Personal Gear & Apparel

Two weeks ago I had a good sized lump of skin cancer taken off my nose. Fresh incisions must be carefully protected from UV,...

As a former ER nurse and a current family practice clinician, one of the topics I get asked about most frequently by my sailing...

I love sailing and kayaking, and while some stuff is meant to get wet, sandwiches, cell phones and spare clothes would rather stay dry....

The tools and materials required to maintain and repair everything on a boat will barely fit in a room. Just the kit required to maintain vital systems will raise the waterline of a large boat and is impractical in a smaller boat. Fortunately, when day sailing and even cruising locally, all we really need to do is get back to the dock...any dock.

Regardless of your vessel type or size, having access to a clear, magnified view of your surroundings is one key to safe boating. The...

Some of us go sailing in the rain in warm weather. Some go sailing in the winter. But day sailors—and that’s most of the...

With all of the logistics, specialized knowledge and costs involved, you may be asking yourself “Why would I want to go diving?”  This is...

In general, many cruisers prefer the freedom of snorkeling to scuba diving, yet there are situations when extending the time you can spend underwater becomes a safety issue.

Whether you want to cruise the higher latitudes or extend your sailing season this winter, youll need to think about clothing. Over the years, Practical Sailor has published a number of tests and reports on garments that we can count on to keep us warm when the wind chill dips toward freezing. In this report, well take a broader look at the essentials, focusing on the first principles; under layers, accessories, how to wear them, and what materials stay dry.

Hands take a beating while sailing, from chafe, pressure points, cuts and cold. Hard heads will say “you just need to let the calluses...