Tom Snyder is a friend of Points East Magazine and wrote a funny and very popular column for us from the magazine’s inception in 1998 until 2009. We’ve archived his columns below.
My new hobby will be fun to be bad at
May 2009 By Tom Snyder I must today admit that a decade ago when I bought my boat, it was because I had a deep desire to demonstrate to the world that, at 46, I was finally a grownup who didn’t get most of his
Read MoreIt’s all about being a good host
April 2009 By Tom Snyder My 9-year-old daughter, Amy, and I experienced the perfect 10 days of sailing a few early Junes ago. For the first few days out, we were the only cruising boat in any of the coves we visited. Our days were
Read MoreWhat’s not to like about this reorg?
Midwinter 2009 By Tom Snyder I found a note that I wrote to myself a few years ago. It said: “If I ever don’t have a sailboat, I’m going to have to find another place to focus my love of elaborate systems.” This note was
Read MoreNowadays, I really need a hobby
December 2008 By Tom Snyder How cool would this be? A new genre of boat called a Zero Footprint Fair Weather Strolling Short Hopper? I think I’m going to design the prototype all by myself and then start building them for my target customers. Let
Read MoreWhat happened 11 years ago is a mystery
October 2008 By Tom Snyder So, to recap, I bought my first boat in Hingham, Mass., 11 years, ago right after I sold my company – something I said I would never do (sell my company or buy a boat). She changed just about everything
Read MorePretty good is pretty good
September 2008 By Tom Snyder I’ll bet most people who read this magazine have easily interested minds. That is a great quality to be born with since it increases the chance that one will have a lifetime of enduring encounters with interesting things. I assume
Read MoreWhere are all the cruising boats?
August 2008 By Tom Snyder There is a question that I have always asked, which, I am told, one is not meant to ask. Which, of course, has made me want to ask it even more. But this year, without any outside badgering, I am
Read MoreThe unbearable brightness of boating
July 2008 By Tom Snyder I’m a talker on a boat. I know that. I share countless words, except when I’m being quiet, at which time I only say a lot of words. I find my ideas fascinating and generally won’t quit until the crew
Read MoreJune 2008 By Tom Snyder Replacing William F. Buckley, Jr.America has recently lost one of its most famous sailors, William F. Buckley, Jr. Since I was a kid, I have heard stories of his extraordinary experiences on the water. This is the end of an
Read MoreThis cruise is going to be perfect
May 2008 By Tom Snyder Shhh. Don’t tell my wife, Annie, about what follows. Seriously. She will be so surprised. But first, a bit of background: Annie has just recently expressed an interest in doing an extended sailing cruise with me this summer! This is
Read MoreThe new salt effect
April 2008 By Tom Snyder The brilliant social critic, Tom Wolfe, notices a lot of things about us. He is the one who identified the “Me Decade” and the “We Decade.” He named immensely wealthy, dangerously skinny, and endlessly acquisitive New York matrons as “Social
Read MoreThe tools that almost got me a Pulitzer
Midwinter 2008 By Tom Snyder Without a doubt, the most popular articles in boating magazines are the personal accounts, by amateur writers, of rewarding and sometimes exciting coastal cruises. Who among us hasn’t been inspired to visit a new cove after reading the straightforward, honest,
Read MoreWhat ‘they’ say is true: Bigger is better
December 2007 By Tom Snyder These are exciting times for any young family that has decided to get their feet wet in the world of family cruising. Things are improving. Twenty years ago, the general recommendation for one’s first cruising boat might have been a
Read MoreWhy I’m selling my boat
October 2007 By Tom Snyder It’s official. I’m going to sell my boat. And there are a lot of things that had no effect on this choice. It has nothing to do with the huge cost of maintaining a boat. Nor does it involve the
Read MoreFive bad laws, millions of us. Let’s roll
September 2007 By Tom Snyder I realize that what I’m about to say is potent stuff. Therefore, I shall limit myself to measured language. But darn it, I want to get the government off our backs. I thought we lived in America, but, no, once
Read MoreWhat I remember from my vacation
August 2007 By Tom Snyder If you give a present in a very big box to a very young kid – often a boy – you have a fifty-fifty shot that the box will become the main attraction. A magic box. The heck with the
Read MoreThe imagery of nonlinear polyurethane
July 2007 By Tom Snyder My childhood memory of the materials and mixtures and alchemy that went along with a sailboat is of a pungent, romantic and manly world. There was fragrant Italian marline that you just knew was spun and dipped by an old
Read MoreThere’s no such thing as a dumb question
June 2007 By Tom Snyder Every week, hundreds of boating questions are sent to my website. Below are a few the most recent. But first, may I quickly use this pulpit to say that I resent any suggestion that I have been writing questions to
Read MoreChris Columbus – up close and personal
May 2007 By Tom Snyder I recently caught up with Christopher Columbus, who agreed to be interviewed by Points East. I learned so much, but perhaps the most important lesson was that doing a good interview is hard. Not surprisingly, you have to ask good
Read MoreAlone in a room full of cruisers
April 2007 By Tom Snyder Go to a boat show in February and you will witness a sea of romantic humanity considering an enormous new cruising hobby. Others there will have already indulged. All of these folks share a common, overlapping list of images or
Read MoreCool about pirates
Midwinter 2007 By Tom Snyder I recently read a cruising magazine article by an attractive, articulate and adventurous couple who sailed the waters of the southern Caribbean. Their passionate and cheerful description of their commonsense safety measures regarding piracy were astounding. I enjoy imagining an
Read MoreIt’s time somebody stood up to the Brits
December 2006 By Tom Snyder I am sending an open letter from the good citizens of New England to the boaters of England. As you will see, I plan to take the moral highroad wherever possible. The bitterness that I shall avoid is in no
Read MoreOK. 0K. I have often used the device
October 2006 By Tom Snyder From the depths of one man’s patheticnessof the “confessional” on these pages as a way of illuminating some hapless loser of a man – an imaginary man based not entirely on me, but based on my joy of contemplating pathetic
Read MoreThese are my people; we are deal-makers
September 2006 By Tom Snyder When adventurous people encounter overwhelming and dangerous challenges, one common reaction is to make a deal with one’s god, promising a life of greater meaning if only one might survive the ordeal. Even non-believers will temporarily invent a presence with
Read MoreNothing the matter with a little natter
August 2006 By Tom Snyder I cruise for a month each June to get away from all the voices that fill one’s life. And the worst offender is my own voice. I talk too much. I have taught my wife a hand signal to use
Read MoreThe poor kid never even had a chance
July 2006 By Tom Snyder I have a true story that I probably shouldn’t tell you. Oh, don’t you love saying that to someone? It’s irresistible. Anyone you say that to will then tell you that they are very good at keeping secrets. Even women
Read MoreHow we learn from our misadventures
June 2006 By Tom Snyder One of the great features in most cruising magazines is the addition, at the end of exciting feature stories, of a post script often titled something like “In Retrospect” or “Lessons Learned” or “What We Should Have Done Differently.” It
Read MoreIt’s time to change the rules of sailing
May 2006 By Tom Snyder Good fences make good neighbors. And by the same token, good sailing rules make good racers. Anyone who reads the forgoing will wonder if only the geekiest boat magazine could print such a thing. Nevertheless, I claim that what makes
Read MoreI can do anything – until I talk to the guys
April 2006 By Tom Snyder I have yet another nautical confession to make… You probably distrust the kind of people who insist on revealing embarrassing details in the early moments of meeting you. I distrust them. I’ll bet you do, too. Go ahead — admit
Read MoreA simple story, but is it really that simple?
Midwinter 2006 By Tom Snyder I recently came across a photo of my boat lying on its side in a field of rocks. This is a photo that demands a story. One doesn’t look at it and simply say, “Wow, she really is on her
Read MoreDialing for toast: tech-support chronicles
October 2005 By Tom Snyder “Hello,” I said. I was calling to speak with Technical Support. While on hold, I wrote notes to myself so I could speak clearly and accurately about my malfunctioning device. When the fellow picked up, I explained that my Huffy
Read MoreA free gift: Enjoying the slower pace
September 2005 By Tom Snyder For a free gift, answer the following question: How long does it take a cruising sailboat to sail from Boston to Camden? Don’t answer yet, because it’s a bit of a trick question. If one were to answer “It depends
Read MoreThe Toasty Pajama Zone Disorder ©
August 2005 By Tom Snyder Before a recent June cruise Down East, I made a promise to myself that I would not sleep in my clothes for the entire month. I’m too old for that, and maybe even too dignified. If fact, I’m wicked mature.
Read MoreLooking good aboard and ashore
July 2005 By Tom Snyder I wasn’t trying to look smooth and proficient. I was just going about anchoring my boat on the first night of my monthlong cruise this June. I wasn’t trying to look good in front of another couple already anchored in
Read MoreThe end (almost) of an era
June 2005 By Tom Snyder An Important Announcement: I would like to use this space to make an important and potentially disturbing announcement to the sailboat racing community of Maine – and of the entire world. As of right now, I am formally retiring as
Read MoreBeware the false weather window
May 2005 By Tom Snyder This is my harrowing story (with a happy ending) of a crossing that almost was. But first. . . a phrase – “window of opportunity” – has been migrating though our language for the past few decades. It became popular
Read MoreYachtsman of the Year: Envelope please
Midwinter 2005 By Tom Snyder I would like to use this space to thank everyone who voted for me as the Yachtsman of the Year for the region extending from Cape Elizabeth to the southern tip of Peaks Island. Those who went to bat for
Read MoreIt’s a mature sailor who can talk to himself
October 2004 By Tom Snyder This is a short essay that will make you feel better about yourself. It’s an invitation to be honest with one another about something that is healthy and natural. I am talking, of course, about the act of talking to
Read MoreWe’re looking for a few good intellectuals
September 2004 By Tom Snyder If you’ve been looking for a unique cruising adventure on the New England coast, look no further. Below is an idea for cruising with a special theme in mind. You’ve heard of wine-tasting tours in France or dining tours in
Read MoreCan a rational man hate New York?
August 2004 By Tom Snyder I recently got busted in a harbor on Long Island. I use the word “busted” because that’s what it felt like. Anyway, I am a reasonable guy who tries to see both sides of a situation, so let me present
Read MoreTo our grandkids, GPS may seem quaint
July 2004 By Tom Snyder There are innovations in the world of boating that are so remarkable, so clever, so ambitious that even sensible sailing purists have to grudgingly admire them. To mention just two examples that get me shaking my head in wonder, consider
Read MoreCasco Bay would bring Richie to his knees
June 2004 By Tom Snyder Cruising the coast of Maine used to be a morale-builder for me. Living around city people who write and complain for a living, I was considered brave beyond reason for even stepping onto a boat. But to cruise! To sail
Read MoreA few easy pointers for the racing cruiser
May 2004 By Tom Snyder Do I enjoy afternoon races on my cruising boat? Absolutely. And I have found a way to make it fun for everyone. This doesn’t come easily to me. As a child I crewed on my father’s racing sloop in many
Read MoreAt 50-something, a few reasons for hope
April 2004 By Tom Snyder Recently I intersected with three sturdy people all in the space of a few hours. Their average age is about 80 and their average attitude is spectacular. One of them would be sufficient, but three in a row put a
Read MoreSail control doesn’t have to be complicated
Midwinter 2004 By Tom Snyder As a kid I raced a Blue Jay, which was a cute little wooden centerboard sloop. She could sail. (And turn. Closing within inches of a dock at full speed one could throw the tiller hard over and come to
Read MoreIn the footsteps of a systems-attack victim
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
Read MoreLooking for crew thing may have merit
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
Read MoreRefining the art of the drift-cruise
August 2003 By Tom Snyder I went sailing in early June, and I know this sounds like bragging, but I got lucky. You never think it’s gonna happen and then, bang, all the stars line up, and there you are thinking, “I can’t wait to
Read MoreJuly 2003 By Tom Snyder There’s a fun, new language in the airI recently wrote a column for this magazine trying to update and to render politically correct the traditional vernacular of seamen. In it I mentioned body parts and I am sorry, because I
Read MoreWould you please dongle the jimmy
June 2003 By Tom Snyder Sometimes when one is invited to go aboard another person’s boat (let’s call him Lance) one discovers that Lance is a nautical know-it-all, a seamanship showoff, a boatyard boaster, an aquatic attention-seeker. Boats are fun, but even on a beautiful
Read MoreThose guys just think it was their idea
May 2003 By Tom Snyder This is not a legal document with which I am trying to sue Points East Magazine or anything. All I am saying is that, for the record, I definitely thought of the whole flotilla thing before this magazine did. I
Read MoreHey, a man has a right to be happy
April 2003 By Tom Snyder Maturity and experience tell us not to go to a boat store when snow is falling. This is more profound than wisdom advising us to avoid supermarket shopping when hungry, because this other hunger leans more toward longing. I looked
Read MoreHedonistic cruising is grossly overrated
Midwinter 2003 By Tom Snyder I recently discovered the answer to one of the oldest questions that hovers around the world of boating. The question is: “Why is cruising in the Caribbean so darned boring compared to cruising in Maine?” The answer is: “Because Caribbean
Read MoreUnderstanding communication at sea
October, 2002 By Tom Snyder I grew up living and cruising aboard sailboats captained by my father. He had a way with words that can be explained by five years of being strafed, kamikazed, torpedoed, and fired on by other ships. Linguistically, he brought all
Read MoreDemons are a man’s best friend
September, 2002 By Tom Snyder I’m the kind of guy who likes to tell people what kind of guy he is, and I’m the kind of guy who likes to confront his demons. Another way of putting this is that I am not the kind
Read MoreA journey to the outer limits of OCD
August, 2002 By Tom Snyder Did I go too far? You be the judge. The date was June 1. I was sitting in my apartment, unable to tolerate the two meaningless days until I was to depart on a cruise. I stared at my empty
Read MoreIs that lentil soup in your bilge?
July, 2002 By Tom Snyder I think I have five books on how to cook aboard a boat. They have comforting titles that speak to me in late winter. I tend to purchase a new cookbook in March after two solid winter months of reading
Read MoreWhy should I pay for my own cruises?
June, 2002 By Tom Snyder I am planning to sail to New York City from Portland in June and I want someone else to pay for it. I’ll bet this strategy has occurred to everyone at one time or another. When I was 16, my
Read MoreMaybe I just like to solo with other people
May, 2002 By Tom Snyder I can think of no reason why I should not use this column as a vehicle for personal therapy. It is just plain common sense that a respected and beloved writer such as myself, whose column goes out to literally
Read MoreNot to worry – Capt. Tom’s got you covered
April, 2002 By Tom Snyder Welcome to another year of Tom’s Sailing Institute. We are looking forward to a spring semester that will be every bit as exciting as last year’s. With the exception of one accidental death (the case for which will probably be
Read More16 simple statements to test your loyalty
Midwinter, 2002 By Tom Snyder I have suspected for the past three years that nobody reads my column in these Midwinter issues. My friends tell me not to worry about it because nobody reads it in the summer. I at least know that my friends
Read MoreWhen time is short, consult your thumb
October, 2001 By Tom Snyder Rules of thumb. What a funny little expression – but what a lifesaver! A rule of thumb is a bit of mental shorthand that can be called into action when time and circumstances don’t allow logical contemplation. Rules of thumb
Read MoreA call for kinder, gentler mystery games
September, 2001 By Tom Snyder Many readers of Points East Magazine have told me how much they enjoy the regular feature in which one is asked to guess, from a photograph, a Mystery Harbor, usually in Maine. Fair enough. But what about the rest of
Read MoreConfessions of an AWOL flotillian
August, 2001 By Tom Snyder I recently returned from the Fundy Flotilla, a group of 29 adventurous cruisers who had signed up to go to the St. John River and beyond. I was a very important member of that group because, I think it’s safe
Read MoreI have a vision, and it’s got a nice blue cover
July, 2001 By Tom Snyder There is a certain cruising guide to Maine that can be found on almost every cruising boat in Maine. It has a blue cover and many pages. You may have seen it. For the purposes of this article, it will
Read MoreBidding a fond farewell from paradise
June, 2001 By Tom Snyder April 20, 2001 Sandy Harbor, Pensafulan Islands, on the straits of Curmel. This, sadly, will be my final letter from one of the most hauntingly beautiful and beguiling harbors I have ever known. Tomorrow morning Blue Moon (Sasquatech 37, hull
Read MorePut a fine point on your racing technique
May, 2001 By Tom Snyder Cruising is fine for people who are afraid to challenge themselves, but, of course, the only true way to fully enjoy one’s boat is to race. Racing is all about improving one’s sailing and seamanship, about pushing oneself to excel,
Read MoreCommonsense ideas of a Maine cruiser
April, 2001 By Tom Snyder How often have you read one of my columns and said to yourself, “Why didn’t I think of that?” It often happens to me, so I think maybe it”s time for me to do a monthly column called, Why didn”t
Read MoreWhy ‘wicked cold’ is scientific enough for me
Midwinter, 2001 By Tom Snyder Let me thank you in advance for your time. And now to the body of my remarks. I don’t know if the “wind-chill factor” is legitimate science, but it has always struck me as a way-too-elaborate means of declaring that
Read MoreKnow when to nip those nasty uprisings
By Tom Snyder Until this past summer, I have always felt that the British Navy was way too hard on mutineers. Never ashamed to weigh in on this issue, I would regularly stand up at parties to say those very words: “The British Navy was
Read MoreHoney, I shot the dog breath
By Tom Snyder One of the things I adore about being on the ocean is the jesting camaraderie between boaters. Such peppery back and forth allows a man to feel part of the fraternity of voyagers sharing a common bond. As so often happens among
Read MoreInto the abyss, and still able to talk about it
By Tom Snyder One of the most entertaining benefits of the huge number of cruising boats being sold in this heated economy is that now we can read in cruising magazines about cruising adventures by people who have recently bought their first boats. To put
Read MoreOur techie finds fault with popular FunRadios
By Tom Snyder In a recent letter to the editor of this magazine, a reader offered his congratulations, saying that he hoped he would never find herein one of those articles that told readers ‘what radio to buy.’ Exactly! Which is why I hope that
Read MoreMaintenance? Hey, I can do that
By Tom Snyder I have always assumed that I am not as thorough a person as I could be. Look, everybody has an area of self-doubt, and that is mine; along with a terrible visual sense (red-green deficient), a hellacious memory (I forget what was
Read More1 secret boat is plenty, thanks
By Tom Snyder I have a secret second boat in Maine. But first, some background. I believe that it was in my first story for Points East that I admitted that I had gone over to the dark side in 1996 when I hit the
Read MoreStorage space? Hey, this is a revolution
By Tom Snyder I love my boat and I have promised my wife and kids that I would never buy another boat. This was completely true insofar as any statement of fact can be said by a group of reasonable men to be true. But
Read MoreLearning the lesson of the crazy bird
By Tom Snyder This can’t possibly be right. My father fears nothing at sea. I’ve always known this, and so, by contrast, (not literally) I fear everything at sea. Clearly, I could use a psychic breakthrough. I had a big one in late September. Let
Read MoreGPS and the Grassy Ledge conspiracy
September, 1999 By Tom Snyder I have recently penetrated deep within the Byzantine bureaucracy of our government-operated GPS chartplotting technology. My discovery, the result of a happy accident while cruising Casco Bay, is not for the fainthearted. This whole damned thing makes me want to
Read MoreLook, I’m just here to help
August, 1999 By Tom Snyder One of my greatest pleasures in boating is knowing that I bring something valuable and unique to the world of cruising. You see, I am an intellectual who has read everything available on the subject of the sea. And this
Read MoreGentlemen, start your diesels
July, 1999 By Tom Snyder I have never personally changed my raw water impeller. You read it right – even though my Yanmar has well over 35 hours on it. I’m still an impeller virgin. I used to lie about it, as in: “Yes, Ted,
Read MoreBoat shoes: Research before you buy
June, 1999 By Tom Snyder Boy, am I thankful for the Internet! This past spring, I came within inches of buying a pair of boat shoes on my own before a friend sent me to the ’Net to get the real scoop. Sure, you can
Read MoreBefore launch, let’s review knots
May, 1999 By Tom Snyder I am pleased to offer the first in a series of useful knots. Today’s knot, the Have Knot, is good for literally one or two applications, although it is not within the scope of this column to get into usage.
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