Inside Practical Sailor

I've always admired adventurers in small boats. If I were to trace my sea addiction it would likely be to Kon-Tiki, a book that fell into my hands as a boy. So I was happy this month to get the chance to spend some time aboard Kevin Jeffrey's Norseboat 21.5, the sort of craft that inspires small boat adventures. In fact, two Royal Marines were so taken by Jeffrey's Norseboat 17.5, that they sailed one through the Northwest Passage.

In keeping with this blog's theme of offering a glimpse of what's going on "inside" Practical Sailor, this post-our second since we've revamped the new website-will offer a brief introduction to who is behind these missives. Most of the posts from the old Inside Practical Sailor blog have been transferred over here, but a few entries, including biographies of other crew at Practical Sailor have not. We'll find a home for these at the Practical-sailor.com soon.

Practical Sailor is pleased to announce its completely redesigned website. Practical Sailor is the independent resource for sailboat and gear tests for the serious sailor.

San Diego port officials forwarded the Final Report on Safer Alternatives to Copper Alternatives to Antifouling Paints for Marine Vessels to the EPA on Feb. 4. Presenting data on a wide range of alternative antifouling paints that contain limited or no harmful biocides, the 152-page report is based on both controlled panel tests and field tests on several different powerboats and sailboats that berth in the port district.

San Diego port officials forwarded the Final Report on Safer Alternatives to Copper Alternatives to Antifouling Paints for Marine Vessels to the EPA on Feb. 4. Presenting data on a wide range of alternative antifouling paints that contain limited or no harmful biocides, the 152-page report is based on both controlled panel tests and field tests on several different powerboats and sailboats that berth in the port district.

Quality Marine Importer, Quickline, Recalls UFS8 Swivel Designed For Use With 1/4- and 5/16-inch Anchor Chains.

As most sailors have found, trying to use a typical laptop WiFi card to connect to a marina or yacht club hotspot doesn't cut it. A more acceptable compromise is an amplified WiFi card which can theoretically boost transmission power to about 1,000 milliwatts.

Tom Yale, of Yale Cordage, unveils the companys new Ph.D. (Performance Handling Delivered) single-braid Spectra 1000/polyester line.

Several alert Practical Sailor readers passed on news reports regarding new research by Professor Anders Blomberg at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. Blomberg reports that his team, along with researchers in Finland, has discovered the gene that reacts to a medetomidine, a veterinary medicine that has been shown to prevent barnacle larvae from attaching to boat hulls.

In response to a Practical Sailor query regarding the design of a popular offshore safety tether, West Marine issued a voluntary recall of its tether (Model 9553512).