Where Credit is Due: Ideal Windlass and Marinco

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Cliffe Raymond

Ideal Windlass

Our 20-year-old Ideal windlass seemed a bit wimpy last fall, so we pulled it and took it back to the Ideal (www.idealwindlass.com) factory in Rhode Island for a rebuild. What a place! It looks like a set for a Charles Dickens movie. However, the work is great, and the windlass now seems to work as good as when it was new. The work was on time, and the cost was about a 10th of the price of a new one.

Garry and Leslie Schneider
Via email

Marinco

Prior to cruising to the Bahamas last fall, I purchased a Marinco EEL power cord (see PS August 2012 online) from a local boating supply store. Recently, the exterior cover separated from the end plug, exposing the underlying insulation. I contacted Marinco (www.marinco.com), and they immediately replaced the power cord at zero expense to me. Great service!

Andy Sonis
Sowwanin, Sabre 456
Manchester, Mass.

Darrell Nicholson
Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 50 years. Supported entirely by subscribers, Practical Sailor accepts no advertising. Its independent tests are carried out by experienced sailors and marine industry professionals dedicated to providing objective evaluation and reporting about boats, gear, and the skills required to cross oceans. Practical Sailor is edited by Darrell Nicholson, a long-time liveaboard sailor and trans-Pacific cruiser who has been director of Belvoir Media Group's marine division since 2005. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license, has logged tens of thousands of miles in three oceans, and has skippered everything from pilot boats to day charter cats. His weekly blog Inside Practical Sailor offers an inside look at current research and gear tests at Practical Sailor, while his award-winning column,"Rhumb Lines," tracks boating trends and reflects upon the sailing life. He sails a Sparkman & Stephens-designed Yankee 30 out of St. Petersburg, Florida. You can reach him by email at practicalsailor@belvoir.com.