Dear Boat Doctor, I just got a new-to-me boat and I have a charging problem: the house bank won’t stay charged when I run the engine. When the engine is running, there is 13.5 volts at the alternat

It was a quarter of a century ago but it seems like yesterday. We were 50 miles into a 120-mile overnight passage bound north by northeast. Our homeport lights had fallen below the horizon  so o

Why do people climb a dangerous mountain? That’s easy. We know the answer because George Mallory gave it to us in three words in 1923, one year before his life ended on Mount Everest. Why do peopl

FeaturesConfessions of a serial owner Looking back on a collection of well-loved but not-quite-right boats Sailing into the season An illustrated guide to fitting out Stranger danger Hitching a r

In the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, Beneteau First cruiser-racers were winning regattas across the world. The popularity of multipurpose boats waned over the decades, with racing and cruising

This is the newest boat from the Arcona yard in Gustavsberg, Sweden. I think it is the perfect size for family cruising. Nothing is overwhelming. Space is tight but you can get everything you need in

The Invader was launched in 1965 during the golden age of fiberglass boat construction. This recreational cruising boat was one of the earliest C&C designs built. The Invader was designed by Geor

One of the ways to learn about the Corbin 39 is to read builder Marius Corbin’s story in his own words. On the verge of creating the boat of his dreams, Corbin founded Corbin les Bateaux Inc. in Can

British yachtswoman Jeanne Socrates made international headlines when she became the oldest person to sail nonstop around the world, alone and unassisted. The 77-year-old sailed into Victoria, British

Dear Boat Doctor, I am interested in improving my onboard emergency gear. I have carried a personal EPIRB for years, but it feels inadequate. I have been looking at shipboard EPIRBs, but maybe I shou

To be a real sailor is more than knowing your knots and how to trim sails for the conditions. It’s also looking the part. Just as Boy Scouts have merit badges, so too do sailors have their status sy

I read car magazines with interest and envy.  Interest because, as a semi-reformed sports car buff, my clutch-foot still twitches when I read about high-performance automobiles.  Envy

Features  Crazy about the sea At 77, Jeanne Socrates became the oldest person to solo circumnavigate nonstop Cruising to the toe of Italy A shoulder-season cruise of Italy’s southwest coast

The enticing part of sailing is that every time you go to sea you learn something new. And because sailors aren’t typically people who like to sit idly by on their vacations, combining the two, by l

I’ve known Tom Wylie for a long time. I once owned a boat he designed, a Wylie Wabbit—24 feet of thrills and spills. Tom has always been an original thinker. When just about every designer was doi

The first time I watched a promotional video for a cruising sailboat was after I had been cruising for at least 10 years. The film was filled with good weather, sunshine, happy faces, perhaps a brief

I received a very nice design package from Gerry Douglas, head designer at Catalina Yachts. I think I may have reviewed more Catalina models than any other manufacturer in the many years I have b

Now let’s look at what German Frers does with a very similar design challenge. Sitting side by side at the dock the two boats would be nearly identical except for some subtle styling differences. LO