CRUISING TIPS I’m not advocating that readers should rush out and sell their boats, but even for those who keep their boats for decades, the time comes to trade up or down. Searching for my current boat 10 years back, I was horrified at much of what

AT THE HELM Nerd alert: We’re talking networks and data this month, none of which is really integral to the safe running of a boat as far as seamanship is concerned, but all of which is addictingly fun and surprisingly enlightening. Specifically, I’m

It has been nearly 20 years, a full generation, since J/Boats has produced an offshore-capable boat that can be both raced and comfortably cruised. For aficionados of larger Js it has been a long wait, but I’m here to tell you: It was worth it. This

Charley Morgan, one of the great pioneers of fiberglass boatbuilding and design, left this world in January, bound for whatever comes next. He was 93, and reportedly passed just a few hours after his wife, Maurine, died. Sailors of a certain age will

CHARTER LIFE Nine boats, nine captains, nearly 70 people, and about a million problems. That’s the mayhem we faced as we prepped to leave on a group charter from Martinique bound for Grenada. As captains, our single assigned point of contact to help

For years, Nautitech Catamarans has been doing things differently from other production cat builders, and it seems to be paying off. When the French company launched its Open series in 2013, it shrunk the saloon and dedicated more space to the cockpi

Features include: • Fantastic cockpit space and layout • Increased sail area for improved performance • Twin wheels, single rudder French builder Dufour Yachts has rolled out another new design, bringing their line to eight models from 32 to 61 feet.

Heidi Coutu and I had been enjoying the easy life of a warm July week moored in the inner harbor of Menemsha on the western end of Martha’s Vineyard. Heidi—then my girlfriend, now my wife—is a professional oil painter, and in the normal course of rot

Get your ground tackle setup right, and you’ll sleep much easier while you’re cruising. Get it wrong, and your boat could wind up on the beach in a bad blow. Ground tackle is a complete system, including the anchor itself, the rode (chain, rope, or s

I’ve never laughed so hard as I have on some of my charters, but it’s typically only funny after the fact. Every time I think I’ve seen it all, my people outdo themselves and serve up the unexpected. I’ve had some snafus out there to be sure, and the

We were about three years into cruising, wintering in the Guna Yala in Panama, when my daughter announced: “There’s a little brown dog on that island.” I was kneading bread at the time. I was sweating. I did a lot of both as a fulltime perimenopausal

Anchoring in a strong breeze, there’s really no point in backing off from the anchor while laying cable just because textbooks say so, especially when there’s no stream. Instead, stall with the wind on one bow or the other as you let go. The bow will