CATEGORIES

Diversity Afloat

As the sailing season comes to an end on northern waters, I find myself pondering the modern sailing scene.

Boat Review: Salish Voyager

Gig Harbor Boat Works releases a new design aimed toward adventure

Anchor Juice

That’s odd, I said to myself. It hasn’t rained, yet there’s a cup of water in the bilge.

Reader Boat: Precision 165

During my three years of ownership, here are just a few things I’ve observed about my P165. Most of these features have contributed to my joy of sailing this little boat.

Are Power Tools Corrupting Us?

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” —First Baron Acton, 1904

Getting in Touch with Reality

As part of my usual in-depth research for this column I decided to ask Google whether sailing was safe. “In fact, it can be deadly,” came the response, “A study from Rhode Island Hospital concluded sailing is more dangerous, and has a higher fatality rate, than skiing and snowboarding combined with NFL football.”

Five Days in the Turnbull Islands

I rowed out of the marina at Blind River, Ontario, and raised the sail just offComb Point. It had been a ten-hour drive from Wisconsin, followed by the usual scramble to launch and load the boat.

The Worst Sailor Still Alive

Upon retirement I decided to learn how to sail, so I bought a little dinghy and taught myself how to efficiently capsize, founder on rocks, and embarrass myself in front of large groups.

SMALL BOAT CRUISE: Tobyhanna Lake by Sunfish

Tobyhanna is a Native American word for “a stream whose banks are fringed with alder.”

PLAN STUDY: Kombi Sail and Paddle Canoe

The first boat I designed was the Beth Sailing Canoe, which, for better or worse, made me a marked man.

Born Again

An 1881 Bowdish sailboat, abandoned in a northern Michigan junkyard, is rescued and restored to museum condition by John Parlin, wooden boat surgeon extraordinaire

AUSTRALIA THE HARD WAY

The David Pyle Interview

Amateur Boatbuilding: What if I Make a Mistake?

Everyone makes mistakes. If we try new things we will make mistakes, an essential part of the learning experience. It’s nice to learn from mistakes of others, but we learn more lessons and they stick better when they are our own. The more painful the mistake, the stronger the lesson learned.

Simple DIY Jam Cleats

Legend has it that Einstein once said “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” In truth, the quote isn’t actually Einstein’s, but he did agree with it. And so do I, especially when it comes to jam cleats.

The P7 Gig: Return of a Legend

My story begins in 2016, when I left for a westward crossing of the Atlantic aboard my self-made, 5-meter-long (16.4') plywood boat Still crazy. The three-month voyage to the Caribbean messed with my head and, to be honest, I still haven’t gotten over it.

Sailing with Colly

Sailing the bays of Texas is not exactly crystal clear water, gentle breezes and sugar-white beaches.

SMALL BOAT CRUISE: Nootka Sound

I designed and built my 18-foot sail and-oar boat, Fire-Drake, with a major adventure in mind—rowing and sailing British Columbia’s Inside Passage in 2016 and 2017.

Dancing on the Water

Exploring the Salish Sea by Oar and Paddle

SLOT CANYONS & STARRY SKIES

This adventure, like many good ones, began with a last-minute change of plans.

Dunlin: An Experimental Peapod

A brief row in a 13-foot peapod during one of our local small-boat gatherings inspired me to design and build a small cruiser.

READER BOAT: Sovereign 18 called Slowmotion

Sometimes the boat you get is one you’d never heard of.

Boat Review: Com-Pac 19 (Revisited)

Twenty years later we take another look at the still popular Com-Pac 19 sailboat

Alternative Rigs for Multihulls

I’ve posted some brief notes about multihull rigs on the “Useful Articles” pages of my website, www.sailingcatamarans. com. There, in the “Different Design Features” section, I explain why the sensible choice for multihulls is the single-mast Bermudian rig, either masthead or fractional rig.

Small-Boat Gear

XPL EXPLORE MORE

SMALL BOAT CRUISE: Waldo Lake, Oregon

I decided to go to Waldo Lake, in the mountains east of Eugene, Oregon in mid-September, hoping to be on the water from Friday through the following Tuesday or Wednesday. Having been to Waldo five times in June and once in early August. I wanted to feel the nighttime chill announcing the coming winter, and be both grateful for it and fortified against it, in my winter sleeping bag. I wanted to watch the long and early shadows of Autumn seizing the forest in the afternoon.

SHALLOW DRAFT

It is early May and, like many of you, we’re thinking about life in a challenging time—about gains, losses and what might come next.

SAFE AND SIMPLE

Changing rigs extended this sailor’s time on the water

S-CAMPING

Glenn Tripp on building a bunk

RESTORATION

The true cost of bringing and old boat back to life

READER BOAT: A Drake 13 called Grebe

I have always wanted to build a sharpie. For me they are archetypal—like a boat from some dream. And mine is a very specific dream: sitting low in the cockpit on a sunny, breezy day, sailing on starboard tack, tiller and sheet in hand, just cruisin’ along in my beautiful little sharpie.