Offshore Log:Do You Know Where Your Emergency Tiller Is?
The great racing sailor, Paul Elvstrom, preferred the superior sensitivity of tiller steering to wheel steering even on larger offshore boats. Elvstrom, however, seems...
Safety Tethers Under Scrutiny
On November 18, 2017, Simon Speirs, an experienced sailor, went overboard while at the bow assisting with a headsail change on a Clipper Round...
Fire Extinguisher Test
The clean-agent extinguishers won't damage computers, engines, or electrical panels, but they can form toxic by-products when applied to a fire. Each clean-agent extinguisher...
Skip Allan Says Farewell to His Beloved Wildflower on Transpacific Crossing
Practical Sailors June and July 2008 issues documented veteran West Coast racer Skip Allans preparations for the 2008 Singlehanded TransPac, a race he eventually...
Cold-weather Gloves Face Freezing Rain, Hail, and Snow during Practical Sailor Test
Cold-weather sailing apparel needs to be more waterproof, more windproof, and much warmer than gear for most other cold-weather activities. To find the best...
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....
Life Raft Inspection, an Inside Look
If five or six years have elapsed since your life raft was purchased or repacked, you are risking the chance that the raft wont...
COB Recovery — Making Contact
Contrast that willful optimism with a comment made by one of our skippers, Ross Stein, who has seen two sailors fall overboard in his...
CO Detectors: Its MTI Safe-T-Alert
Combine any enclosed occupied space with a combustion process and you have the recipe for possible carbon monoxide poisoning. An inboard-powered boat, by definition,...
Float Coats Tested
When you go overboard without meaning to, your world is almost literally turned upside down. Even in the best conditions, you’ll quickly want as...
Universal Diesel Engines – What You Should Know
This week we take a look at the Universal Diesel Sailboat Engine and its history including the Atomic 4 sailboat engine followed by the...
