Dear Boat Doctor, I recently upgraded the alternator on my Yanmar 4JH2DTE and things aren’t going smoothly. It is a Balmar 100A alternator with a Max Charge alternator. The alternator is working gr

Menacing clouds and increasing wind announced that a powerful storm was about to cross over the British Virgin Islands. We were tucked into outlying Anegada, the area’s flattest and most unprotected

As faithful (and even unfaithful) readers of this column know, I’ve teed off in the past about products that promise to take us sailing. No, not boats, but offerings such as a perfume that vowed to

One of the 18 people who paid the $10,000 entry fee, documented meeting the requirement of having sailed 8,000 ocean miles and signed up for the 50th anniversary Golden Globe Race had climbed Mount Ev

I have enjoyed a lot of different sailing events, from local regattas to glamorous destinations. Each had its own appeal, but once I’ve been there, done that,  I rarely return because there are new places to explore. But I made an exception for the Golden Rock Regatta, a little-known Caribbean series that is held in November, featuring long-distance races to a smattering of islands: St. Maarten, St. Eustatius, St. Barths and Anguilla. Exhilarating stretches of racing during the day are followed by nightly raft-ups and casual parties. It perfectly combines the thrill of racing with the adventure of exploring a different piece of paradise each night, which has given me the opportunity to forge friendships with other “Rockers” over the years.

Features Ludicrous speed on hard water For hardy iceboaters, the racing season gets going fast when it freezesRacing the rockThe Golden Rock Regatta brings sailors back to the Leew

J.H. Peterson photoPlunging temperatures, bitterly cold winds and rock-hard waterways. Just right for sailing …  that is, if you’ve got a serious need for speed and don’t mind the windburn.

I think anything that comes out of the Nautor’s yard in Finland is interesting. But this new Frers designed Swan 54 is truly beautiful. If you go back to the early 1970s you’ll find what I co

Here is an interesting design from Owen Clarke specifically designed for high-altitude cruising. I think that means you will need a very durable boat that will keep you safe, warm and protected. It’

The new Xp 55 from X-Yachts has far more features than I can describe given my word limit. I guess it would be a cliché to say “they have thought of everything” but it seems that is the case. Wit

Sailors the world over have noticed an every increasing amount of plastic garbage floating in the oceans. One group made up of women sailors and scientists has spent the last four years studying and b

Upgrading cockpit canvas Canvas can add a lot of creature comfort to a boat. It helps keep sailors warm and dry and provides relief from the beating sun. But that same canvas can be a real bother s

Dear Boat Doctor, I installed a Frigoboat keel-cooled system a few years ago. The system worked amazingly well until last summer when I noticed that it would cool down very nicely if the icebox was w

I’ve been captivated by the intentionally regressive singlehanded Golden Globe Race, which has knocked out more than half of its entrants and unleashed months of Southern Ocean drama with giant stor

This will seem strange, coming from the publisher of a magazine whose trademark is pixel-perfect digital photographs reproduced in vivid color, but there are times when grainy black-and-white film pho

In a bold and rare move, Tartan designer Tim Jackett broke with the accepted Euro-styling movement and designed a new boat with classic American yacht proportions. Good on  ya, Tim.  I rea

Features From barn to seaA family takes a chance on an old boat and discovers a gemA labor of love and friendshipFriends chase their dreams in restoring a BluenoseFrom beginner to boat

It’s not every day that you sail with a Boston terrier as a bo’sun, which made it a nice surprise when Bikini peeked her head out of the cockpit as I boarded the brand-new Hylas 48 at Mears Marina