Mess-Be-Gone

by David Schmidt, Posted May 15, 2009
One of the worst onboard messes I ever had to contend with was on a lumpy delivery from Stamford, Connecticut, to Marblehead, Massachusetts, when our engine blew an oil gasket, spray-painting the engine compartment and filling the bilge with petrochemical filth. Oil Dri could be the ideal solution for such nasty predicaments. These hydrophobic, oil-absorbing pads and bilge socks are ideal for

Swiss seats

by David Schmidt, Posted May 14, 2009
Need to get up your mast in a hurry, but don’t have a rock-climbing harness or bosun’s chair handy? Luckily, a Swiss Seat, a jury-rigged harness, is your solution. You’ll only need about 15–20 feet of stout rope (sail ties work in a pinch, but you’ll need to sister a couple together to achieve the proper length).Start by folding the rope in half. Pass this bight in between your legs (from

Auxiliary telltales

by David Schmidt, Posted May 14, 2009
Most modern sailboat races are run on windward-leeward courses designed to give racers the maximum number of chances to pass each other and to create lanes. While there’s little doubt that these “new” courses (until the mid-1990’s, most racecourses were triangular and featured more reaching) make for exciting racing, they do create a problem for drivers and trimmers, namely that it can be tiring
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