We are in a world where everything seems to be bigger, better, more of this, more of that. Event planners need to avoid the “same old, same old” if they want to maintain, and hopefully grow, their regatta or other event. Here are a few ideas for a successful activity that you might try in your…
I am a truly lucky guy; my whole family loves the boat. Sailing on it, swimming off it, sleeping on it—the whole package. There are two keys to creating this situation. First, spouses with less sailing or boating experience need to be comfortable, feel safe and trust that you won’t put them—or children/grandchildren—in a bad spot. You…
Mid-June on Lake St. Clair marks the annual Canadian Club Regatta, hosted by Windsor Yacht Club. The race is a medium distance nighttime affair that stretches from WYC at the mouth of the Detroit River, north and slightly west to the Point Huron lighted buoy, then back toward WYC for a total of 30.5 nm. …
We were finally able to take our stock boat out for a sea trial in Buffalo recently. We had Kris Werner of Quantum Sails in Rochester along with Tim, Dave and me. Kris made the sails, and we were all very pleased with them. We set up a base tune on the rig and went…
Beginners generally find docking the boat one of the more challenging parts of learning to sail. It is worth the time spent in practicing, and when we sell someone a new boat this is an area we focus on. With proper technique anyone can learn to dock like a pro.
We pulled out of Rochester last Friday afternoon for a five-day Independence Day weekend sprint up to Grindstone Island on the St. Lawrence, via Fair Haven, Sackets Harbor and Clayton. Visiting our friends on Grindstone and watching the Clayton Fireworks has been a tradition for us for many years. Friday when we left Rochester, I dialed…
Not so fast… At a recent meeting, I had dinner with a rep for one of the major diesel engine manufacturers. I asked him why we were are still seeing new models and developments in internal combustion engines when the world seems to be diving headlong into electric propulsion. He made several interesting points. Current battery technology does not…
Last time, we focused on why more people don’t wear life vests, lifejackets, or inflatable PFDs. Now, let’s talk about who should wear one, when and why. The obvious answer is everyone, all the time, because it is the number one safety tool on the boat. After all, you wear your seatbelt all the time,…
This was our third time crossing north/south to or from New Zealand and I’m relieved to say that—hopefully—it’s our last! We’ve been told it’s a tricky passage and we’ve found that to be the case. Picking a good weather window is crucial and we’ve been lucky that we’ve been able to wait it out each…
Why don’t more people wear PFDs (personal flotation devices), aka lifejackets? It is a fact that most drowning victims are not wearing a PFD. We wear seatbelts, helmets when we ski or ride a bike (at least you should, my bike helmet has two dings in it from falls), and in general we are more…