Where the Magic Happens
It’s pitch black. My hands, the saloon, the cockpit — everything reeks of diesel. The wind is howling outside, and we are being thrown around as Aretha, our 53-foot sailboat, slides off one wave into the next, whitewater crashing over the lifelines, filling the cockpit.
Depth Perception: It’s More Than What’s Under The Keel
In days of yore, navigators expended great energy and effort attempting to establish their position. When they finally did, it was often with great doubt.
Troubleshooting Gauges
At the engine instrument panel, there are usually alarms for low oil pressure and high coolant temperature, often with monitoring gauges. Although there are new technologies, most gauge transmitters (typically called senders) work on an electrical principle of varying resistance.
The Importance Of Rule 5 And Situational Awareness
As boaters, we can stay out of harm’s way by gaining a better understanding of commercial ships.
Gasoline Venting
Just as automobile technology is changing to match new environmental standards, so must our boats.
Seamanship Quiz
Test your knowledge with these Coast Guard license exam prep questions from the National Captain’s Institute, captains.com
Women and children first, unless …
In the winter of 1975, we sailed the 138-foot Herreshoff schooner Janeen (now the Mariette) to the Grenadines.
Cruising In Company With a Tug And Shanty Boats
Two great cruising adventures are possible in North America: the Inside Passage of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Loop, which wraps the eastern third of the United States and the southeastern part of Canada.
VIDEO: King Of The Reef
The Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission is considering opening a limited season via a lottery drawing that would allow 100 fisherman to harvest one goliath grouper per year.
Bob and Margaret Jack
Most of our scariest moments are in marinas, but ours was in the Gulf of Mannar, between Sri Lanka and India — 10 days, two with very high winds, 35 knots, high seas on the beam.
Paul Hawran
Voyaging past the dry deserts of Chile to the green forests of northern Patagonia to the wind-ravaged islands of south Patagonia puts everything in proper perspective. We are merely insignificant visitors in a vast and beautiful world.
Flotsam & Jetsam: Adventure Awaits
Kilkea, a 268-foot, concept expedition superyacht, has the credentials to serve as the lair for an international super villain, though she’ll proudly serve anyone who can afford the $72 million buy-in price.
The World’s Greatest Job: How Rescue Swimmers Are Made
You don’t have to be able to deadlift 400 pounds, but you do need to be able to keep your cool under pressure if you want to become a Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer, writes Mario Vittone in this week’s Lifelines: Safety And Rescue At Sea blog.
Marching to the beat of a different drum
Late spring brings a chance for Chesapeake Bay anglers to tangle with behemoth black drum
What Are You Waiting For?
Yesterday afternoon I looked out my office window and saw hints of spring.
There’s Spring Magic In Chesapeake Country
There’s something tortuous about magazine deadlines.
A Big-Apple Builder
Howard Wheeler founded Wheeler Shipyard in 1910, and for more than five decades the New York City company would be one of America’s most innovative and influential builders.
Uncut: Adventure Called, They Answered
These 10 world adventurers cast off their lines and headed toward the locations of their dreams. You can, too. Read here the uncut answers to the questions we asked these globe-trotting cruisers, who have more than 100,000 cruising miles under their belts.
Boating books reviews: Before He Was A Guru
If you’ve read any DIY boat repair or maintenance books, there’s a pretty good chance Nigel Calder wrote one of them.
Around The World Under Square Rig
A circumnavigation is the stuff of dreams, the ultimate sailing challenge. Few pull it off.
Adventure Called, They Answered. You Can, too.
Defining adventure isn’t simple. It depends on personal perspective. But one thing we can agree on is that adventure doesn’t happen within our comfort zones.
Ralph Johnson
Ralph Johnson developed a taste for the sea more than 60 years ago, but his “moment of clarity” came in 1980 when he decided to take a couple of years off from a banking career to learn boatbuilding from his father-in-law, Pert Lowell.
Simrad NSO evo3
Simrad’s NSO evo3 is designed for simple installation aboard large cruising and sportfishing boats.
Glomex Marine Antenna
The weBBoat 4G Plus coastal Internet antenna receives Wi-Fi and 3G/4G cellular signals up to 20 miles from shore, then amplifies and redistributes them as a hotspot on board.
Seapilot Software Update
Seapilot’s updated app adds tidal prediction, closest point of approach (CPA) and electronic range and bearing line (ERBL).
Side-Power Thrusters
Side-Power’s SE50 and SE25 thrusters provide big performance in small tunnels.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Yamaha Marine Group has added a 90-hp model to its lineup of high-performance V MAX SHO 4-strokes.
Anchor Zone Winch
TRAC Outdoor Products’ newest anchor winch retrieves and deploys river and mushroom anchors.
B&G Vulcan
B&G’s Vulcan family of sailing-specific chart plotters — a refreshed 7-inch and 9-inch, and a new 12-inch — have built-in Wi-Fi, broadband radar compatibility, SailSteer and SailingTime, and combine data on one screen.
iNavX For Android
The iNavX navigational app has been redesigned to give Android users the features that iOS users have, including one-touch waypoint route creation and a racing-inspired instrument display.