A bumpy passage and lost toilet seat

Brisk winds and turbulent seas lead to an overboard toilet seat at the end of a passage                                   The Charlotte Straits can be as calm, serene, and peaceful as any sailor in the dead of night could…

Sailing with My Clan

From the April 2020 issue. I’m hardly the first to row or sail the Inside Passage in a small craft. Yet, during the first 100 miles of my journey south from Port McNeil, Row Bird was the sole open boat on the water. Pulling…

Totem Bears Witness: An Environmental Photo Essay from Around the World

Immersing our family in the realities of the natural world is a meaningful part of our cruising dream When we set off from the Pacific Northwest aboard Totem over a decade ago, we anticipated the rewards of living with a…

Rally Reflections Part One: Sailing to Sucia

Take a Trip Back in Time to Last Year's 48° North Cruising Rally (formerly called the Cascadia Cruising Rally) It’s natural to hop in the time machine right now—fly off to carefree days of travel, exploration, and…

Sirius 40 DS Boat Review

48° North Tests the Stout, Twin-Keeled Bluewater Cruiser The Sirius 40 Deck Saloon (DS) just made its North American Boat Show debut in Seattle in January, and I have to admit, it had not been on my radar. It certainly is…

Go North to Go South

48° North columnist Bruce Bateau has been sharing the story of his small boat voyage south from Port McNeil, BC to Anacortes. This story appeared in the February issue of the magazine, and you can see his next web exclusive…

One Tack & Two Jibes

One Tack & Two Jibes 1,300 Miles from Alaska to San Francisco Wedged between the lee cloth and cushions on Yahtzee’s starboard settee, I stare aloft through the dark of the cabin and the main hatch, listening intently to…

Whales to Port! A Flotilla Cruise Through the Inside Passage

Shortly after 9 a.m., the mist over Ketchikan Marina lifted. The crews of our six Grand Banks cruisers fired the twin diesel engines, loosened mooring lines and coordinated radios as anticipation was building. One by one, we…