by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) So…when was the last time you and your crew did an actual Crew Overboard (COB) drill? I don’t mean talking through what you would do or going over the theory and steps. I mean practicing a live drill where you toss a float overboard and go back and pick it […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Fishing when you’re sailing can be a lot of fun and give you a great meal. Depending on your preferences and on how serious you want to be, you can get started for only a few bucks. Or if you’re looking for sport, you can get a full standup rig. […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Racing your sailboat is not only fun, but it’s a great way to make new friends and sharpen your sailing skills. You’ll learn better helm skills, sail trim, reading the wind, minding currents, and a lot of other parts of sailing you may not pay as much attention to when […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) A good boat name speaks to you, and it fits the boat. Coming up with something original, fitting, and maybe even clever can be harder than you think. Your boat and how you use it are a personality, and it needs to fit the boat. And since you’re going to […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) If you’ve ever equipped your boat to go offshore, you know you’re supposed to have an EPIRB on board. But can you use a PLB instead? Why might you want a PLB or other beacon device in your life jacket? How to use and maintain them? Technological development has given […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) It’s often said that a boat is a hole in the water where you dump money. If you’ve ever paid for a surprise repair bill or filled the tank on an offshore sport fisher, you’ve felt it. But even small boats can cost a lot to keep running. With the […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Up front, I’m going to confess to a cheat – the cruising grounds of Maine are far too extensive and varied to cover in the few hundred words we have for this blog every month. So we’re going to give you a taste to entice into thinking about taking a […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) When people in southern New England talk about the “Cape and Islands” they’re referring to the southern shore of Cape Cod and its offshore islands – Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Cuttyhunk, and the rest of the Elizabeth Islands. Vineyard Sound and Nantucket Sound offer some fantastic cruising grounds, with some very […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Ah, the boat’s finally in the water and you’re on the edge of summer. Time to load up the boat with food, friends and family and head out for a day on the water. Pick a far-off spot and head for the sunset drinks on the first trip of the […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Keeping your boat batteries topped up and ready can be a challenge when you’re away from the dock and out using your boat, especially on sailboats where you don’t have a big engine running that often. This month, we take a quick look at most of the ways you can […]
