Sea Anchors & Drogues

Taking bad weather bow-to or stern-to is a fundamental quandary. Much depends on your boat. Then you have to decide which sea anchor or drogue to buy. We sort through the decision tree.

Close As A Pencil Point

On May 1, President Clinton announced that the selective availability (SA) system used to degrade GPS (global positioning system) signals was terminated, effective at...

Sailor’s Knives: 14 High-End Blades Tested

The Boye Dendritic Cobalt ‘Prophet’ tops the scoring, followed by three excellent models from Benchmade

20 Electric Bilge Pumps Tested

Top performers from Attwood, Lovett, Rule, West Marine and Whale vary considerably by model, but when all is said and done, we like the Whale Supersub, Rule-Mate and Lovett 1200.

Sailor’s Knives: 14 High-End Blades Tested

The Boye Dendritic Cobalt ‘Prophet’ tops the scoring, followed by three excellent models from Benchmade

Coastal Life Rafts: Eight-Model Evaluation

Part 2— In-the-water tests and detailed examinations of coastal life rafts from DBC, Plastimo, Switlik, West Marine and Winslow finds real differences in design, performance and equipment. Our ratings will help you make a sound, safe choice.

Offshore Log: Essential Forecasting Tools

Our years of sailing in New England and the Caribbean, with their stable, predictable weather patterns, left us ill-prepared to deal with the vagaries...

Sydney-Hobart Race: Rogue Waves Do The Damage

The report on the disaster that took six lives points the finger more directly at gear and seamanship than yacht design.

Why Sailors Still Want This Slow Old Cruiser – Down East...

In this Practical Sailor boat tour, we take a deep look at the Downeaster 38, also known as the Down East 38, a classic...

Latest Sailboat Reviews

C&C 40 Used Boat Review

While C&C did not invent the racer/cruiser, the Canadian-based company has remained dedicated for two decades to the concept of the dual-purpose boat. With the notable exception of a few pure cruisers-the relatively low-performance Landfall 35, 42, 43, and 48-a racer-based cruising boat (the Landfall 38), and a real oddball (the Mega 30), most C&Cs have paid at least lip service to contemporary trends in racing boats.