Sail Magazine

by Adam Cort

Adam Cort is SAIL’s executive editor. He lives and sails in the Boston area.

Navico 3G/4G Radar

by Adam Cort, Posted January 10, 2012

While the 3G has longer legs than Navico’s first broadband unit, the BR24, which lost its edge at ranges beyond six miles, it’s the 4G that is the real “long ranger” when it comes to target acquisition. With 50 percent more maximum-range detection ability, the 4G stands tall among 18-20in dome antenna units, behaving more like a big-league open-array unit than comparably sized competitors.

B&G Triton T41

by Adam Cort, Posted January 10, 2012

A fully networkable alternative to individual gauges, the T41 was designed with both cruisers and club racers in mind, and offers a lot of engineering bang for the buck. The Micro-C Simnet backbone allows you to daisy-chain other T41s and connect a sounder, compass or Triton masthead sensor, thereby delivering a competitively priced anemometer that uses the same internal components found in B&G’s top-tier 3000 series.

Iridium Extreme

by Adam Cort, Posted January 10, 2012

The Extreme harnesses Iridium’s proven global voice and data satellite system, and offers plenty of day-to-day value to both racers and cruisers. In addition to providing voice, e-mail and position-tracking connectivity with those at home, the Extreme, which includes a dedicated programmable SOS button, will be invaluable in emergency situations.

Raymarine e7

by Adam Cort, Posted January 10, 2012

Once onboard, your iPad or iPhone becomes a wireless remote display, and the e7’s Bluetooth connectivity also allows you to control your MP3 music remotely from the helm. A compact Bluetooth remote is also available, and the e7’s LightHouse interface is intuitively structured to make the system easy to operate.

Doyle Anomaly Headboard

by Adam Cort, Posted January 10, 2012

Doyle’s Anomaly headboard solves these dilemmas by affixing the head of the sail to a detachable composite “carriage,” which is attached via a 2:1 tackle to the top sail car on the mast track. When raising sail, halyard tension automatically pulls the carriage into the car where a toggle locks it in place. No more having to attach the head of the sail to the track manually.

Cousin Trestec Constrictor

by Adam Cort, Posted January 10, 2012

As a line comes under load, it is instantly squeezed by the Constrictor’s Aramid jacket and held fast. Simply pull the trip line and catch its dedicated knot in the notch to release the line. According to Cousin Trestec, the lightweight design offers slip-free performance even when working with higher loads, without the risk of abrasion.

Colligo Soft Snatch Block and Soft Padeye

by Adam Cort, Posted January 10, 2012

The slippery properties of these synthetic fibers pair well with the sheave’s anodized aluminum bearing surface, yielding low-friction performance at a fraction of the weight of a traditional block. The unit attaches to padeyes or other deck/spar fittings with a Spectra strop held in situ by a Velcro strip.

Karver Flying Cam Cleat

by Adam Cort, Posted January 10, 2012

“Every sailor’s ditty bag ought to have one of these things in it,” proclaimed one of our judges. Many of those ditty bags will, of course, belong to racers (dinghy sailors in particular will like the flying cleat for handling loaded working lines more comfortably), but we think cruisers will ultimately find the most creative uses.

Spinlock Pylon LED

by Adam Cort, Posted January 10, 2012

The Spinlock Pylon LED lifejacket antenna solves a problem inherent to any conventional emergency light attached to a lifejacket. Namely, when deployed, the light is intermittently blocked either by waves or the victim’s head, making it hard to see in a seaway.

Taming Full Batten Mains

by Adam Cort, Posted January 5, 2012

One of the great ironies of sailing is that as hard as it can be to get your mainsail up, it can often be just as hard to get it back down. This goes double when tucking in a reef with a slab-reefing system—one reason why so many sailors are willing to sacrifice sailing performance for the sake of in-boom or in-mast furling.