Presented by Vetus-Maxwell. Got a tip? Send it to sailmail@sailmagazine.com Be thrifty with propane If you like to cook on board, the propane tanks supplied as standard with many modern yachts won’t get you far. Whether we bake bread or not, the one thing we all do is boil ...read more
When I was a younger man, with less money and a stronger back, I was a regular anchoring snob. Free parking, I believed, is a fundamental right when cruising under sail, and if you want to be a true cruiser you must exercise it as much as possible. In developing this manifesto ...read more
Quick-Release Offshore Safety Developed for the Volvo Ocean Race, Spinlock’s Deckvest Vito inflatable lifejacket includes a host of features designed for sailing to the far ends of the earth. Not the least of these is the company’s proprietary Harness Quick Release System (HRS) ...read more
Boat Oversight In a world where you can track your friends’ locations in real time and stream yourself live on the internet, it should come as no surprise that you can also keep a close eye on your boat from the comfort of home. In fact, not only is there a plethora of options ...read more
Good to Go? The boat’s in the water, the rig has been tuned, and you’re ready to go off on your first summer cruise. There are just a few things you ought to check before you head off, says Peter Nielsen Belowdecks Electrics: It’s really annoying to run out of battery power when ...read more
As with so many other things on our 1987 Pearson 39-2 project boat, the lifelines looked to be original equipment. Made of vinyl-coated 3/16in 7x7 stainless steel wire, they were bleeding rust where the sheathing had cracked, and it was obvious they needed to be replaced. The ...read more
Are you really safer tethered to your boat? It’s something I’ve wondered about ever since I first started sailing offshore. The received wisdom is you should always wear a harness, preferably one with an inflatable life vest, and always be clipped in while underway. I’ve always ...read more
Dock water hoses can be seen connected to lots of boats in marinas, and my 45ft schooner, Britannia, had the system built-in from the original. A water hose connects to a dock faucet and a pressure-reducing inlet on the boat. This reduces municipal water pressure, usually around ...read more
The United States Coast Guard requires that all boats operating in coastal waters or on the high seas carry a selection of visual distress signals. Almost invariably, such signals include the pyrotechnic type, either handheld or fired from a flare pistol, but surely there are ...read more
I often get asked about safety and security on charter, and most of the time I shrug and say it’s a matter of common sense, just like at home. Some places may be more prone to issues than others, but it’s usually a matter of luck—good or bad. For example, you may be warned to ...read more
Boaters University has just announced its latest online course, Safety & Rescue at Sea, taught by Mario Vittone, whose name you might recognize from the pages of our sister publication, Soundings Magazine and his Lifelines blog. Mario Vittone is a retired U.S. Coast Guard rescue ...read more
Be it for safety, navigation or competition, all sailors have a need for information about their boat’s performance and its environment. Many recent advances have been made by marine electronics manufacturers, which have increased the accuracy, quantity and accessibility of data ...read more
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is the cooking fuel of choice for most cruisers, but it can kill you if you don’t respect it. Here’s how to keep your propane system healthy and your boat safe It’s often the things we cannot see that pose the greatest danger on our boats. A recent ...read more
Contrary to popular belief, the risk of falling overboard is not at its greatest when you are battling high seas and ferocious winds. That’s when you’re keyed up, clipped in, acutely aware of the dangers and prepared for the worst. I have seen two people fall overboard from ...read more
Your dog will likely enjoy being out on the open ocean as much as you will, but just like with human passengers, safety measures must be taken! 1. Create an Emergency Plan Make sure you consider an emergency plan of what you’ll do in the event that your dog falls overboard. ...read more
Although there are few experiences as peaceful as gliding weightless through the water in full scuba gear, the grace and beauty of the sport belie the fact that diving has inherent risks. Fortunately, these are well understood and with proper training, there is little danger, so ...read more
On Deck Give each winch a quick spin. If they’re not turning freely, now is the time to strip and clean them. Windlass issues are almost always down to poor connections. Inspect these closely, especially at the foot switches, and if necessary take the connections apart, clean ...read more
Things I Learned This Past Week: 1: If your crew can’t make it, go anyway. I had scheduled to move my boat from Annapolis to DC where I’ll live aboard for the winter. My mentor was going to accompany me, but then life happened. After putting it off a few days, I decided to give ...read more
Looking back over the years we’ve been running our Pittman Innovation Awards, it’s incredible to see the variety of different products that have been featured. There’s been everything from sails to navigation aids to clever little gadgets that can’t help but make you wonder, “Why ...read more
Building the first VHF radio combined with a Class B AIS transceiver was a challenge but Standard Horizon went even further by adding unique remote station capabilities. The GX6500 can support two RAM4 wired mics or one wired and up to four RAM4W wireless mics. All stations ...read more
The next generation EPIRB is almost here, and it adds a local rescue dimension to the renowned yet still improving global capabilities of the 406 MHz COSPAS-SARSAT system. Upon regular 406 transmitter activation, the McMurdo SmartFind G8 AIS EPIRB will also begin sending out an ...read more
The PanPan personal beacon is a waterproof 1.2-by-3.1in Bluetooth 4.0 device that can create an active MOB network aboard your boat by leveraging the capabilities of the smartphones and tablets you already have onboard. Basically, in the event you or your beacon get far enough ...read more
Many production boats come equipped with undersized cleats and poorly designed line chocks. The 10in aluminum cleats that came standard on my Pearson 40 have served satisfactorily for more than 30 years. But as I have outfitted the boat for extended offshore passagemaking, I ...read more
There's a right way to communicate via VHF radio—and many wrong ways. The reason for VHF protocol is to avoid ambiguity and ensure that messages are kept on point—your safety, and that of your crew, may depend on clear communication. So we've worked up this useful VHF protocol ...read more
