A reliable diesel is the backbone of any offshore cruising boat. Unlike a road vehicle, a marine auxiliary sees infrequent, long-duration use in a corrosive environment with
The night watch is where bluewater passages are won or lost. Not by bursts of speed but by the unglamorous arithmetic of sleep, hydration, and attention — accumulated over
NOAA’s April outlook and the Colorado State group are both pointing at a 2026 Atlantic hurricane season in the 14-to-16 named-storm range, with as
Charts in the tropical Pacific and the outer reefs of the Caribbean are very often wrong. Survey data in French Polynesia still traces in significant part to Captain
The subject of a second anchor generates more confident opinion-giving and less careful thinking than almost any other topic in cruising. Somewhere in the collective unconscious of
Every bluewater sailor eventually experiences the moment when the forecast blows up. You planned a reaching passage in 20 knots, you are now taking 38 gusting 50, and
The single most-neglected safety system on most cruising sailboats is the diesel engine. It sits in a damp locker, gets used for ten minutes a day leaving
The early forecasts for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season are in, and the headline is cautious optimism. Colorado State University projects 13 named storms, six hurricanes and two
Man overboard situations are the nightmare scenario that every offshore sailor rehearses but prays never happens. The grim statistics haven’t changed much in decades — if you go
There’s a moment on every ocean passage — usually around day three — when the novelty of being at sea wears off and the reality of feeding people in
Somewhere between New Zealand and Tonga right now, a small crew is doing something most of us only dream about — sailing the deep Pacific with purpose. The South
The 0200 watch. You're alone in the cockpit, 200 miles from the nearest coast, and the radar screen shows nothing but sea clutter. Somewhere out there,
