Preparing Yourself for Solo Sailing
Last week, I covered some of the things I suggest you need to think through on the boat before heading out solo. Now, what...
Your New Feature-Packed VHF Radio
In the ever-evolving realm of maritime communication, Digital Selective Calling (DSC) and Automatic Identification System (AIS) have emerged as game-changers within the latest models...
Preparing A Boat to Sail Solo
You have probably heard people say sailing solo is dangerous or irresponsible. How can you keep a proper watch? What happens if you have...
Solar Panels: Go Rigid If You have the Space…
Movies can be corny, but Jack Sparrow nicely summarized the romance of sailing: Thats what a ship is, you know. Its not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, thats what a ship needs but what a ship is ... what the Black Pearl really is... is freedom.
Leaping Into Lithium
Your dock neighbor just switched out her old 12-volt lead-acid batteries for lithium-ion batteries. Should you? The lithium solution will be more expensive, but...
The Tricked Out Tillerpilot
Self-contained tillerpilots are a simple and darn handy means of steering a smaller sailboat, particularly when sailing solo. For the singlehander a tillerpilot is...
Resolving Common Steering Problems
Your steering packed it in and you are stuck with either your emergency tiller or an emergency rudder and tiller. These often require the...
Sketching Out Installation Options
I worked through the alternative steering geometries and forces using trigonometry. An easier way to evaluate various installations is to use a triangle, ruler,...
Essential Tillerpilot Accessories
Tillerpilots don’t come with the even the most basic accessories we need, so our options are to order overpriced widgets or to improvise.
RETAINER (PHOTO...
A Modified Tillerpilot Setup
Having two different locations for attaching the tillerpilot to the tiller can be a practical alternative for smaller boats that won’t produce loads that...
Bahamas for $5000? The Watkins 27 foot Sailboat
Is the Watkins 27 the ultimate small cruising sailboat? In this video, we take a deep dive into the Watkins 27 — a classic...
Latest Sailboat Review
Tartan 30: An Affordable Classic
The early 1970s was the heyday of the Tartan 30' racer/cruiser. In all, no less than two dozen boats of a similar size and type were introduced in just three years, many of them to become highly successful among sailors eager for the performance and amenities of big boats at a modest price. Among the most noteworthy and enduring of the 30-footers from this era has been the Tartan 30.