WHAT TO PACK FOR A SAILING TRIP Knowing what to pack for a sailing trip can be challenging and with space at a premium it’s critical to make every item count. Having sailed 13,000 miles from Canada to Mexico to the South Pacific I’ve spent a lot of time experimenting with different gear and equipment
Sailboat hitchhiking – hitch a ride on a sailboat
Sailboat hitchhiking is a popular and eco-friendly way to see the world, but how do you actually get started? We wanted to get the low down and caught up with two sailboat hitchhiking pros, Mariusz ‘Maniek’ Hońka (27) and Maciek ‘Termometr’ Badziak (27), who hitchhiked from Poland to Bora Bora, crossing the Atlantic and Pacific
The SECRET to removing a rusted screw
HOW TO REMOVE A RUSTED OR FROZEN SCREW If a rusted screw has ever brought your boat project to a grinding halt, you’re going to love this little trick for removing a frozen screw. We learned this technique from Paul Hrabowski at Ocean Rigging & Hydraulics when he was helping us rig our 35-foot sailboat
Boat galley storage solutions
KEEP FOOD FRESH LONGER WITH THESE BOAT STORAGE HACKS Whether gearing up for a wilderness cruise or a long ocean passage, it can be difficult to find space for all the food you want to take; not to mention, making it all last while being jostled and knocked around onboard. After many smashed
Give your boat interior a fresh look
10 QUICK AND EASY BOAT INTERIOR DESIGN IDEAS When we first moved aboard, our sailboat interior was a mess and we didn’t have budget to update it. We wanted to go cruising and our priorities were things like new sails, rigging, fiberglass repair, and electronics. As much as I wanted a beautiful yacht interior it
Find the best dinghy for you
If you’ve perused West Marine’s dinghy section or searched for a used dinghy for sale on craigslist, you’ve probably realized that there are an overwhelming number of styles, makes, and materials. If you’ve seen the price tags you probably feel even more “deflated”. I know the frustrations of dinghy shopping because we underwent our own
Why sailing is fun (even when it isn’t)
You say you love sailing, but… To the outside observer, sailors must appear to have a real masochistic bent. We terrorize dinner party guests with tales of harrowing sea conditions; with wave heights and wind speeds increasing commensurate to the amount of wine imbibed. We lament cantankerous engines, torn spinnakers, and exorbitant moorage fees. We’ve
Sailing pets of Instagram
For as long as humans have been going to sea, they’ve been bringing their furry companions with them. Parrots, cats, and dogs have long been valued crew members. For example, Captain Cook had dogs and cats aboard HMS Endeavour in 1768. They were even subject to the equator line crossing ceremony along with the rest
Tips for conserving water on a boat
Tips for managing water consumption on a boat Nothing makes you appreciate your fresh water supply like lugging three 7 gallon water jugs down a 9 km dirt road in Mexico. We repeated this exercise several times during our stay in a remote fishing camp in the Sea of Cortez, fantasizing all the while about
5 small sailboats for sailing around the world
A small sailboat can take you big places Many sailors will tell you that small sailboats are the ticket to going cruising NOW. They’re affordable, simple, and seaworthy…however, you’re unlikely to see many small sailboats in today’s cruising grounds. In three years and 13,000 nautical miles of bluewater cruising, I could count the number of
