Three Sheets NW:A Van Isle Cruiser’s Hat Trick
December 13, 2022
Sunrise over Vancouver Island on approach to their first post-passage anchorage. It was the porpoises that sealed the deal. When your summer cruising plans are to circumnavigate Vancouver Island, you have to be prepared to…
Boat Maintenance & Repairs,Featured
A Reluctant Bilge Dive Reveals Big Trouble
October 4, 2022
Even a well prepared boat like Rounder can have some gremlins lurking in its deepest, darkest corners. Our 1984 Passport 40, Rounder, has a deep bilge. Of course, I’ve looked down into the well at the aft end of it before…
Working on Boats: A Space Odyssey
April 28, 2022
I’ll just come right out and say it — I’m one of those weirdos who actually enjoys working on boat projects nearly as much as I enjoy being out on the boat. Of all the upgrades and repairs we’ve made to our 1984 Passport 40…
Boat Maintenance & Repairs,Featured
Recommissioning: From the Blues to Blue Skies
March 10, 2022
This article was originally published in the March 2022 issue of 48° North Ah, spring at the marina. Full of promise. Renewal. Great times lay ahead. Blah, blah, blah. I trudge down to the boat in early March, dock cart…
The Four Lessons from a 10-year Refit
January 13, 2022
This article was originally published in the January 2022 issue of 48° North. It was a miserable February day in 2012, a gray slush dripping from the leaden sky as my wife, Deborah, and I walked carefully down the dock at a…
Cruising,Boating News,Featured
Report: 48°N Columnists Share Experiences and Tips Crossing Newly Opened US-Canada Border
August 18, 2021
48° North columnists Marty McOmber and Deborah Bach recently crossed the newly opened U.S.-Canada border in Sidney, British Columbia. Here's how it went for them, along with some tips for other cruisers considering doing the…
Seamanship & Navigation,Featured
Three Sheets Northwest: The Evolution of Log Keeping
May 20, 2021
This article originally appeared in the May 2021 issue of 48° North. Date: August 25-26 Trip: Saltair (Stuart Channel) to Princess Cove (Wallace Island) Weather: Sunny + Hot Notes: First time to Wallace Island and it was…
An Ode to My Favorite Tool
April 6, 2021
In Marty McOmber's latest column, he gives props to an indispensable tool that is a jack of all trades aboard. One of the most important pieces of equipment aboard our boat has proven itself time and time again — so much so…
Boating Lifestyle,Boats & Gear,Featured
These are a few of our favorite (boat) things
December 9, 2020
From the December 2020 issue of 48° North If you’ve ever lived-aboard or spent much time on a boat, you probably know it’s the little things — that galley gadget, that tool you can’t do without — that make life afloat…
How have we never been here before?
October 13, 2020
Rediscovering a sense of surprise and wonder while cruising close to home From the October, 2020 issue of 48° North. I’m a little embarrassed to admit we’d never really heard about Watmough Bay near the southeast tip of…