Underwater Patching Compounds
Maybe it's more fun to contemplate a new handheld GPS, but there may come a moment when a good underwater repair compound will be the most interesting thing in your life.
Hull Hole Damage Control
The idea of serious hull damage offshore isn't one people like to dwell on, but preparation makes sense. PS interviewed offshore experts on how they plan and what they carry.
Seasickness Remedies: Start With the Least Invasive
For one chronic seasickness sufferer, the $7 Sea-Band worked pretty well. The $45 ReliefBand also worked, at the price of a sore wrist. Ginger didn't do the trick.
Emergency Rigging Cutters
The new Toolova Shootit 12 is a no-brainer at the high end-it cuts wire and rod almost like butter. At the low end, the old hacksaw does pretty well, too.
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
Confused about today’s growing number of types and styles of life jackets? No wonder. Here's a primer on the rules, as well as some common-sense advice.
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
Sixteen lights from six manufacturers.
Fire Extinguishers: A Good Bunch, But Get More than the Minimum
They all performed comparably, but we'd pick the Kidde 1044, which was somewhat effective on Class-A fires and discharged for three seconds longer than the others.
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...
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.
