Safety & Seamanship

Inflatable PFDs Put to the Test

The UK-made Crewsaver's Crewfit takes first prize in our test of nine vests. The hitch—it's not USCG approved. Mustang is our runner-up.

EPIRB Update: 09/04

In the wake of independent tests conducted by the Equipped to Survive Foundation (ETS), wherein the GPS components of two EPIRB models from McMurdo...

Headings: The Academy of the Sea

Closing out 25 years of regular contributions, our Editor-at-Large bids adieu with advice from this year's Newport-Bermuda Race.

Life on the Edge—State of the Art Boatbuilding

Most of us have boats built of fiberglass and have only a vague idea that the hard outer surface is made of gelcoat. Beyond that, our knowledge of the boatbuilding process approaches zero.

Safe and Sound

As of this summer, Practical Sailor enters its fourth decade as a journal of fact and opinion pertaining to the gear and equipment we...

Life on the Edge—State of the Art Boatbuilding

Most of us have boats built of fiberglass and have only a vague idea that the hard outer surface is made of gelcoat. Beyond that, our knowledge of the boatbuilding process approaches zero.

Headings: Trickle-Down Safety

Those who sanction entries for offshore races offer some essential lessons.

EPIRB Test

An independent evaluation of GPS-equipped 406-MHz EPIRBs leads to the suspension of sales of two models from McMurdo.

Headings: Navigation, Then and Now

Between Marion-Bermuda and Newport-Bermuda events, June 18 will mark Nick Nicholson's 18th race to the Onion Patch, and his 25th year as an offshore navigator. He compares the racing navigator's role and methods in 1979 with those in 2004.

Fee-Based Weather Forecasts

We compared four forecasting services — three for pay, one free, on an East Coast passage to Bermuda.

Bahamas for $5000? The Watkins 27 foot Sailboat

Is the Watkins 27 the ultimate small cruising sailboat? In this video, we take a deep dive into the Watkins 27 — a classic...
How Long Do Sails Last? video from Practical Sailor

How Long Do Sails Last?

Latest Sailboat Review

Jeanneau 55 Boat Review

This recent sailboat from Jeanneau may as well be a spaceship. They’ve taken all the time-honored designs of a monohull aft cockpit and turned...