Rhumb Lines: Livin’ the Wharf Rat Life
Named after the enterprising expat who “developed” the former Navy boat repair basin on the island of Guam, Gerberville barely qualified as marina. Our...
Rhumb Lines: Lessons from Hurricane Ian
Well, Hurricane Ian plowed south of the refuge-by-default for Opal, the 1971 Yankee 30 I spent a good part of last year working on. With...
Rhumb Lines: Cold Weather Sailing
For the first year since escaping New England to take the helm of Practical Sailor in 2005, I’ll be experiencing a true autumn in Marquette, MI—a...
Rhumb Lines: Getting a Grip on Gloves
My grandfather had two good digits on his left hand, the thumb and pinky. The other three were sliced off just above the cuticles....
Rhumb Lines: Salute to the Miracle Glues
In a stick-built boat, a shipwright builds piece-by-piece the interior furnishing—lockers, berths, settees, etc. The interior structures on contemporary boats, by comparison, are often...
Rhumb Lines: Learning by (Not) Doing
With many of our readers wrapping up their spring pre-launch projects, I thought it would be a good time to offer a brief update...
The Solo Sailor’s Quandary
Whether it is simply the curse of age or my diminished capacity for self-delusion, my efforts at creating a small boat fit for single-handed...
A C-22 Out in the Wild
Many of the most interesting cruising areas in Florida are inaccessible to the average cruising boat. The Florida Bay between the southern tip of...
Stay Safe this Spring
The past couple of months I’ve been engaged in an ongoing struggle to remove all the deck paint and primer from Opal, the 1971...
The PS Power Subscriber
Another runner has made it! It’s always nice to get an email or letter from an appreciative reader letting me know they’ve escaped the...
Lagoon 55 – The Perfect Charter Boat for Your Caribbean Vacation
Looking for the ultimate sailing vacation in the Caribbean? Step aboard the Lagoon 55, a modern catamaran that combines luxury, comfort, and performance—making it...
Latest Sailboat Review
Irwin Citation 34 Used Boat Review
The Irwin 34 is in many respects a typical Irwin boat. It was originally called the "Citation 34," which was meant to indicate that it was more of a plush cruiser than the race-oriented Irwins at the time, but more of a racer than the larger cruisers. According to the company, 305 Irwin 34s were built in the production run, from 1978 to 1985, a moderate but successful model for the era. Near the end of its production, the boat was advertised as the Irwin 34 rather than the Citation 34. There were no major changes in the boat from beginning to end, just the details and equipment that are typical of any long production run.