Fire prevention
Fire! It's a scary enough thought while ashore. Just imagine cowering in the cockpit of your boat, staring down the companionway as ugly black smoke starts to pour out. What do you do now? If you don't have an answer,…
Voyaging Tips
Voyaging Tips: Adding crewmembers
Adding crew for a passage or longer raises issues for a voyaging couple or family. We look at this facet of voyaging in…
Voyaging Tips, October 2020
Editor’s note: This piece originally appeared in the Ocean Cruising Club’s monthly bulletin (oceancruisingclub.org). It is in the nature of cruising that skippers occasionally have to repair a system about which they may have little knowledge. It has been my…
Securing for sea
Attaching gear to lifelines and stanchions is generally not wise and sometimes dangerous.
Emergency tillers
Emergency tillers are important items that usually appear designed with little consideration to actual use, and are often given equally little attention by their owners.
All wave energy must pass
The weather is approaching, and you are checking the lines on your boat.
Sleep deprivation
You are headed into rough weather and thinking to yourself that you’re not going to get much sleep in the next few days.
Grabbing a mooring ball
Watching someone pick up a mooring ball has always been a source of amusement while sitting at anchor with an afternoon cocktail in hand.
Anchor chain swivels
Recently, there has been a good deal of interest in swivels placed between one’s anchor and chain.
Reincarnation for retired flip-flops
Retired flip-flops have proven to be incredibly useful on board our Tayana 37, Active Transport.
Satellite hot spot offshore
In a recent issue, we spoke about our selection of software for our upcoming passages across the Indian Ocean (“Voyaging electronics,” July/August 2018).
Cellphone solutions while cruising
With the advent of cellphones, smartphones, and 3G and 4G data, the use of Wi-Fi and “Internet cafes” is diminishing.
Fitting a new SSB antenna
A couple of years ago, good friends from Islesboro, Maine, lost their rig overboard on their 40-foot sailboat off St. John’s, Newfoundland.
New holly and wild cherry floor
We had wanted a new cabin sole/floor in our 1972 Tartan 34.5 for several years.
Must-have boat gadgets
You can go crazy adding all sorts of tools and gadgets to your boat, many of which you might never use.
Finding a South Pacific weather window
We're stuck. Stuck in the eddy between New Zealand and the islands of Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
What is the ITCZ and why does it matter?
We were warned about the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) well before we left on our Pacific crossing.
Plugging bottom holes
Our very well-preserved 1972 Tartan 34.5 had two paddle wheel-type knot meters and two 2-inch thru-hull depth sounder transducers.
Easy-to-make fender covers
Fenders, as most sailors know, act as bumpers to keep your boat off the dock and prevent its hull from being scratched or chafed by whatever protrudes from the dock, like cement or wood pilings.
Homemade burglar alarm
The problem with all the battery-powered burglar alarms we have found at hardware stores is that the alarms were neither louder nor more frightening than a chirping canary.
Checking hoses
As a surveyor, it is my job to inspect hoses for problems as I go about my inspections.
Stuffing box inspection and replacement
The stuffing box is a critical part of the boat. It allows a driveshaft to spin through the hull without allowing water to pour into the vessel. These units are often deep down in the boat, behind the engine and with limited access.
Navigation by Google Maps
We all use charts for navigation, either paper or electronic, but undoubtedly have found that charts come in varying degrees of accuracy.
Are you over-propped?
Before heading out on a long multi-year trip, you might want to consider taking a good look at your propeller.
