Seamanship & Navigation,Featured
Icon on the Sound, West Point Lighthouse
January 31, 2023
The West Point Light has guided mariners in and out of Seattle since 1881. This small but stately beacon sits on a low sandy point at the northern entrance of Elliott Bay, overlooking the busiest vessel traffic in Washington…
Seamanship & Navigation,Featured,Cruising Technique
Destinations: Pick Your Crossing to Haida Gwaii
October 19, 2022
Here's our latest destinations installment courtesy of SalishSeaPilot.com's Jim Burgoyne about choosing a window to transit Hecate Strait toward Haida Gwaii. A promising sign over Kumealon Inlet as we await a break in the…
Boating News,Seamanship & Navigation,Featured
WDFW Seeks Public Input on Rules for Vessels Operating Near Southern Resident Killer Whales
September 26, 2022
Washington Department of of Fish and Wildlife invites public participation in an online survey about rules for vessels operating near Southern Resident killer whales. The survey, available through Sept. 30, 2022, will…
Seamanship & Navigation,Featured
Beacon Background: Point Wilson Lighthouse
July 19, 2022
The Point Wilson Lighthouse in 1960. Photo courtesy of Washington State Archives. It is hard to imagine a more scenic location for a lighthouse than Point Wilson. Marking the convergence of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and…
Seamanship & Navigation,Featured
How We Prepped for the Pacific NW Offshore Race
July 13, 2022
The Pacific Northwest Offshore (formerly the Oregon Offshore) is a 193-mile race that starts at the mouth of the Columbia River and normally finishes in Victoria, BC. However, in 2021 and 2022, the race finished in Port…
Seamanship & Navigation,Featured
Close to the Water: Becoming a Sailor
June 10, 2022
From the June 2022 issue of 48° North. At the helm on a beautiful day in the PNW. Recently, a reader reached out for advice on getting the necessary skills and knowledge for a small boat journey. His questions made me…
Seamanship & Navigation,Featured
Beacon Background: Alki Point Lighthouse
May 12, 2022
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…
Seamanship & Navigation,Featured,Guest Dock
Introduction to Polar Diagrams and Optimum VMC
May 2, 2022
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…
Seamanship & Navigation,Featured
A Closer Look at Diesel Fuel
April 5, 2022
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…
Seamanship & Navigation,Featured
Beacon Background: The Heceta Head Lighthouse
March 22, 2022
If you see one lighthouse in Oregon, let it be the beacon at Heceta Head. For more than a century, mariners have relied on its light for safe passage along Oregon’s central coast. This is a seascape dotted with rocky islands…