Hull Waxing Tips

by Darrell Nicholson on July 16, 2010

Waxing your hull this weekend? Here’s a brief recap of our more-detailed gelcoat maintenance  discussion that is posted in the public DIY section of the Practical Sailor website, “Tools and Techniques.” Results of our latest tests of the best marine paste waxes and best liquid waxes can be purchased online.  If you’re not in a [...]

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PS Reader’s Letter Sparks West Marine Tether Recall

by Ann Key on June 30, 2010

In response to a Practical Sailor query regarding the design of a popular offshore safety tether, West Marine issued a voluntary recall of its tether (Model 9553512).
The recall, announced today, was prompted by a letter from Practical Sailor reader Mike Cunningham, who contacted the magazine regarding his concerns regarding his tether. Cunningham did not specify [...]

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Practical Sailor July Issue is Online

June 29, 2010

The July issue of Practical Sailor, now available online at www.practical-sailor.com, revisits the war between metals and saltwater. This time, we focus one of the most vital metals on the modern cruising boat: copper. For many years, sailors have been told that pre-tinned copper wires, heat-sealed crimps, and dialectric sprays or greases are essential to [...]

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The Ultimate Underwater Camera Housing Endurance Test

June 15, 2010

Annie Greenberg’s Associated Press story of the underwater camera housing that kept its Nikon camera in pristine condition and survived a 2,000-mile voyage, including a possible turtle attack, kept me chuckling this morning. Sounds like a good protocol for a Practical Sailor test.
According to the story, the camera and its housing were lost off the [...]

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Online Learning Worked for Me

June 14, 2010

A little voice said “check your ego at the door” when I plunked down my $700 for the Mariners Learning Systems’ online course for OUPV, Master’s 100-Ton Upgrade and Sailing Endorsement. After three decades covering ships and the sea in marine publishing, cutting my teeth in the company of luminaries like Bill Robinson and Bob [...]

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Abby Sunderland Awaits Rescue

June 11, 2010

Like any sailor, I was very relieved to hear that Abby Sunderland (left) was alive and well after a harrowing dismasting in the Indian Ocean. The 16-year-0od teen was attempting to become the youngest sailor to circumnavigate when her boat was dismasted in the Indian Ocean.
I’ll be first to say that many teens today could [...]

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Your Nautical Chart Prices Just Doubled

May 28, 2010

The price for U.S. nautical charts of the world effectively doubled on May 1, when the Federal Aviation Authority stopped distribution.
Here’s what I know so far, paraphrasing an e-mail I got yesterday from longtime PS reader and marine safety advocate Henry Marx at Landfall Navigation:
A year ago, Federal Aviation Distribution, which prints and distributes nautical charts [...]

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NASA Discusses New Distress Alerting System

May 24, 2010

If you’re in the dark about DASS, the advanced Distress Alerting Satellite System designed to enhance the existing COSPAS-SARSAT system, this video should help bring home its value to sailors.
With the summer boating, flying and climbing season setting in, the Goddard Space Flight Center held a press conference on DASS today. The new system requires [...]

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June 2010 issue of Practical Sailor is Now Available Online!

May 20, 2010

The June issue of Practical Sailor magazine is now available online. This month’s big test examines a class of products that is near and dear to my stomach: bosun chairs. After all, it was a suicidal wooden seat that left me with one of my most vivid memories from our cruising days. The details aren’t [...]

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Spacewalking tips for sailors

May 17, 2010

Marveling at the work of the crew aboard space shuttle Atlantis today reminded me that going to sea shares a lot in common with space exploration: the prolonged periods of isolation, the close quarters, the food and drinks sailing across the cabin.
If you accept the analogy, then climbing the mast while underway is the sailor’s [...]

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