Cruising Tips

Maximize Your Performance on a Cruising Catamaran

by Andrew Burton, Posted May 1, 2012

Perhaps you’re looking at a cat as an option for an extended cruise, or you’ve chartered a catamaran for a week in the British Virgin Islands. You’re expecting some thrilling multihull speed, but once on the water you find you are disappointed.

Revive a Drowned Outboard

by Andy Schell, Posted May 7, 2012

Dropped your dinghy’s outboard motor overboard? No need to panic. First, get the motor out of the drink quickly and rinse it thoroughly with fresh water; most importantly, do not let it dry.

Unwrapping a Spinnaker

by Don Street, Posted May 11, 2012

When racing or cruising while flying a spinnaker close to or dead downwind—especially offshore, where a boat tends to roll more—there is a real risk the spinnaker will collapse, wrap itself around the headstay, and then refill with wind above and below the wrap. The wrap may start at just one or two turns, but often will increase to five turns or more.

Mediterranean Mooring Secrets Revealed

by Tor Pinney, Posted May 14, 2012

Mediterranean mooring—docking a boat end-on to a quay, as opposed to tying up alongside—is a common practice in many parts of the world, especially in non-tidal waters. Any skipper setting sail for foreign ports will find docking this way is often mandatory, as it saves dock space and protects boats from wake damage.

Eight Things Every Daysailor Should Know

by L. Alan Keene, Posted May 11, 2012

As a 30-year veteran daysailor, I feel a moral obligation to spare you some of the physical and emotional pain I’ve faced over the years. I’m talking about daysailing’s dirty little secrets, the bilgewater of our sport. Feel free to take notes.

The Pee Pot

by Don Street, Posted April 12, 2012

Every skipper worries about losing crew overboard when it is blowing hard and the males aboard persist in “bailing ship” (their personal ships, not the boat) on deck. In this respect, a yawl or ketch rig beats a sloop or cutter six ways to Sunday, as the mizzen rigging is good for leaning up against when bailing ship.

How to Store Wine Aboard

by Jan Irons, Posted April 11, 2012

Wine connoisseurs will always agree that life is too short to drink bad wine. But wine can be difficult to keep on a sailboat.

Easy-Line Handling with a Club-Footed Jib

by David Hurd, Posted April 11, 2012

I share a 1995 Beneteau 42s7 with a friend. We (and most of our other sailing friends) are getting on in years, so we’ve made some changes to help make the boat easier to sail.

Four Inexpensive Upgrades

by Peter Nielsen, Posted February 1, 2012

Here are four inexpensive additions and upgrates from experienced cruiser Terry Kotas, who sails Cetus, a Fantasia 35.

Cruising Criteria: How to Pick the Best Cruiser

by Andrew Burton, Posted February 1, 2012

The eternally fascinating mental exercise of choosing, equipping and organizing priorities on my ideal cruising boat has kept me awake on countless night watches over the last 30 years and 300,000 miles of bluewater sailing and coastal cruising. No matter where I sail or how ambitious my plans, there are a few things on my dream boat that are not negotiable.