Collision at Anchor
It was a bright mid-summer afternoon as we sailed towards our favorite local marine park only a few miles from our home port of...
Reading the Telltales on Your Sails
Even the most laid-back cruiser has days when he would like to get there an hour sooner. But speed is not the only reason to fine-tune sail trim. Proper sail trim can often eliminate the noise of motoring. Properly trimmed sails last longer.
Non-Skid Tapes for Boats
Slips and falls will probably always be the greatest hazard on a sailboat, whether the result is a trip over the side, a knee slammed into the deckhouse, or a tumble down the companionway.
Five Best Old Fart Tips
Sailing is actually getting easier as I get older, in part because I make fewer mistakes, but also because I’ve added some old fart...
Lightning Protection 101
We now have permanent research satellites in orbit whose sole function is to monitor and study global lightning activity. Like so many areas of...
How to Cleat Your Lines—Properly
I never thought I would be motivated or feel the need to write an article, let alone a video, on how to properly cleat...
Navigation Light Solutions for your Dinghy
Many of us have seen it—nighttime running of unlit dinghies in full stealth mode (minus the sound of a full-throttle outboard) ripping through mooring...
Not Falling Off: A Guide
We spend a lot of time talking about PFDs, man overboard procedures, jacklines and tethers. But those are all safety measures intended to help...
The Best Bosun’s Chair Might Not Be a Bosun’s Chair at All
I’ve long thought there must be a safer, more comfortable way to go up our mast than a Bosun’s Chair. When I criticized our...
NauticEd: The Best Way to Learn Sailing’s Rules of the Road
If you grew up sailing small boats, the basic rules about “when yachts meet” are now part of your DNA. Upwind, a boat on...
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.
