Years Later, Mast Mate Still Riding High
Mast steps are a great help when going aloft, but they add weight where it hurts most (aloft), and halyards love to get stuck...
Mailport: anchoring etiquette, stern-tied boats, and wind generators
Anchoring Etiquette
I really appreciated the article Anchoring in Crowded Harbors (see Practical Sailor, June 2019). The difficult and critical part is always estimating distances,...
Overheating Ropes
We have a love-hate relationship with nylon rope. When it comes to absorbing shock, it offers the best available combination of strength, elasticity, and...
Working with High-Tech Ropes
If you are working with low friction rings, sooner or later you're going to work with Amsteel and other high molecular polyethylene (HMPE) ropes,...
Adding a Polyester Cover to Dyneema Single Braid
Extremely low friction allows Amsteel and other high molecular weight polyethylene (HMPE) lines to run like lightening through low friction rings. Unfortunately, they also...
Splice Failure Linked to Fatality
You don't have to look far to find a case in point supporting our recent Practical Sailor Special Report on high-tech lines, which emphasized...
A Sure Way to Secure the Boom
When the wind really blows, the pleasant chiming of a marina takes on a different character. Above the howling of the wind is the...
Dyneema Abrasion Test
As outlined in our previous report on lifelines, high modulus polyethylene (HMPE) fiber rope has revolutionized sailboat rigging during the past decade (see Fiber...
Penny Pincher Pawl Lube
Winch pawls require a different lube the rest of the winch. The only time they are moving is under practically no load, clicking along...
Undoing Mainsheet Twist
What kind of line do you use in your davit tackle? My lines keep twisting, chafing, and jamming. The ropes run crooked in the...
The Great Loop – The Basics
Join us this week as we discuss taking a sailboat around North America's great boating adventure - The Great Loop. We discuss advice from...
