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How to

Ask SAIL: Smoking Diesel Engine

SMOKING DIESEL Q: I have noticed black smoke from my diesel under high rpm, over 2,000, and suspect unburned fuel to be the cause. I

Chartering with Newbies

Chartering with people who have never done it before? No problem, so long as you consider their needs, interests, fears, budgets and passions. It’s also

Handy Printable VHF Reminder

There’s a right way to communicate via VHF radio—and many wrong ways. The reason for VHF protocol is to avoid ambiguity and ensure that messages

Know how: Sailing 101

To begin       You don’t need to know much about how a piston engine works in order to drive a car. You get in, turn on the engine, shift into gear, step on the gas, and off you go.      In a sailboat, though, you play a far more active role in harnessing the energy that propels you forward. You can get

Know-How: Boatyard Navigation

If you have your boatyard help out with repairs, upgrades and routine maintenance, you can often be one of the first to launch in the

Ask SAIL: Holding Tank Blockage

HOLDING TANK BLOCKAGE Q: I recently purchased a 34ft cruising boat that has been sitting unused for a couple of years. Everything is great except

Choosing & Using AIS

In the 15 years since the marine AIS (Automatic Identification System) was introduced, many thousands of AIS receivers and transceivers have been sold for yacht

DIY: Replacing Track

Here is a sad truth relating to older boats: the more desirable the piece of equipment you want to install, the harder it is to remove its predecessor.

This 2026 Top 10 winner is a functional and fashionable update to the 410.

Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 415

Developed in record time and on a shoestring budget, a new design hits the bullseye of the cruising market. 

Boat under shrinkwrap

Selecting a Marine Pro

Note: This story is excerpted from SAIL Contributing Editor Christopher Birch’s upcoming book The Four Seasons of Boat Maintenance—a compendium of lessons learned during his

Squalls at night are no joke, but good preparation will get you through safely. Photo courtesy of Andy Schell

Storms & Sea Stories

The wind built faster than it was forecasted to. We ate dinner with full sail, close-reaching on a building SSW’ly breeze. Before dark we had

Photo: Lisa Smith Molinari

A Charter Passage Rewritten

Sailing on a schedule is famously a recipe for disaster, but on charter you don’t have much of a choice. The adventure is what you make of it. 

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