Seamanship
Diesel Reliability for Bluewater Passages: The Engine-Room Audit That Saves the Trip
The engine is the single piece of gear on a cruising boat that owners least want to think about and most need to trust. For a passage from
safety
Heavy Weather Tactics: Heaving-To, Running Off, and When to Deploy a Drogue
If you sail far enough, eventually the weather wins a round. The question is not whether you'll meet conditions that exceed the comfortable envelope — it'
Seamanship
Night Watch Routines for Offshore Passages: Systems That Keep Crews Sharp
Ask a dozen offshore sailors about night watch and you'll get twelve different systems. That's not a problem — the best watch schedule is the
anchoring
Choosing Ground Tackle for Bluewater Cruising: A Practical Guide to Getting It Right
Nothing ends a good cruise faster than a dragged anchor at 0300. Your ground tackle is the single most important piece of safety equipment on a bluewater cruising
bluewater
Antigua Bermuda Race 2026 Returns: The Springtime Offshore Classic Is Back
After a two-year pause, the Antigua Bermuda Race is back on the calendar — and it returns with the kind of restless enthusiasm you hear in a crew prepping
Seamanship
Shorthanded Spinnaker Handling: A Cruiser Playbook for Flying a Chute with Two Hands (or One)
Flying a spinnaker shorthanded — whether with your partner across the Atlantic or solo on a coastal hop — is one of those pieces of seamanship that has two versions.
Seamanship
The Pre-Passage Rig Check: A Deck-to-Masthead Audit That Catches Failures Before They Find You
The rig is the one system on a bluewater boat that almost never fails politely. A bilge pump dies quietly; a rig failure tends to arrive in a
Seamanship
Marine Diesel Maintenance: The Discipline That Keeps Your Engine Running Forever
The marine diesel engine is the bluewater cruiser's most reliable failure point. Reliable in the sense that it almost never fails for mechanical reasons; failure point
Seamanship
Heavy Weather Tactics: A Working Framework for Bluewater Storms
Every bluewater sailor eventually meets the storm they planned to avoid. The forecast was wrong, the front intensified, the routing software missed something. When that happens, the difference
anchoring
Choosing Ground Tackle: A Bluewater Sailor Guide to Anchors That Actually Hold
Choosing the right anchor for your bluewater cruiser is the kind of decision that gets argued about at every yacht club bar from Annapolis to Auckland. The anchor
Seamanship
Heavy Weather Tactics: Hove-To, Lying Ahull, and Running Off
Sooner or later, every bluewater sailor gets caught in weather they would rather not be in. The decisions you make when the wind is building past 35 knots
Seamanship
Offshore Diesel Engine Maintenance: The Pre-Passage Checklist
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 no