Vinyl Boat Lettering

You may only letter or re-letter a boat once, but it's got to be done right. We wondered ... if you have no sign-maker in your family, or along your street, how would it be to order lettering online?

Airfoils

There is a poetry of sailing as old as the world. -Antoine de Sainte-ExuperyEighteen years ago, when I was working in New York, I...

Coastal Cruising Guides

A capable cruising guide can make the difference between anxiety and confidence while sailing. It can make shoreside chores efficient, and even provide good bunk reading by lamplight while the winds whistle.

Profiles in Pilotage

Many of us have been lucky enough to sail in far-flung locales-not just places like the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, the Adriatic, or the...

Chandlery: 08/15/03

Passage PillowAs we all know, sailing involves a lot of sitting, and for some reason, sitting on most boats is about as comfortable as...

In Praise Of The Wrong Stuff

We strive at Practical Sailor to identify the right stuff for our readers, but of course we're always aware that, in addition to...

Willow’s Not Weeping: An Update

No one thinks kindly of water that leaks down below into our supposedly dry sanctuaries. Nothing is more annoying than trying to sleep with...

The Flail of Spring

Do you remember spring in grade school, when the academics had started to be serious enough that there was only a bit of recess...

Seized With Impatience

Years ago, having made too many mistakes at both extremes of the fix-it mentality, either by being in too much of a hurry, or...

Our New Pal, Viv

We bought a test boat a few weeks ago-a 1988 Beneteau First 23.5. (Met her on the Internet. There was an attraction...) Actually,...

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.