Cruising Tips

I am going through The Care and Feeding of Sailing Crew to update it for a new fourth edition  which should be ready for September. (The third edition will remain available as an eBook until September, but the paperback third edition will be out of print by June 15th.) As I came to the chapter … Continue reading »

When we were speaking at the SSCA Gam in Annapolis, Annette Baker introduced herself and told me about a fun website she was creating. Annette loves sewing. She loves upgrading Magnolia, her cruising home. Her friends commented on her creative stitchery, wondering how they could do the same on their boat. So she created a … Continue reading »

The weather wasn’t particularly storm, the boat was beam reaching nicely on the starboard tack. Beth had her galley strap on as she prepared some food. Then just as she unclipped, the boat lurched and she was thrown right across the cabin. Fortunately she came to rest on the port bunk, unfortunately her head hit … Continue reading »

I have often been concerned about the safety of wide open cockpits. No place to put your feet when the boat heels, nothing to grab onto as you move fore and aft. Beth and Norm Cooper felt the same way when they were outfitting Sarah Jean II, a standard Saga 43 before they set sail … Continue reading »

When folks ask who designed Taleisin’s windvane self-steering gear, Larry always says,” it isn’t a design, it’s an evolution. The difference? A design works right the first time.” This gets a good laugh but Larry is right, Taleisin’s windvane evolved from what we learned on Seraffyn. It works wonderfully, steering the boat when downwind when … Continue reading »

Daniel Bramwell sailed into North  Cove a few months back on his Westsail 32 with his wife Michelle. The two of them have been exploring the Pacific for the past three years. Now they had come back to New Zealand where he was born to order some new sails, earn some “freedom chips” and catch … Continue reading »

We first chose to use flexible solar panels because they were less bulky and could be stored away quickly. The absence of a metal frame meant less chance of damaging the boat or ourselves when we worked around the panels. Then the late Bernard Moitessier showed us another benefit that doubled their usefulness. He had … Continue reading »

          Through the years, many people have asked us how we came to name our boats. Years ago, just before Taleisin was ready to be launched, I wrote the following story: What’s in a Name? For two and a half years we listened in frustration as friends, family and magazine editors … Continue reading »

There is an extensive section on storing vegetables and fruits for offshore passages in our book, The Care and Feeding of Sailing Crew. But knowing how to choose them is just as important as careful storage. So for those of you getting ready to head away from winter, here is a video taken as I was actually … Continue reading »

In our May newsletter I wrote of the death of my brother-in-law when he was hit head on by a truck turning left in front his motorcycle. The driver stated he hadn’t seen Michael, even though it was broad daylight and Michael’s motorcycle light was o cheap viagra soft n. Among the many warm replies … Continue reading »

This chapter, from our book the Capable Cruiser, 3rd edition was originally written in response to a magazine editorial. It was printed in Latitudes and Attitudes several years ago but nothing has changed as far as the heavy marketing of so called Safety equipment. So Larry and I think it is worth sharing it with … Continue reading »

Colin Webb from New Zealand had some very interesting thoughts to add to the discussion of using milk powder afloat… Hi Lin And  Larry Firstly some of my background is an industrial chemist  and during my working life I owned a dairy factory producing milk powder from fresh milk for over 15 years. I sold … Continue reading »