Distress

Seasickness Remedies: Start With the Least Invasive

It was back in 1995-96 that we last discussed seasickness in Practical Sailor. Reviewing the sometimes acrid letters and responses that flowed forth and...

Emergency Rigging Cutters

Dismasting is right up there among a sailor's worst nightmares. When a mast comes down at sea, no matter how or why, there's tremendous...

Daytime Distress Signals: Flares Shine in the Wind

No matter how you put out a call for help on the water—VHF, EPIRB, cell phone, or mental telepathy—sooner or later you'll need to...

PFDs Set Straight

Personal Flotation Device, or PFD—the thing you used to call a life jacket—is probably the single most important safety aid you can use on...

Wrestling With PFDs

We have a good article on PFDs this month, and it's worried me every time I've looked at it. These worries can probably be...

Brinkmann, LSI, Optronics Shine Bright in Spotlight Test

If you've ever tried to locate a channel marker on a dark night, or to read the number on an unlit buoy in the...

Fire Extinguishers: A Good Bunch, But Get More than the Minimum

Another factor that struck us is the dramatic loss of visibility that occurs when you use one of these extinguishers. Our fire became completely...

Dead-Reckoning

A friend recently made a short delivery on a boat whose compass was fully 30 degrees deviated. No one worried about it. No one...

Personal Rescue Lights: Less Than Brilliant

If theres a lesson to be learned about personal rescue lights -the kind you have strapped or pinned to your PFD for when...

Aqua Vigil Alarm Is Simple but Quirky

To prevent these catastrophes, we employ all manner of backup systems—electric bilge pumps, switches, and alarms, usually dependent on the boat's 12-volt batteries....

The No Expense Spared Antigua 60 Cruising Sailboat Soolaimon

Join us for a boat tour of the gorgeous Antigua 60 cruising sailboat Soolaimon. She boasts electric winches, a mighty Lofrans electric windlass, and...