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...
Discover the Cool New Tortue 147 Aluminum Catamaran | Ultimate Shallow-Water...
In this video, we take a deep dive into the Tortue 147, a brand-new aluminum catamaran designed for adventure, freedom, and exploration. Built tough...
Latest Sailboat Review
Beneteau First 345 Used Boat Review
The Beneteau First 345 was designed as a moderate displacement racer/cruiser, and much of its popularity has been because of its success in blending the two functions. In fact, it could be said that the First is a racing boat that contains a cruising interior. The architect is Jean Berret, a Frenchman noted for his cruising and racing designs (he designed the 1985 Admiral's Cup winner, Phoenix, a Beneteau one-tonner).