Does Your Boat Favor One Tack?
My first sailboat was a Buccaneer 18. We had a great racing fleet here in the Phoenix Arizona area and there was a pretty good amount of "local knowledge" about the boat. I began to notice that I seemed to do really well upwind on starboard tack, but was loosing on port tack. After doing... Continue Reading →
Gunboat 66 Extreme H20 Walkthrough
I don't generally believe in a "Racer/Cruiser" but if you are into big catamarans, the Gunboat 66 really comes close. With racing features like big retractable daggerboards, huge B&G instruments, and sail controls led to a central position that is not the helm so crew can work without getting in the way of the helmsman... Continue Reading →
Hull Shape – Why so Beamy?
Hull Shape - Why so Beamy? Sailboat design is going through another revolution, and it's a beamy one. The modern sailboat seems to be skinny and upright with a fine entry up front, then carries her beam well aft. What do I mean by this?Traditionally, the widest point of a boat had been near the... Continue Reading →
Environmental Impacts of Sailing
Because we turn off our motors as often as we can, most sailors think of our sport as pretty environmentally friendly. I would agree in principle, but challenge everyone to do more.Sailing events from your local beer can races to full on national regattas have impact. Single use plastics, engine exhaust, fouled bilge water, black... Continue Reading →
RS21 – A J70 and Viper 640 Competitor
A new competitor in the 19-21' sport-boat space has come out of the UK. Earlier this year RS Sailing launched it's new club racing keel-boat the RS21. With dead simple rigging but a modern design and asymmetrical spinnaker, it is a great entry into the sport-keel-boat space. And at about half the price of a J70, it's... Continue Reading →
Inspecting Your Standing Rigging
I hate to say it, but I've been on more than one boat where standing rigging has failed. In both cases, they failed at a point where routine inspection may have revealed a problem. I say "may" because in some of today's modern fittings you just can't see what is going on. Press-fit fittings hide... Continue Reading →
Boat Bathroom (AKA Marine Head)
Boat Bathroom (AKA Marine Head) There is possibly fewer more important systems on a sailboat than the bathroom. In nautical terms it is the "Marine Head." Modern marine heads are simple to operate but to be a competent sailor, one should know how they work so that it can be repaired in the event that... Continue Reading →
Sailboat Charter Checkout
For a lot of us, chartering a sailboat is the best way to go out and get our sailing fix and prove to ourselves we are competent sailors. Whether you are going to go sail the BVI or the Channel Islands, getting on a boat that you don't have the full mechanical history for and may... Continue Reading →
AIS – Not Just for Big Boats Any More
We all know that keeping watch for other vessels and “objects” in the water is one of the basic requirements of good seamanship, whether you’re out on the lake, bay, coastal cruising or making a trans-Atlantic passage. It’s my 2nd Rule of Sailing, “Don’t hit anything!” (1st Rule: Keep everyone on the boat!). For centuries... Continue Reading →
Desert Wind Sailing 