Make a Door for More Storage Under the Galley

Is there ever enough storage space on our little boats? Maybe if you only day sail. But if you anchor out much, particularly over long holiday weekends or longer, no. Your first mate will probably let you know about it like mine. Often. Yet there is a lot of useful, if difficult to get to…

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Storm Rider

On wintry days, I cast the linesMy goal, a fair and distant shoreTo ride the wind and there to findNot one thing less, but something more My craft is sturdy, trim, and fairHas carried me for many milesMy trust in it is always thereAmid the peaceful, calming smiles When life’s tests come, I’ll always seekA…

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Remove and Prevent Mildew for Pennies

This guest post is from Drew Frye and first appeared on his blog, Sail Delmarva. Drew also tests products for Practical Sailor magazine and writes for other magazines like Good Old Boat. He graciously agreed to let me reproduce his article here. The great myth of boat ownership—other than believing that everything takes 3 times as long…

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Make a Tiller Extension For Better Cockpit Mobility

If you’re not afraid to sail single-handed in a stiff breeze and get the toe rail wet, then you want to be able to move around in the cockpit and still have control of your tiller. You want to be able to lean back into the lifelines, sit as far forward as possible (to lighten the…

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Lift Your Lazarette Lids With Gas Springs

We trailer sailors are the vagabonds of the sailing world, the gypsies, free spirits who can tow our sailboats anywhere we want with ease. There’s no excuse for getting bored with the same cruising areas when you can just hook up and go somewhere different. The downside, of course, is having to set up the…

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Control Your Mainsail Shape Better With a Boom Vang

A boom vang is a useful control for your mainsail, especially if the mainsail is older and acting its age. That is, if it’s getting baggy and is difficult to flatten, particularly when you’re pointed off the wind. For better performance and safety, you need to be able to pull excess twist out of the mainsail…

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Product Review: Magma BeachFire/Rio Grill

What’s better than a freshly grilled steak or cheeseburger after you’ve set anchor at the end of a full day of sailing? Anything you could cook on that wimpy alcohol stove in the galley? Share your nominees in the comments below. For the rest of us, the issue isn’t what but where, because that alcohol…

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How to Install a Tiller Autopilot

I hadn’t seriously considered an autopilot for Summer Dance until I discovered the affordable Raymarine ST1000+ Tiller Pilot and that they could be had for half the cost of new on eBay. When I thought of how convenient it would be for cruising with my wife who has no desire to take the helm, I…

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