Safety At Sea Full Interview With Joe Cooper
Joe Cooper joins us for a full-length interview about safety at sea giving us advice he’s obtained from his decades of ocean sailing and racing including his experience in the America’s Cup, Bermuda 1-2 racing, and his teaching career. We discuss how to mentally prepare for passage-making on typical production-style boats including training seminars, the use of PFDs, jack lines, and crew overboard drills. Joe graces us with his knowledge of the sport and how to stay safe out there in the ocean.
Medical Emergency on a BVI Charter
Just another beautiful BVI day. The forecast was for  87 degrees and sunny and the weather Gods were in fine form, with a predictable...
What Your Boat and the Baltimore Super Container Ship May Have in Common
When the mega container ship Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge at 1:28 am on Tuesday, March 26, the world saw a remote...
Check Your Shorepower System for Hidden Dangers
One of the often overlooked maintenance items in the pre-season rush to the water is the AC shorepower system. Over the years of surveying, Ive amassed a small collection of scary photos from past surveys showing the common examples of neglect to this critical system.
How Can I Keep My Kids Safe Onboard?
Safety is always a priority on the water. When you add the unpredictable nature of kids to the mix, the stakes are even higher....
Safer Sailing: Add Leg Loops to Your Harness
Recent fatalities involving racing sailors raised a long-simmering concern weve had regarding the harness and tether design, and the shortcomings of current design when used aboard boats that cruise at double-digit speeds. Although these harness and tethers might keep a sailor from going overboard, the impact loads transmitted via the harness and tether can exceed what the human body can endure (see Building a Custom Safety Tether, PS December 2017).
Rethinking MOB Prevention
Man overboard gear standards are behind the times because the sample size is tiny and the facts surrounding an accident are often clouded and disguised by difficult circumstances. But fixing this is pretty simple; piggyback on standards that have been developed for climbing and industry. The following are just some of the steps that a sailor can take to improve his chances of staying on board.
The Pros and Cons of Cockpit Foot Braces
The sensation that you are about to slide to leeward is familiar to most small-boat sailors. But that slip-sliding-away feeling isn’t reserved to small...
Identifying Fishing Vessels and Right of Way
One of the most common right-of-way situations that a sailing boat will encounter will involve fishing boats, so it is important to be aware...
Gearing Up for Hurricane Season
My old home island of Guam got whacked by a Supertyphoon Mawar on Wednesday. Power is still out, so still no word from friends....
Latest Logbook
Practical Sailor Logbook – September 2026
In September we tour the Hans Christian 48T — the offshore cruiser many sailors call the holy grail — walk the custom Antigua 60...
Video: The BEST Sailboat You Can Buy for $35,000 – Catalina...
If you’re searching for a mid-30-foot sailboat, affordable cruising sailboat, liveaboard sailboat, first sailboat, or a capable used sailboat for coastal cruising, the Catalina...
Latest Sailboat Reviews
Cal 2-27 Used Boat Review
Our story begins in 1970, with the introduction of the Cal 29. Looking for something similar but a bit smaller, the company asked designer Bill Lapworth for a 27-footer, which at first was the Cal 27, a fin keel, spade rudder design with a convertible pop top; another incarnation of this basic hull was the T/2. But the concept of the 29 found its full expression in the Cal 2-27, which began production in 1975 and continued to 1977, after which it was again modified and called simply the Cal 27...again. Production of it ceased in 1986.
