Short Scope Anchor Test
In the process of our ongoing investigation on the effect of time and wind gusts on anchor setting and holding capacity, we performed limited testing at short scope and couldnt help but notice that holding capacity at short scope varied greatly. When recovering the test anchors, some anchors would lift out of the bottom while we were pulling the dinghy over to them, while others required heroic efforts even when the rode was nearly vertical.
Bruce and Bob’s Pacific Loop: A Solo Sailor’s Search for Utopia
The world is chock-a-block full of stunning, postcard-worthy cruising destinations. But pleasant aesthetics and comfort didn't guide my good friend Bruce Maunsell. Instead, he...
Setting an Anchor in a Small Boat
In our ongoing study of ways to compare, and hopefully improve the way our anchors set, weve learned that it takes time and slow, delayed setting to make best advantage of very soft mud. However, firm sand and weeds can have the opposite character-making it hard for the anchor to penetrate.
Engineless and Adrift in Panama: How Seamanship Saved Atlas IV
“Is everything okay? Your EPIRB was set off.”
It’s a call no sailor wants to receive.
For Josh Verstoep and Sierra Grant, that call set off...
Getting Weather on the Water: From VHF to Starlink
We are in the midst of a yachting weather forecasting and awareness revolution. With satellite internet technology today’s sailors have never had so much...
Old Boats, New Generations: The Real Value of Our Cruising Life
I often ask myself the point of all the effort and expense of owning a well-aged sailboat. This usually happens after I crack a...
What It Takes to Compete in the Solitaire du Figaro
La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec is a unique, solo, multi-stage annual racing format created in 1970 by Jean-Louis Guillemard and Jean-Michel Barrault. In 2025, for...
Bloody Fingers to Princess Louisa Inlet
Sailing the west coast of British Columbia over the years has opened our eyes to the beauty of this cruising ground. From Washington State...
El Salvador as a Hurricane Hole: Safe Haven or Risky Refuge?
Each spring, boats along Mexico’s Pacific Coast start making their summer plans. If they aren’t crossing the Pacific, most are deciding whether to head...
Maui to Vic: A First Ocean Crossing Experience
A lifetime of sailing the protected waters of Vancouver Island on British Columbia’s west coast has given me a wealth of sailing experience. But...

























