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Safety & Seamanship

Collision Avoidance Confusion

The Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (COLREGs) cover the rules of navigation and lights and shapes that sailors...

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....

PS Advisor: Complacency and the Experienced Sailor

The past few years have made it clear that age and experience doesn’t necessarily translate into safety on the water. In fact, a number...

Rhumb Lines: Eight Bells for Charley Morgan

Legendary sailor and yacht designer Charley Morgan passed away on January 6, 2023. He was 93 years old. Outspoken, self-assured, indefatigable, Charley was all...

Rhumb Lines: Seamanship, Not Size, Is What Counts

Years ago, one of my first assignments as a sailing editor was to join the famous sailor and yacht designer Steve Dashew and his...

Rhumb Lines: The Saddest Story I Ever Heard

The familiar opening sentence to Ford Madox Ford’s classic “The Good Soldier” in the headline above could easily apply to “The Boy Who Fell...

Rhumb Lines: Lessons from Hurricane Ian

Well, Hurricane Ian plowed south of the refuge-by-default for Opal, the 1971 Yankee 30 I spent a good part of last year working on. With...

Anchoring in Bad Bottoms

Seamanship is about big concepts and small skills. They work together, but we see them differently and they represent different types of learning. Big...

Damage Control at Sea

For many boaters, damage control means a cell phone call to Sea Tow, Tow Boat US or another marine assistance provider. These are reliable...

Steering with a Broken Rudder

Cruising Club of America member Mike Keyworth, has done some significant research into emergency steering. Mike has had decades worth of ocean racing and...

Island Packet 370: What You Should Know | Boat Review

Interested in buying an Island Packet 370 sailboat? Find an Island Packet for sale? Looking to sell your boat? Practical Sailor editor Tim Labute...