GMDSS: Mass Confusion?
Recently we received the following e-mail from reader Gerard Lacroix, asking questions about radio communications that must be on the minds of others. Your...
Handbearing Compasses: Plastimo Iris
One of the most time-consuming chores at Practical Sailor is finding, selecting and assembling the products to be tested. Even before we figure out...
Offshore Log: An Evolution in EPIRBs
New GPS-connected EPIRBs and ACR's forthcoming Personal Locator Beacon promise to improve search and rescue operations at sea.
Top 10 Products for 1999
Our annual selection of outstanding equipment, headlined this year by the Spade anchor, Nexus instruments and the Isotemp water heater.
Banish Junky Anchor Rode Markers
For the boat owner who thinks he has everything, there is yet still another bit of electronic wizardry…a widget that tells you how much...
Mailport 08/01/00
Handheld GPSI have the greatest respect for the equipment reviews in Practical Sailor, but I think that you overlooked very critical attributes for your...
Close As A Pencil Point
On May 1, President Clinton announced that the selective availability (SA) system used to degrade GPS (global positioning system) signals was terminated, effective at...
Light Dimmer and Motor Controller
Occasionally, there are times when you would like to control the lighting brightness in the cabin-intimate settings, night sailing without adequate red lights in...
Offshore Log: Essential Forecasting Tools
Our years of sailing in New England and the Caribbean, with their stable, predictable weather patterns, left us ill-prepared to deal with the vagaries...
Latest Logbook
Practical Sailor Logbook – September 2026
In September we tour the Hans Christian 48T — the offshore cruiser many sailors call the holy grail — walk the custom Antigua 60...
Video: If You See This on a Used Sailboat, Walk Away
If you’re searching the used sailboat market, comparing sailboats for sale, or learning how to inspect a sailboat before buying, these are the red...
Latest Sailboat Reviews
Cal 2-27 Used Boat Review
Our story begins in 1970, with the introduction of the Cal 29. Looking for something similar but a bit smaller, the company asked designer Bill Lapworth for a 27-footer, which at first was the Cal 27, a fin keel, spade rudder design with a convertible pop top; another incarnation of this basic hull was the T/2. But the concept of the 29 found its full expression in the Cal 2-27, which began production in 1975 and continued to 1977, after which it was again modified and called simply the Cal 27...again. Production of it ceased in 1986.
