A family braves the elements together
Jon and Megan Schwartz, along with their sons, Ronan, 16, and Daxton, 14, have been cruising full time aboard their Boreal 47, Zephyros, an aluminum expedition monohull, since 2017. Since picking up...
View ArticleSurvey into gender design in sailing
The World Sailing Trust has launched a survey to gather baseline data on whether the design of sailing equipment is affecting the development of greater gender diversity. This new survey, launched in...
View ArticleSampling the oceans by boat
The top layer of our ocean is called the “Sunlight Zone.” At the surface and down to about 200 meters are live microscopic floating algae called “phytoplankton” that are critical to life. Voyagers on...
View ArticleNorth offers new sustainable sails
We see a boat over on its beam ends in a blow and say “they’re over canvased.” But, of course, sails are no longer made of cotton-based canvas. They’re woven from synthetic materials derived from...
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Sailing from Panama to San Diego
Clipperton Island / Wikipedia Most Pacific sailors and published cruising guides will tell you there are two ways back to Southern California from Panama: a motor bash 3,400 miles along the coast of...
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Cruising sabbatical becomes a new lifestyle
Ganesh anchored in Indonesia. Corinne Gau-Tchekov and Michel Gau voyage aboard their Alliage 49 aluminum monohull, Ganesh. They left France in 2011 after Michel’s retirement and have been sailing...
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Hurricanes – Looking back and looking ahead
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently announced the entrants to the “Hall of Fame” for the 2023 season. It’s not really called the Hall of Fame, but rather it is the WMO Hurricane...
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Safety means being prepared for anything
Dawn and Stephen Bell underway aboard their Leopard 48 catamaran, Pilar. Stephen and Dawn Bell enjoy the cruising life aboard their Leopard 48 Catamaran Pilar, having cruised down the East Coast and...
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Handheld VHF for the Life Raft
The Tron TR30 GMDSS from Jotron is a “two-in-one” radio offering access to both GMDSS simplex channels and maritime duplex channels Probably the worst fear you can face as an offshore sailor is losing...
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Have sewing machine, go sailing
The Sailrite Workhorse portable sewing machine is the choice of many offshore sailors. The tools The sewing machine onboard Beetle is a Sailrite LSZ1, essentially a walking-foot upholstery machine with...
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Stay Safe with a Depth Sounder
The Raymarine i40 i40 Depth Instrument comes complete with a thru-hull transducer. A critically important piece of equipment for all vessels, both coastal and offshore is a depth sounder. On many...
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Enjoying Deep Water Anchorages
Above: The Monel mousing wire prevents the shackle pin from unscrewing. The sharp, twisted end of the mousing wire is bent back under the mousing, too, so I can’t poke myself with the wire.Center: The...
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Cruising Quebec City, Montreal and Ottawa
Jane and Harry with AGLCA Gold Burgee. Much has been written about boating on the St. Lawrence River—mostly mis-informed or outdated information, as we soon learned. In summer of 2023, we cruised the...
View ArticleMarine Stereo Systems
Cruising on our vessels along the coast or on the high seas is exciting, but sometimes we require a bit of entertainment to fill the hours between conversations with crew and other fellow cruisers in...
View ArticleBreaking in a New Mainsail
A circumnavigation and dozens of coastal cruises gradually turned the new, 8-ounce Dacron polyster mainsail I purchased back in 2000 into a flimsy, dirty, patched, salt-encrusted quilt, finally forcing...
View ArticleWeather data for a safe passage
While we are underway offshore, wondering what the clouds above have in store for us, it is comforting to know there are electronic resources available to help us make crucial decisions regarding...
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Pre-voyage inspection of windvane self-steering
A Fleming servopendulum windvane self-steering device is mounted on the transom of the author’s 1966 Cal 30 Saltaire. While many of the latest generation of ocean cruisers enjoy the ease that comes...
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Masthead VHF antennas
The Tram 1600-HC offers 6dB of gain, making it a good choice for any sailing yacht. In the age of cell phones, satellite phones and long-distance HAM/SSB radios, your marine VHF radio is still the most...
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Close Quarters Maneuvering
When veteran cruiser and sailing instructor Andy Cross is approaching a dock, he already has a plan on how to complete the landing smoothly. “Many times, people who are on the dock want to help and...
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Open Waters Solar Flexible Panels
Because they’re flexible and protected by the composite structure, the panels can be installed in myriad locations. Simon Angus wanted a boat that he could move easily to a destination, so he built a...
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