Crew Overboard

A sailor’s guide to crew overboard gear  (published May 2013) While perusing the aisles of West Marine the other day, I couldn’t help but stop and […]

Night Moves

Crew tips for completing safe passages at night  (published May 2013) Someone once asked me if I stopped to sleep every night when making an offshore […]

Atoll Cruising 101: The Tuamotus

How to safely negotiate atolls of the South Pacific  (published May 2013) By now, every cruiser has certainly heard of the Tuamotus, a string of low-lying […]

Marlinspike Madness

Learn to splice your double braid lines  (published April 2013) Marlinspike seamanship is an often-overlooked aspect of sailing. Most cruising sailors know half-a-dozen knots that are […]

Mast Hysteria

What to look for in your rig before heading offshore (published April 2013) Everything has its place, purpose and importance on an offshore quality sailboat. But […]

Barracuda!

A cruiser in Cuba experiences a close encounter of the predator kind  (published November 2012) We were anchored in a lovely spot in the lee of […]

Avoid Boom Doom

Rigging a preventer or boom brake  (published November 2012) Warning: The only way to start this is with a dramatic, yet frightening reality.  “BOOM” isn’t exactly […]