Back at the dawn of time, when I started sailing, I was taught to never leave the winch handle in the winch after tacking or trimming. The reason, I was told, was to avoid injury should the winch pawls fail and the sheet tension spin the handle with great force, catching an arm or other …
What is the art of seamanship? The dictionaries define it as the skill or technique or art of handling a boat or ship at sea. It surely is that, but I think it’s a bit more. Seamanship is certainly about having the sailor’s basic skills, but it must also be about judgement. Good seamanship isn’t …
Sailors fall into two categories – those that have run aground and those that will run aground. I have run aground countless times – seven transits of the US ICW and gunkholing in the skinny waters of the Bahamas and Chesapeake Bay will do that to you – and it’s usually a pretty harmless event. …
Spring has sprung which means it’s time to remind you all of the dangers of drowning. Drowning is not a noisy, dramatic event. Our body’s response to suffocation by water is quite different to the commonly held view that it involves waving arms and shouting for help. That comes before you are drowning. At that …
This is a recollection from our first southbound journey between Chesapeake Bay and the Florida Keys, over 25 years ago. We’d sold up, refitted Adriana and were setting off on what would become a three year adventure… The seas had been building as the wind strength had increased over the past day and night. I’d …
I have a particular fondness for sailing on Chesapeake Bay where I was lucky enough to keep a boat for five years. Here’s a taste of the seasons on the Bay: In spring the sailing on Chesapeake Bay is grand, the air fresh, winds reliable. The weather’s changeable, though; tee shirt or foul weather jacket, …