Category: Boating Tips
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Though I was never in the military or a marine, I’m going to borrow one of my favorite aphorisms from U.S. Marine Corps: Improvise, Adapt, Overcome. Words to live by if you’re a boater, too. When you’re on a boat, you may not always have the correct tools or proper […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Last month we discussed some of the most common questions we get when people learn my wife and I cruised full time for many years. Since that list quickly got too long, we split it into two parts. So here are some more questions and answers. Read Ask a Cruiser: […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Fall has started, and we’re heading into the long dark of winter in the colder climes. Boats are getting pulled, winter covers are coming out of storage, and we’re stockpiling pink antifreeze. We’re facing the prospect of months without boating, and all we can do is read glossy sailing magazines […]
(Part I) by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you may have noted that I spent many years (about nine) living on a sailboat and traveling around in the world. I say “traveling around in the world” because our goal was never a circumnavigation, but to see as […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) When people find out that I’ve done a lot of offshore cruising and crossed the Pacific, the conversation inevitably turns to weather. “Did you ever get caught in any big storms?” and “What’s the worst weather you’ve ever seen?” are common questions. I’ve already talked to that last one in […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Timing a boat sale can make a big difference in your purchase or sale price. It also changes the number of boats you have to choose from, and how much work you need to do once you take ownership. There are differences in buying a new boat versus buying or […]
Don’t Be That Captain: Know The Rules, Use Common Sense, Stay Collision Free
August 7th, 2025 by team
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Every summer we hear stories about tragic mishaps on the water, sometimes with loss of life, serious injuries, or lost boats and property damage. And all of us who have spent much time on the water have had at least one of those scary “what was that guy thinking?” moments […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) For people coming to sailing later in life, there are a lot of ways to learn to sail. The more common thought is that bigger boats are more stable and less challenging to learn on. But are they the best way to learn? And what do we mean by “later […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Years ago when we had a new-to-us boat and new-to-us children, my wife and I found ourselves in a quandary. How can we sail a boat that’s ten feet longer than our last with a toddler and a new baby to tend at the same time? We needed all hands […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” Water rat, from The Wind in the Willows Over the winter we started a Boating for Beginners series for the boating-curious about how to get out […]
