Handheld Weather Stations
It doesn't take a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, but one of these gizmos can tell you how hard it's blowing, atmospheric pressure, and more.
Night Vision
ITT still leads the pack in our book, but there are other viable and less costly units for night ops.
Communications Options
Alongshore, you're good to go with a VHF plus Net-ready cell phone. Offshore, keep the SSB, and for heavier use include an Inmarsat system or sat phone.
The Yeoman Alternative
Looking for a way to stick with the simplicity and reliability of charts, but still get the rewards of GPS and automatic trigonometry? Consider ye olde Yeoman.
Handheld VHF Radios: Standard Horizon, Icom Dominate
The Icom IC-M1V takes top performance honors. Standard Horizon's HX350S is a Best Buy, and there are several honorable mentions.
Choose Your Own Seductions
Here's a letter and response we were going to run in Mailport this month, but we'll run it in this space instead: ----------As I...
To See and Be Seen
In the course of running the scientific evaluation of the Tri-Lens radar reflector featured in Practical Sailor's August 15, 2001 issue, Dick Honey, former senior principal scientist at SRI, sent us the following thoughts on the nature of radar reflection and detection at sea.
Family Radios
The Motorola TalkAbout takes the top spot among seven sets of these close-range alternatives to VHF radios and cell phones.
Five GPS Handhelds
Yes, it's again time to look at handheld GPS receivers, which have now officially become a consumer commodity. Sales of receivers to hikers,...
Electric Propulsion: Solomon Technologies’ High-Wire Act
It's powerful, quiet, renewable, and sometimes even free. It doesn't pollute. How severe are the drawbacks? That depends on several of your thresholds.
Hate Heeling? These Sailboats Stay More Upright
Do you—or someone you sail with—hate heeling? You’re not alone. For many sailors, excessive heel is the single biggest reason people feel uncomfortable on...
Latest Sailboat Review
Dragonfly 25-2 Boat Review
If you’ve ever dreamed of blasting across the water at 25 knots with the wind in your hair and the spray in your face...