Most sailors just don’t have practice sailing in really windy conditions. Club racers don’t go out if it is more than 25 knots (nor will the race committee). When doing a long-distance cruise or race, you don’t have much option if a squall runs at you.
Harken soft-attach Fly blocks are designed to provide strength without mass, providing sailors with big power in a low-aero package. Designed specifically for high-tech line, these efficient blocks have an incredible working load for their small size.
If you sail on the Great Lakes long enough, you are going to need to deal with summertime squalls. Because of the landlocked humid continental climate, we see very hot summer temperatures that lead to convective weather events.
The Navigator, with a 50mm lens diameter and 7x magnification, is the perfect gift for under the tree this year. It offers a stable image in the roughest of seas and guarantees bright images with excellent contrast and sharpness of detail in the dark.
A balanced boat is key to performance and as the season winds down, let’s take a look at why and how. It’s that time of the year that we put our boats to bed and clean up the sailing locker.
Sunglass manufacturer, Bollé, is showing its dedication to returning to the forefront of the nautical scene in the field of ocean racing and comes equipped with products for the needs of skippers in all forms of performance sailing.
Last year Seldén launched the new version of Furlex Electric, an electric driven jib furler. Now they are moving aft, powering up the furling mast and also launching a whole new electric winch.
Far from being a failsafe to onboard electronic navigation equipment, Ritchie Navigation SuperSport magnetic compasses still function if the power fails. Plus, they do something a GPS can’t: display a heading when stopped or moving at very slow speeds.
Sailing electronics manufacturer B&G has debuted the new B&G Triton Edge sailing processor this week, delivering what it claims is the most advanced processor ever to hit the sailing market.
Working alongside a US-based designer and boat building company, Burlington ON’s MarsKeel Technology recently provided a dissimilar metal combination keel for a 68-foot modern classic cruiser/racer.
I was helping teach my daughters to drive a 5-speed manual over the last while, and they have gotten very good at it. The clutch has survived, and they willingly take that car when they need it, so I think that is a win. I only wish my customers would figure out the 3 gears they need to race a sailboat!
Sails are attached to the sailboat rig using several different systems. Let’s begin with mainsails. The most basic attachment is with a boltrope that fits into a mast groove. This is very secure, and the sail is very well supported along the luff edge.
Imagine. Boat at anchor, coffee in your hand, the wind is blowing. Suddenly, this tranquil moment is interrupted by the sound of rushing water, and an ice cold feeling across your entire body. You’ve tripped and fallen overboard! Yikes – “How do I get back onto the boat?”
Sailing really is a simple sport, just you and the wind and waves. And the boat, an infernal contraption made of twisted ropes, slipping cleats and flapping sails. Ok, so sailing is simple when you tame Hydra’s nest and get all the ropey bits correct.
All it takes is a SIONYX night vision camera and an iPad or Android tablet (or phone) and you can be streaming full color night vision back to your helm station. In just a few seconds, you can mount the SIONYX camera anywhere on your boat and wirelessly stream back to your iPad at the helm.
Even after 30 years in the business, I still love thumbing through the pages of Canadian Yachting magazine – the beautiful new boats, the latest electronics or sailing gear. I particularly like reading the advertisements describing something that I may or not know anything about. “Lighter, faster, stronger, brighter”.
