Getting a Clue for the Blown-Out Clew
How do you manage major sail repairs in remote locations? By using whatever you have onboard to get you home—or beyond.
After an easy three-day...
Monel Seizing Wire is Worth the Extra Cost
Just weeks ago, a fellow Corsair 24 owner dismasted due to a seizing wire failure. More than once I’ve had stainless seizing wire fail...
Need a New Headsail Furler? Here’s What’s Involved
Selden's 'complete package' approach to headsail furlers opens the door to the hands-on sailor.
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...
How to Mount Your Camera on Deck: Record Your Adventures with DIY Innovations
Most of the time I singlehand, so how do I take photographs for Practical Sailor without awkwardly holding a selfie stick? I have a...
Un-Stepping the Mast for America’s Great Loop
As a family on a sailboat traveling on the Great Loop, our crew of four aboard Fika was a bit out of the ordinary....
Headsails and Spinnakers: How to Explain Their Functions to a Beginner
Over the past few decades, we have seen a tremendous advancement in sail design technologies—innovative sail materials are now common in the marketplace and...
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.
Why Sailors Still Want This Slow Old Cruiser – Down East...
In this Practical Sailor boat tour, we take a deep look at the Downeaster 38, also known as the Down East 38, a classic...
Latest Sailboat Reviews
C&C 40 Used Boat Review
While C&C did not invent the racer/cruiser, the Canadian-based company has remained dedicated for two decades to the concept of the dual-purpose boat. With the notable exception of a few pure cruisers-the relatively low-performance Landfall 35, 42, 43, and 48-a racer-based cruising boat (the Landfall 38), and a real oddball (the Mega 30), most C&Cs have paid at least lip service to contemporary trends in racing boats.
