Anchoring Mooring

Master the Sailing Basics: Never Stop Learning the Little Things

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

Practical Sailor Classic: The Load on Your Rode

Our time spent testing anchors has prompted some important musings; we offer the following thoughts regarding the forces and factors to be considered before purchasing anchors and rodes.

Anchor Rodes for Smaller Sailboats

The usual advice for anyone seeking all-rope anchor rode is usually to just get some three-strand nylon anchor. The makes sense. Three-strand nylon is inexpensive, wears best, and is easy to splice. But one size, or even one type of rope, does not necessarily fit all situations.

Ground Tackle Inspection Tips

Your anchoring system is only as strong as its weakest component, which includes not only the rode, but also shackles, splices, mooring bitts, cleats - in short, any gear used to secure your boat while at anchor. Proper maintenance includes inspection of these as well as laying the rode out for thorough examination at least annually.

The Science of Stern Anchoring

Sailboats yaw at anchor. In prior reports we discussed seriously yawing can compromise anchor security, and we talked about how a riding sail can...

Anchorage Tactics for Sudden Storms

On August 18, a sudden, violent storm ripped through the island of Corsica, packing winds up to 140 mph and tossing once safely moored...

Setting Up Your Own ‘Floating’ Genoa Lead

When setting up a floating lead system, you need to establish the maximum range of positions you may need. With a track system, the...

Anchor Trip-line Tricks

An anchor trip line is a stout line connected from the after end of the anchor fluke to a marker buoy so that the...

Other Methods to Control Yaw

Yawing is the result of imbalance between windage (you want it aft) and underwater resistance (you want it forward). If the center of windage...

Drogues to Dampen Yaw

A leading cause of anchor dragging is yawing so vigorously that either the soil around the anchor is liquefied, or the anchor simply capsizes....

Carl Alberg’s Family Sailboat for the Ocean – Alberg 37

Are you looking for a family sailboat that can cross the ocean and sail the Caribbean in safety and comfort? Carl Alberg designed the...

Latest Sailboat Review

Irwin Citation 34 Used Boat Review

The Irwin 34 is in many respects a typical Irwin boat. It was originally called the "Citation 34," which was meant to indicate that it was more of a plush cruiser than the race-oriented Irwins at the time, but more of a racer than the larger cruisers. According to the company, 305 Irwin 34s were built in the production run, from 1978 to 1985, a moderate but successful model for the era. Near the end of its production, the boat was advertised as the Irwin 34 rather than the Citation 34. There were no major changes in the boat from beginning to end, just the details and equipment that are typical of any long production run.