On a delightfully summery Friday evening earlier this month, I entered into the Gone Sailing Adventures ‘Party on the Pier’, to unveil the naming of the newest member of the Gone Sailing fleet, the Dufour 382 Grand Large.
A small motor launch, originally designed as a work boat, is under construction to yacht standards by Keith Nelder at Big Pond Boat Shop in Martins River on Mahone Bay.
As a pioneer in the adaptable sailing movement I can say with confidence that all the volunteers that make the program function are true impact players. April Hubbard of Sail Able NS is a true impact player.
In its new 43z, MJM Yachts offers the cruising comforts of its unique, high tech down east designs along with the sporty handling, enhanced speed and shoal water versatility of outboard power.
Australian Kiss is a 2017 Beneteau Oceanis 41.1 on her way from the Atlantic to her new home at Gone Sailing Adventures in Toronto.
Some people are club champions - Nick Gentleman of Hubbards has successfully overcome visual impairment and turned it into an intangible ability.
Know the health and status of your boat while they’re away. Barnacle Systems Inc. will be hosting seminars at yacht clubs throughout Vancouver Island this May.
Read more: Victoria British Columbia Company Leads The Way...
We needed fuel on our way back south and stopped at a place called Blind Channel on West Thurlow Island.
Read more: The Richter family and the Blind Channel Resort...
This past January at the Vancouver International Boat Show. I met up with Phil Richter.
Every year Halifax International Boat Show signals the beginning of a new edition of the much-anticipated boating season.
Destinations
An Abacos Adventure
By Mark Stevens; Photos by Sharon Matthew-Stevens
It’s a perfect Sunday morning jaunt.
We’re gliding through green-blue waters, colours so vivid and bright they hurt your eyes. We’re set for a close reach out of a harbour guarded by a necklace of tiny emerald islands decorated by palms that dance in fifteen knots of wind.
Our boat, “Tropical Escape II” (perfect name for both the boat and our adventure), is a 44-foot Robertson and Caine catamaran, chartered from Sunsail’s Marsh Harbour base on Bahamas’ Great Abaco Island.
Read More about An Abacos Adventure...
Gulf Yacht Club
By Katherine Stone
Back to the days when most sailors made their boats in their garages, backyards, or basements, because that would have been the only way that they could procure a boat of any type. Boaters of yore were hardy folk who endured sleeping on floor boards in open boats with very little shelter, no boat cushions, cotton sails that never dried out and often succumbed to mildew, a hand compass and line of sight was used to navigate, no GPS or chart plotters, and their idea of a head was a bucket, if you were lucky.
This is how many of the first members of the Gulf Yacht Club recount their childhood and early adult years.
Read more about the Gulf Yacht Club...
Boat Reviews
Hanse 388
By Katherine Stone
The Hanse group produced their second most popular boat of all time with the Hanse 385. The trick was to build on that winning formula when they upgraded to the Hanse 388, which they have done in spades. The German build quality is first rate and true to the Hanse tradition. Leaving the hull the same with a steep stern and straight stem for an optimal long water line, they went with a slightly stiffer, heavier displacement, new deck, interior layout and window line. Hanse’s highly experienced yacht construction team, judel/vrolijk & co., have combined ease of sailing, comfort and performance into the newly designed Hanse 388.
Read more about the Hanse 388...
DIY & How to
Ask Andrew – How to hire a boat repair contractor
By Andrew McDonald
A recent conversation with a fellow contractor got me thinking: With all of the information out there, including: Websites showing repairs, YouTube tutorials, Instagram pages and snapchat streams – let alone books, magazines, service manuals, and years of practical experience – how does a boat owner know which method(s) are ‘right’, who to trust, and who to hire to do the job? In short: How do you find and select a contractor?
Unfortunately, most people are forced to hire a contractor due to a circumstance where something has broken or failed, or the task...
Read more about hiring a contractor...
Marine Products
What to do with used sails?
Sail shape is long gone. They have stained, feels thin and you see broken threads everywhere. Your sail is used-up and ready for the garbage. What to do with it is a common question that sailmakers get asked.
The best advice is to not put it into an unsuspecting dumpster. The green alternative is to recycle. If it is in reasonable condition, you can sell it used. There is a market for it. Most reusable sails can be found in the boating section in the local and nation sailing publications, newsletters or buy & sell web sites.
When the sail is too far gone to resell and it is made from Dacron there are other options.
Read more about re-using used sails...
