Sail repairs at sea are not a matter of “if” but “when”…since sails that are used hard offshore will eventually need your tender loving care  (published […]

The best way to avoid steering problems is to maintain the equipment. But you also need to have a Plan B if it does fail.  (published […]

Deciding when to head offshore can be tricky, and subject to the opinions of those around you  (published February 2014) It had been a rough passage […]

How magnetic compasses work in the real world  (published January 2014) It was a bitter cold night. We left Newport, R.I. at 0300 that morning, and […]

Cold weather sailing can be hard and dangerous. Or, it can be a rare pleasure.  (published December 2013) Christmas Eve. We had just tied up alongside […]

Sailing to Bermuda isn’t always the easiest passage, and stopping there can have surprises of its own  (published November 2013) The delivery out of the BVI […]

The leaves turn color and drop. The Canada Geese head south. The warm allure of the tropics beckons. But getting there may or may not be […]

Hurricanes aren’t as entertaining in real life as they may appear on TV  (published September 2013) The warm September morning started out peacefully enough. As dawn […]

There are as many ways to parse time as there are readers of this article, but there is more to a watch schedule than time  (published […]

Lightning, electrical failure, computer crashes all happen on a whim of the gods. Safety and lives may hang in the balance and navigation’s basics can tilt […]