Exploring Slave Ship Wrecks off Gorée Island: A Smithsonian-Supported Effort Off the coast of Gorée Island, Senegal — a place long associated with the transatlantic slave trade — a team of divers is documenting submerged wrecks that researchers believe once carried enslaved people. Supported by the Smithsonian Institution, this initiative brings maritime archaeology to communities … Read more

Jeppesen’s C-MAP MAX-N Wide cartography is now available for a range of Navico plotters and multifunction displays. The chart product supports many popular units from Navico’s brands, including Lowrance Elite-7, HDS Gen1, Gen2 and Gen2 Touch; Simrad NSS, NSE and NSO; and B&G Zeus Touch. Owners of these displays can incorporate MAX-N Wide cartography to … Read more

“If I’d known what I was getting myself into, I probably wouldn’t have bought the boat in the first place,” admits Eric Paulsen. He’s talking about Splinters, a 1968 Grand Banks 42 Classic that he and his wife, Kim, purchased in 2008. They wanted a boat that could one day become a comfortable liveaboard and … Read more

Lowrance Elite-4 HDI and Mark-4 HDI Fishfinders, Plotters and Combos Lowrance’s Elite-4 HDI and Mark-4 HDI series bring compact, high-definition sonar and chartplotting technology to anglers and boaters who need reliable performance in a small package. Both models feature a 4.3-inch high-resolution display available in grayscale and color, offering approximately 36% more usable screen area … Read more

Beneteau Swift Trawler 54: Efficient Design, Comfortable Cruising The Beneteau Swift Trawler 54 blends purposeful naval architecture with practical onboard systems to deliver a long-range cruising experience. Its hull is a “fusion” design by Dixon Yacht Design, created to balance seakeeping, fuel efficiency, and onboard comfort. Together with Sleipner Vector Gen 3 stabilizer fins, the … Read more

Photo by Onne Van Der Wal Camera: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III Lens focal length: 300 mm ISO: 200 Aperture: f/5.6 Shutter speed: 1/1,000 second April 2013 issue Onne Van Der Wal: Technical Notes and Insights from the April 2013 Image This striking photograph by Onne Van Der Wal was published in the April 2013 issue. … Read more

On April 6, 2019, many older GPS receivers faced a potential problem that could affect their ability to report accurate position and time. The issue is not a hardware failure so much as a limitation in the way early GPS firmware recorded dates. That limitation can lead to incorrect dates displayed by the unit, unexpected … Read more

Communicating with Crew: Clear Words Save Lives “Hey, captain, sorry to wake you. The latest weather came in, and I thought you might want to take a look at it. If you have a chance—just looking at the forecast and our track line. Thought you might want to take a look.” Those words were spoken … Read more

Dave Gerr — Director of the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology Naval architect, yacht designer, and educator known for diverse work ranging from ultralight racing sailboats to large aluminum motoryachts. Dave Gerr is the director of the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology and a respected naval architect and yacht designer. His career spans an unusually … Read more

Cruising guide author Donald Street enjoys a cult following — meet him and you’ll see why Donald M. Street Jr. has become a fixture in the cruising community, admired as much for his practical knowledge as for his blunt, opinionated style. At the Annapolis sailboat show he demonstrates how his persona and work—cruising guides, charts … Read more