger crews amused in those quiet anchorages. The limited stowage on most sailboats rules out carrying traditional kayaks or windsurfers on board, so we thought we’d try out a selection of inflatable/collapsible playtime gear. As SAIL’s intern, I was volunteered to be the “splash-test
Spend enough time sailing and youll eventually lose your masthead anemometer. Sometimes big winds or storms will take them out; seabirds also think theyre a handy place to perch. When it breaks or needs replacing, wouldnt it be nice to simply remove the old anemometer and screw in the new one, no wires or connectors involved? For years, Tacktick has been making high-quality, wireless,
Lets face it: The vast majority of your time spent on the water is during relatively easy weather windows. Spring, summer, and fall months when the winds are fairly warm and the rains are fairly tame. Obviously, if youre a Volvo Ocean racer or a diehard frostbiter, this review doesnt apply to you, but for everybody else, why pack a full-on foul-weather-gear jacket if all its going to do for
For years, sailors have relied on Ronstans alloy Battlesticks to help steer their way through tough starting lines and packed gate roundings. Now Ronstan has unveiled the 2.0 version of the Battlestick, which is built of carbon to shave weight and add strength and stiffness. Each carbon Battlestick is specifically designed and tapered for its length, ensuring maximum
McMurdo has introduced two new Fast Find emergency personal-locator beacons that broadcast on both 121.5 and 406 MHz. Once activated, the units broadcast for 24 hours. Both come loaded with an SOS LED light that flashes the Morse code SOS pattern. According to McMurdo, most emergency signals that are broadcast on the 406 MHz signal are heard within 3 to 45 minutes; it then takes 3 additional
Bad clothing is restrictive, sweaty, and confining. Don a pair of such shorts and go sailing and odds are impressive that youll feel uncomfortable and wont be able to perform up to your potential. On the far opposite end of the performance/comfort spectrum are Harkens new Sailing Shorts. These stretch, gusseted, reinforced, and durable shorts are hands down the best pair of sailing shorts that
The Really Good DealWe live in a disposable world. Our water often comes contained in land-fill plastic, our myriad electronic gizmos and gadgets are trendy for a year or two before they too join the plastic bottles in the landfill, and thats not even to mention the batteries and power cords that power them. And lets not even talk about racing sails, broken boat bits, or
Being able to convert your engines raw-water intake into an emergency bilge pump is an important safety feature. A discussion on the subject that appeared in SAIL (March 2009) suggested closing the raw-water seacock first, disconnecting the intake hose from the seacock, and attaching an extension hose long enough to reach the bilge. This may work, but in my experience, when
Chances are you’ve been at the boatyard or marina lately, hovering hopefully as you wait for your boat to get back in the water, checking
Usually when people ask me how I learned to sail, I answer that I taught myself. And this is true to a large extent. No
It happens in a moment of weakness. Perhaps my wife is distracted, perhaps she buckles under the gray of the winter sky. Even though Danielle’s
Video by Elena Patriarca Most of the multihull world seems driven by the concept that bigger is always better. But with its new 38-foot Catsmart,
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
After four legs of intense racing, The Ocean Race IMOCA 60 fleet will arrive in Newport, Rhode Island, mid-month for the only United States stopover
Video by Elena Patriarca The new VPLP-designed Outremer 52 is something of a natural hybrid between its enormously popular predecessor, the 51, and the more recent
Yesterday, Golden Globe Race organizers announced a “Code Red” situation for skipper Ian Herbert-Jones, whose EPIRB was activated in the midst of a massive south
Leg 3 is the showpiece of The Ocean Race, combining exhausting conditions, constant boat repairs, and challenging tactics. Join SAIL’s Managing Editor Lydia Mullan for
Nerd alert: We’re talking networks and data this month, none of which is really integral to the safe running of a boat as far as
