October 2003 By Dodge Morgan I have been reading “Intrepid Voyagers,” edited by Tom Lochhaas and published by International Marine McGraw-Hill this year. It is composed of 18 selections from the journals and logs of “the world’s most adventurous sailors,” an eclectic bunch from pioneers Bernard Moitessier and Francis ChichesterRead More

October 2003 By Tom Snyder I think a good name for a Discovery Channel show would be “When Boat Systems Attack.” I would even like to offer to be the highly paid host of this show, but that’s not my main point. My main point is that I had anRead More

Even with everything going wrong, a Downeast shakedown leaves a father and his teen-age daughters with a deeper appreciation for the joys of cruising – and of engines.

September 2003 By Dodge Morgan I believe I am the funniest son-of-a-bitch I know. At least I am when I am alone with myself. I am continually pulling off hilarious acts for my own pleasure. Of course it could be that my sense of humor simply has a hair triggerRead More

September 2003 By Tom Snyder I keep hearing about people who have successfully advertised their need for a cruising crewmember. Doesn’t that sound just like the coolest thing? Especially for a guy like me, who needs a huge list of people to go on my boat with me. Why huge?Read More

So nasty that “In the middle of the sound, and the rain is coming down in torrents. The thunder and lightning are simultaneous. No sense trying to count the seconds to see how far off the storm is – it’s here! ”

August 2003 By William E. Macdonald For Points East Without a doubt the worst weather I ever encountered on the water was a snowstorm during the winter of 1983, on my way home to Frenchboro during the early evening hours on my 26-foot Trojan. And just what was I doingRead More

So nasty that “Lightning had struck about 100 feet off the port side of the boat. A 50-foot circle of sizzling, boiling white water expanded from the spot of the strike and dissipated into the surrounding water. ”

So nasty that “the wind clocked around and before the boat could answer the helm, the boom jibed hard with a force that shook the entire boat.”

August 2003 By Dodge Morgan I see some really ugly boats, more of them these days than in the past, and I wonder if the reason is that my aesthetic sense has simply gone out of style. Style keeps changing and leaves some of us at least temporarily behind theRead More