September 2006
8 Bells for Dale Nouse
Subscribers Only "Easy come, easy go." Those were nearly Dale Nouse’s last words to me. "Easy for you to say," I retorted. "I’m the one who has to live with you gone." Our conversations were always frank. That’s the way he insisted they be—no social niceties. I’d just learned that Dale had inoperable tumors in his abdominal lining; the doctors had given him just three or four months to live. Turned out, that forecast was exceedingly optimistic. Or maybe…
Rattling Some Mooring Chain
Subscribers Only After six months, Acco proof coil looks the best of the seven test chains.
It’s Not An Ordinary Ball Cap
Subscribers Only [IMGCAP(1)]For those who haven’t heard the good word on boating from a dermatological standpoint: The sun is our enemy. One PS tester put it this way: "I’m always on the lookout for products that reduce the amount of things frozen, scraped, or burned off my hide by the dermatologist." Enter the ExtremeShade Cap from Dermafend. The ExtremeShade Cap looks like a typical ball cap, but easily transforms into a "Personal Shade System" complete with side flaps…
Take a Load Off with E-SeaRider
Subscribers Only [IMGCAP(1)]A bean bag on a boat? That’s absurd, you may say. They belong in front of basement TVs and in kids’ playrooms. We were skeptical, too. But Practical Sailor crew have been using two of the bags from E-SeaRider of St. Petersburg, Fla., for about a year—and we like them a lot. They’re appropriate for daysailing, but for anything but larger boats, storing the bulky bags would be difficult. …
The Great Goo Chase Begins
Subscribers Only Testers search for the perfect teak caulk — or at least one that doesn’t incite acts of rage.
Two-burner Cooktops
Subscribers Only Force 10 takes top honors; Origo named Budget Buy.
Nav Software Wars
Subscribers Only Maptech masters the art of making sense; at 15 years old, The Cap’n charts a new course.
Make Some Noise
Subscribers Only With so many types of sound signals, we set out to see which is the best.
Maine Cat 41
Subscribers Only Eighteen knots? Maybe not, but there’s plenty to like about this cat.
Mailport: 09/06
Cooking Fuels I am writing to inform you that for the evaluation of cooking stoves and fuels in the July 2006 issue of Practical Sailor, you did not get the alcohol fuel at anywhere near the lowest price. Alcohol fuel can be purchased at Home Depot and other home improvement and hardware stores at a much lower price. I priced it at Home Depot at $5.56/quart or $12.77/gallon. They call it "Shellac Thinner." In fine print…
Dale Nouse: 1921-2006
Subscribers Only Last month, Practical Sailor lost a good friend, a crotchety editor and talented writer, who reminded us that beneath the ceaseless stream of devices, gear, and boats that grace these pages, there lies a story. If you’ve ever been amused and entertained, or educated on matters of music, art, history, or science while reading Practical Sailor, the article was probably written by Dale Nouse. …
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…
