Days away from port and thousands of miles offshore, a sailor in the Volvo Ocean Race decides whether to eat chicken la king, beef stroganoff, or three-cheese lasagna for dinner. But the teams in the round-the-world race are not airlifting in home-cooked entres, and they have not hired chefs. The sailors hot meals come from freeze-dried and dehydrated food. Its the
By David SchmidtUnsightly is the rig with massive wads of rigging tape glommed onto the spreader tips; worse are sails that have been punctuated by uncovered spreaders. DeWAL Industriess pressure-sensitive Dynaglide MT rigging tape, which is made from pure Teflon to yield an extremely low friction coefficient, easily adheres to spreader tips, turnbuckles, lifelines, deck
When Mary South quit her job, sold her house, and floated her lifes savings on a 40-foot steel-hulled trawler, she abandoned her landlocked reality in search of adventure, purpose, and peace at sea.The Cure for Anything Is Salt Water is Souths account of her transformation from successful publishing executive to eager seamanship student to beaming skipper aboard her newly
I well remember the first time I went to sea on a cruising boat. Uncertain of what would happen next, I always seemed to be in the wrong place. The deck was a mass of ropes, the terminologywhich sounded like Greek to mewas all unfamiliar, and I was probably more of a liability than a help. I enjoyed myself tremendously. Reading whatever books I could lay my hands on, I tried to become more
In 2006, Schaefer Marine released the Aero Tuff Luff (model A-1706) headstay foil, which fit forestays up to 5/16 in diameter. Now Schaefer has introduced a 2.0 version of the Aero Tuff Luff (model A-2506) for boats with headstays up to 3/8 in diameter. The twin-track foil is made from a super-strong polycarbonate material and features a fine surface finish to help mitigate friction between the
Edited by David SchmidtSILENT DRIVERThe Tiller Trimmer is a simple self-steering device for tiller-steered boats. Mount it on your tiller, run a control line from one side of the cockpit to the other through the Tiller Trimmer, and you can lock the tiller in place by tightening the units control knob. The device, made of N6 Nylon, has a ball-bearing Delrin sheave that
Boats are complex objects containing numerous systems, parts, components, and gadgets, all of which are designed to make the sailing experience more enjoyable. Many of us sailors enjoy trying out the latest gear, be it a sail, a chartplotter, or a snatch block. And if you’ve sailed long enough, you’ve seen gear steadily improve as innovating manufacturers come up with ever-better mousetraps. If
Purosols enzyme-based Sport/Marine cleaner is formulated to break down organic salts without harming coated lenses or displays. The manufacturer claims that Purosol breaks down the bonds that allow salt, dirt, and grime to adhere to a surface, without damaging antiglare coatings or a display units porous screen. $7.95. Origin Laboratories, 626-568-1100,
When its wet and cold outside, few fibers keep you as comfortable as wool. Smart-Wool garments are not scratchy like some woolen clothing and will keep you well insulated and free of damp, itch, and odor thanks to its internal merino wool construction. Clothing of various types for men, women, and children offer amazing warmth for the weight. See the Web site for products and prices. Smart-
Edited by David SchmidtPROBLEM SOLVERAn override on a winch can become a big problem if you dont have the right solution. The Spinlock ZS/OPEN is a mobile jammer that allows you to transfer a loaded line or sheet onto a different winch to fix the override, rearrange a bad lead, or deal with a spinnaker peel. Simply attach the Spinlock unit to the loaded
It’s been four years since racers last sailed the cold North Atlantic in the venerable Marblehead-to-Halifax race—and finally, the wait is over. The Boston Yacht Club
Learn more about how she and the magazine’s team are committed to building on SAIL’s legacy of more than 50 years as an authentic voice
“Old sailors never die, they just get a little dinghy.” It may be a hoary old joke, but one of my problems at age 79
Here’s to the humble magnetic compass, without a doubt the sailor’s most reliable instrument onboard. It’s always there for you and with the rarest of
Joseph Conrad once wrote, “The sea never changes.” And while this may or not be true, something most definitely not open for debate is the
If you can sell more than 150 catamarans off-plan before the resin has even hit the fiberglass, you must be doing something right. Despite costing
It’s a typical humid, southern Chesapeake Bay summer day when I show up on the doorstep of Latell & Ailsworth Sailmakers in the one-stoplight, one-lane-roadway,
Ever since making the controversial decision to hold the next America’s Cup in Barcelona, Spain, instead of in home waters, Defender Emirates Team New Zealand
I first heard about Capt. Liz Gillooly in 2016 from my cousin while working three jobs in our shared hometown on the North Fork of
The Goal This year, I’ve had a specific goal to be a better sailor. Some people have laughed and said, “Why do you need to
