Shopping Sail Shape
I am a Florida coastal cruiser looking to replace the roller-furled 135-percent genoa on my Tartan 3500. One sailmaker says cross-cut is the only...
Practical Sailors 2009 Rope Clutch Review
Testers put six rope clutches through their paces on a test jig that measured line tension, line slippage, and the clutches holding ability over...
Practical Sailor Tests the Alado Jib Furler
Practical Sailor finds the Alado Nautica headsail furler to be easy to install and a worthwhile sail-handling tool. One feature that sets the Alado...
Heavy Weather Sailing Gear
From sea anchors, drogues, and trysails to forereaching and heaving to, tactics and gear for surviving a storm at sea vary greatly. During a...
Getting Rid of Mold and Mildew Onboard
Among the marine maintenance products Practical Sailor evaluated recently were 14 pump-spray mildew cleaners to find out which one was the most effective at...
Practical Sailor Names 13 Products Best Gear of the Year
Practical Sailor’s annual wrap-up of the year’s best sailing equipment looks at our favorite top-rated products from November 2007 to November 2008, including the...
Farewell to Skip Allans S/V Wildflower
Anyone who has ever run before a gale knows how exhilarating it can be. On the right boat, in the right conditions, the adrenaline...
Farewell to Skip Allans S/V Wildflower
Anyone who has ever run before a gale knows how exhilarating it can be. On the right boat, in the right conditions, the adrenaline...
Snatch Block Test Update
Although it has a comparatively small sheave diameter (1.75 inches), the RF-6831 can handle loads up to 3,310 pounds, which is on par with...
A Tale of Two Trysails
A storm trysail rarely gets the close look it deserves. Designed to replace the mainsail in a severe storm, it spends most of its...