Spotting Buoys
Excerpted from The Art of Seamanship by Ralph Naranjo
Two important pieces of gear help in spotting buoys.
Spotlights. A bright spotlight and a good pair...
11 Keys to Navigation
Excerpted from The Art of Seamanship by Ralph Naranjo
In the book The Art of Seamanship, we discuss these keys to navigation which together form...
Sail Repair
Excerpted from The Art of Seamanship by Ralph Naranjo
We don’t practice the art of repairing sails at sea as much as we used to,...
Making Sure the Right Strings Are Attached
Excerpted from The Art of Seamanship by Ralph Naranjo
Cordage and performance go hand in hand, and when replacing halyards, sheets, guys, toppings lifts, outhauls,...
Attributes of a Good Crewmember
Excerpted from The Art of Seamanship by Ralph Naranjo
Capable crewmembers are attuned to the vessel they’re aboard and the mission it serves. Daysailors, ocean...
Who’s Paying?
Excerpted from Renee D. Petrillo’s A Sail of Two Idiots
In 2006 the boat market was still doing pretty well, if you were a seller....
Hauling Out and DIY
Excerpted from Renee D. Petrillo’s A Sail of Two Idiots
While on Grenada, we discovered that our boat insurance was coming due and that the...
Storm 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...
Asymmetrical Spinnakers
Asymmetrical spinnakers – “A-sails” as many sailors have grown to refer to them – are in many respects a simplification of the conventional, symmetrical...
Playing the Musical Sails Game
While having a robust sail inventory is considered a must on most racing sailboats, it’s often thought to be more of a luxury for...
Before You Buy a Beneteau Watch This First – Hanse 430E...
Thinking about buying a 40–45 foot cruising sailboat? Before you default to a Beneteau, Jeanneau, Catalina, or Hunter, this in-depth Practical Sailor review takes...
Latest Sailboat Review
Tartan 33 Used Boat Review
In 1978, Tartan brought out the Tartan Ten, a 33', fairly light, fractionally-rigged "offshore one design." The boat was a huge success: fast, easy to sail, and unencumbered by the design limitations of a rating rule. But the Tartan Ten had one big problem: limited accommodations with stooping headroom, an interior most kindly described as spartan. A hardy crew could take the Tartan Ten on a multi-day race such as the Mackinac, and you might even coax your family aboard for a weekend of camping out. But cruising or extended racing in comfort? Forget it!