Close to the Water: Becoming a Sailor

From the June 2022 issue of 48° North. At the…

Marine Wiring Workshop in Port Hadlock on July 9

Washington Sea Grant, NW School of Wooden Boatbuilding, and WSU Jefferson County Extension are sponsoring a Marine Wiring Workshop in Port Hadlock on July 9. This workshop is for boat owners who want to upgrade their…

Fiberglass in the Forest:
Lesson in Backyard Lamination

From the June 2022 issue of 48° North. For the past 10 years, I have been a shipwright. My boat repair and building career began with bottom painting at CSR, a boatyard on the Lake Washington Ship Canal in Seattle.…

Artist’s View: The Solitary Sandpiper

This article was originally published in the June 2022 issue of 48° North.

Coast Guard FAQ Reminds Boaters of Cut-Off Switch Law

After several incidents in the Pacific Northwest and around the United States, the USCG is reminding boaters that wearing your boat's kill cord is the law. Though the federal law went into effect over a year ago (April 1,…

Beacon Background: Alki Point Lighthouse

Explore the history of the iconic lighthouse that has been guiding mariners through Puget Sound for more than 100 years. The following article originally appeared in the May 2022 issue of 48° North. Seattle is a city best…

Introduction to Polar Diagrams and Optimum VMC

A polar diagram is a graphic presentation of a sailboat's sailing performance in various wind conditions. But how do you interpret it? The same information is also often presented in the form of a table or spreadsheet, which…

How-To: Stripping Your Boat’s Bottom

This article was originally published in the April 2022 issue of 48° North. It’s April and in the boatyard, the tide is beginning to shift. Just weeks ago, a whole day may have gone by before we spotted anyone else laboring…

Artist’s View: Hermit Crab

This article was originally published in the April 2022 issue of 48° North.

A Closer Look at Diesel Fuel

This article was originally published in the April 2022 issue of 48° North. In my last column (February 2022), we talked about oil’s function and filtration in a marine diesel engine, and noted that it is one of several…