Three Sheets Northwest: Two Sailors Walk into a Bar
An Interesting and Informative Electrical Seminar Sparks a Bevy of Boaty Questions The following are excerpts from a recorded conversation between me and my good friend, Garry Hoffman, at the bar, Anchor, in Port Townsend…
Three Sheets Northwest: Snagged in the Swinomish
The Swinomish channel current swirls alongside Rounder while waiting for the tide to rise. The boat turned perpendicular to the channel after running aground.Fortunately, it didn’t move outside the main channel. We felt the…
Three Sheets Northwest: The Homeport
When switching marinas is more sentimental than anticipated Rounder in her J Dock slip at her previous homeport of Elliott Bay Marina. For nearly 20 years, we kept a series of boats at our homeport, Elliott Bay Marina; the…
Three Sheets Northwest:One Man’s Treasure in Letting the Clutter Go
In an effort to downsize their boat gear, the author’s storage unit is nearly empty. We all know the old saw about the best two days in a boater’s life. But I’d like to nominate a third: the day you finally get rid of all…
Three Sheets NW:A Van Isle Cruiser’s Hat Trick
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…
A Reluctant Bilge Dive Reveals Big Trouble
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
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…
Recommissioning: From the Blues to Blue Skies
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
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…
Report: 48°N Columnists Share Experiences and Tips Crossing Newly Opened US-Canada Border
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…