New England Ropes Premium Makes A Super Anchor Rode

What a sailor expects from a rope anchor rode is not very complicated. The rode should have great strength, stretch liberally, stoutly resist abrasion,...

After 17,000 Miles

Building an efficient, easy-to-maintain cruising yacht is very much an exercise in compromise and experimentation. There are literally thousands of decisions that must be...

PS Advior 05/01/98

Rerigging QuestionI enjoyed your December 1997 article on replacing wire halyards with all rope. When I considered it a few years ago, my rigger...

New Handheld GPS Plotters

No sooner had we wrapped up our review of three GPS plotters in the May 1, 1998 issue than we got a preview of...

Mast Steps: No Perfect Design

In this report, first published in 1998, we discuss various designs of mast steps for climbing, or for assisted climbing. Here is a link...

Standing Rigging: How Tight Is Right?

Standing rigging tension is a peculiarly under-addressed subject. Easy to see how it would worry a new boat owner or someone going to sea....

Offshore Log: Anchor Shackle Warning

After six months of daily use, we were surprised to discover that the shackle pin on the high-tensile galvanized shackle connecting our anchor chain...

Going Up the Mast Alone

A certain appeal of sailing is its seeming limitlessness. One can spend a lifetime perfecting navigation skills. Remember Marvin Creamer, who circumnavigated by the...

Wichard Safety Hook

We think highly of Wichard, the French stainless steel maker. So far, the company has made nothing deserving of anything less than wholehearted approval....

Scanstrut A Best Buy in Radar Mounts For Masts

Radar (radio detection and ranging) is a marvel. It was invented and patented 75 years ago. But the British perfected it for use during...

Latest Logbook

Practical Sailor Logbook – October 2026

This month leans into used-boat value and hands-on maintenance: Tim Labute tours the traditional, shoal-draft Bayfield 32, Nick Nicholson revisits the much-requested Morgan 38/382,...

Video: Catalina 356 Review – The First Boat of the Comeback

Catalina Yachts is BACK! After a change in ownership and a pause in production, Catalina has returned to building sailboats in America, and we're...

Latest Sailboat Reviews

10 New Sailboats at the 2026 Annapolis Sailboat Show

As North America’s largest sail exhibition, the Annapolis Sailboat Show always delivers a bevy of new boats. This year’s October 15-18 run didn’t disappoint,...

Cal 2-27 Used Boat Review