Safety & Seamanship

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.

For this review, Practical Sailor collected, from the hundreds available, 18 steering compasses. Included are binnacle, bulkhead and bracket models, plus several interesting ones shown only in photos. Except for the bronze Telltale compass shown on page 7, all have 12V lighting and gimbal systems.

A friend recently made a short delivery on a boat whose compass was fully 30 degrees deviated. No one worried about it. No one...

With great relief, Calypso sailed northwest from Israel to Cyprus, our first stop in the more European part of the Mediterranean.

Lexan vs. PlexiIm planning to replace my wooden companionway boards with translucent plastic. Is there a difference between Lexan and plexiglass? Can both be...

ACR slightly outshone the rest of a dim group. These lights can help in a quick pick-up, but youre unlikely to see them beyond a half-mile in most sea conditions.

With great relief, Calypso sailed northwest from Israel to Cyprus, our first stop in the more European part of the Mediterranean.

With little ceremony other than the relief of dropping our pilot off in Port Said, Calypso was spat out of the Red Sea and into the Mediterranean.û

With little ceremony other than the relief of dropping our pilot off in Port Said, Calypso was spat out of the Red Sea and into the Mediterranean.û

Nothing is scarier than seeing water coming into your boat. If you're not aboard to see the spectacle, you'll be safe — but it might be curtains for your boat.