Nov 18, 2021Why Fall and Winter are AMAZING for San Francisco Bay SailorsWhy Fall and Winter are AMAZING for San Francisco Bay Sailors Fall and winter are here. With them come light and shifty winds, windy and wet storms, and shockingly shorter days. Time to put away the boat and look forward to next summer, right? Not so fast! While the winds…4 min read4 min read
Sep 24, 2021Using Gravity To FlyThe shape of a wing is key to producing lift. So it is for a sail because, as you may have heard, the sail is a wing. Unlike airplane wings, conventional sails are made of flexible materials, because it’s lighter and it’s nice to be able to fold them up…Sailing2 min readSailing2 min read
Mar 30, 2021What Is Your Depth Sounder Really Telling You?Sounder — noun — from the French sonde: a probe. Does your depth sounder tell you the depth of the water? It might. But is that the number you need? Unless calibrated with an offset, your depth sounder merely tells you the distance between the transducer and the seabed. …Sailing3 min readSailing3 min read
Mar 10, 2021In a Jam? Try a Rolling Hitch.Imagine you are grinding in on a jib sheet. Just as the jib comes perfectly taught, you look down and realize you have a deep override on the winch. You yank the tail to free it, but the tail has buried itself under three tight wraps on the winch and—…Sailing2 min readSailing2 min read
Feb 26, 2021Why Living on a Sailboat in a Marina is Great for FitnessI know it’s obvious, but boats aren’t usually located on land. Would you have guessed that living on a boat, on the water, has meant walking hundreds of more miles each year than had I lived ashore? Allow me to explain. Many boat owners prefer to use the bathrooms and…2 min read2 min read
Feb 26, 2021The Points of SailAnytime there is air moving over a boat, it is on a point of sail. You may have heard of some of these: Head to Wind Close Hauled Close Reach Beam Reach Broad Reach Dead Down Wind Why are these important? Most importantly, the direction the wind is blowing relative…3 min read3 min read
Feb 13, 2021The Four Essential ManeuversIf you are like I was, you may feel daunted by the complex maneuvering a sailboat undertakes in the completion of something like the person overboard maneuver. You would be right. It’s a complex maneuver in every sense. But, like all complex things, it is reducible to simpler components. Remember…How To2 min readHow To2 min read
Feb 2, 2021Normalize Your DreamThose who are out there are not here. You will not see billboards or ads portraying a down-to-earth, affordable sailing lifestyle. It won’t come up on the news, and unless you are already immersed in the sailing world, no one will bring it up over dinner. That’s because there are no big budgets behind it, and it…How To3 min readHow To3 min read
Jan 20, 2021When Flying is Like SailingIf you have watched the America’s Cup in recent years or have been following the developments in hyrdo-foils, you may not be surprised at the comparison. Maybe it’s because I’m a bit of an aviation buff, but I think there may be a different and useful comparison to draw. Consider…How To5 min readHow To5 min read
Dec 30, 2020Knotty ThoughtsA bit of rope (line) is a raw material, like iron, that is just waiting to be forged into a tool. The forging process is arranging the line into a particular configuration, i.e., the tying of a knot. Precisely what your intended application is will determine what knot you bend…How To3 min readHow To3 min read
