Safety & Seamanship

Buyer’s Guide: Children’s PFDs

When it comes to safety precautions, kids usually think less is better. Fortunately for them, parents (and the US Coast Guard) disagree. Since...

Buyer’s Guide: Handheld Emergency Flares

Aerial flares, such as we reported on in the March 1999 issue, are intended to attract attention. Theyre designed to alert a potential rescuer...

Buyer’s Guide: Simrad CP32 and RayChart 520 Top Gray Scale GPS/Chartplotters

Like some form of electro-mechanical Darwinism, GPS chartplotters continue to evolve into many subsets, each filling a potential niche. There are more than a...

Offshore Log: Rigged For Downwind

A cruising boat has for downwind sailing much the same hardware as a racing boat. The only difference is that the cruising boat is...

Sunscreens: We Test Nine

Nowadays, maximum sun times and ozone reports are part of the daily news. More and more people worry about the chances of getting a...

Offshore Log: America’s Cup Triumphs and Failures

This is the way the world endsThis is the way the world ends:Not with a bang, but with a whimper.-T.S. EliotThe world of America's...

Life Rafts: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

by Douglas S. RitterMore critically perhaps, righting instructions were often woefully deficient; volunteers ignorant of the proper technique weren't helped much. At night, for...

Comings and Goings

Weve been aware for some years that the Loran navigation system is presumably on the way out, this despite the fact that the global...

GMDSS: Mass Confusion?

Recently we received the following e-mail from reader Gerard Lacroix, asking questions about radio communications that must be on the minds of others. Your...

Handbearing Compasses: Plastimo Iris

One of the most time-consuming chores at Practical Sailor is finding, selecting and assembling the products to be tested. Even before we figure out...

Beneteau 423: What You Should Know | Boat Review

Looking to buy a 40-45 foot sailboat? Considering a Beneteau 423? See a Beneteau 423 for sale? What are the pros and cons of...