December 2005
PS Advisor: 12/05
Safety Spray Hood
Subscribers Only
Atomic Tape
Subscribers Only
RailLight
Subscribers Only
CO Detectors: Fireboy/Xintex Wins; Safe-T-Alert is a Best Buy
Subscribers Only Marine carbon monoxide detectors are important. For reliability, we like the hard-wired CO Sentinels; for price, it's MTI's Safe-T-Alert.
Najad 380
Subscribers Only A well-built center-cockpit model from Scandinavia offers offshore potential and some nice frills— at a hefty price.
Mid-Priced VHF Radios: Icom and Uniden Lead the Way
Subscribers Only Icom's M422 wins by a hair, with feature-rich radios from Uniden, Navman, and West Marine not far behind. Uniden's UM525 is a Best Buy.
Coleman Wins Cooler Cool-Off
Subscribers Only The Ultimate Extreme Marine from Coleman and the expensive Frigid Rigid hold ice longer than comparably sized portable coolers from Igloo, Rubbermaid and Icey-Tek.
Gear of the Year — Top Products of 2005
Subscribers Only After reviewing the 2005 issues of the magazine, we've selected a mix of products made to improve safety, navigation, and maintenance, as well a distinctive vessel.
Mailport: 12/05
Changes in the Wind
Subscribers Only
Inside Practical Sailor Blog
San Fran 'Stand-down' = Government Meddling?
by Darrell Nicholson on May 15, 2012
The Coast Guard’s request late last month that sailors “stand-down” and suspend any offshore racing outside San Francisco Bay in the wake of last month’s tragedy in the San Francisco Yacht Club’s Farallones Race rankled more than a few Bay area sailors. The response was not surprising. Critics decried the move as draconian, driven by overzealous safety mavens, an example virulent government intrusion, trampling of personal freedoms, etc. etc. etc. It is a…
