Technique & Maintenance — Page 2

Marine diesel contamination: diagnose it before treating it

Water, sediment and microbes can starve a marine diesel of fuel. Learn how to sample the tank bottom, interpret filters and choose proportionate remediation.

September 1, 20267 min read

ArticleTechnique & Maintenance

Boating in fog: COLREG, radar and sound signals

A practical Rule 19 guide to safe speed, fog signals, radar tracking and AIS limits, built to preserve decision time when visual references disappear.

August 31, 20267 min read

ArticleTechnique & Maintenance

Carbon monoxide on boats: how to prevent exposure

Carbon monoxide is not only a cabin hazard: exhaust outlets, swim platforms, idling and wind can create dangerous zones. A practical guide to alarms, prevention and response.

August 30, 20267 min read

ArticleTechnique & Maintenance

Magnetic compass checks and the deviation card

A disciplined method for separating variation from deviation, checking a steering compass on several headings, and deciding when a card or professional adjustment is due.

August 29, 20266 min read

ArticleTechnique & Maintenance

Anchor scope: calculate tide, bow height and swing room

A verifiable way to calculate anchor scope from bottom-to-roller height, add tidal rise, screen the swing envelope and build an effective anchor watch.

August 28, 20268 min read

ArticleTechnique & Maintenance

Cold-water immersion: the sequence that preserves strength

From the first gasp to recovery aboard, this guide explains lifejackets, controlled floating and when a short swim is—or is not—a credible choice.

August 27, 20267 min read

ArticleTechnique & Maintenance

Wave forecasts: reading height, period and direction

Significant wave height is not the maximum wave. Learn how to combine Hs, period, direction, wind, depth and current for a prudent passage decision.

August 26, 20266 min read

ArticleTechnique & Maintenance

VHF DSC: set up MMSI and GPS for a distress call

MMSI, GNSS position, channels 70 and 16, authorised tests and the Mayday follow-up: how to verify the full DSC chain before departure.

August 25, 20267 min read

ArticleTechnique & Maintenance

406 MHz EPIRB: registration, testing and battery care

A practical procedure for linking an EPIRB to the right vessel, checking its bracket and expiry dates, using only self-test, and leaving battery work and live radio tests to competent technicians.

August 24, 20267 min read

ArticleTechnique & Maintenance

Sailboat navigation lights: a working COLREG guide

A reasoned guide to configuring, reading and inspecting sailboat navigation lights under sail, under power and at anchor, with a disciplined pre-departure test.

August 23, 20268 min read

ArticleTechnique & Maintenance

Palermo–Montecarlo 2026 and the Work Behind an Open Course

One mandatory gate across roughly 500 nautical miles turns the race into a live test of routing, crew endurance and verifiable offshore preparation.

August 19, 20265 min read

ArticleTechnique & Maintenance

Single-screw boat handling at full speed in Pocomoke

The 15 August Boat Docking Challenge turns Chesapeake deadrise workboats into racing machines. Behind the spectacle lies a precise lesson in momentum, prop walk and knowing one boat intimately.

August 16, 20265 min read

ArticleTechnique & Maintenance

Capo Ferro shows why a contained fire is only half the emergency

After 14 people were rescued and a roughly 30-metre yacht sank, the Capo Ferro casualty separates two emergencies often confused: suppression and buoyancy.

August 13, 20265 min read

ArticleTechnique & Maintenance

A solar eclipse at sea turns 90 seconds into a test of command

Totality reaches the Balearics at sunset, amid concentrated traffic and rapidly fading light. The smartest passage ends before the sky goes dark.

August 12, 20265 min read

ArticleTechnique & Maintenance

The Great Loop compresses a season of wear into one nonstop run

Scheduled to launch on 8 August, the Great Loop Challenge targets more than 7,300 nautical miles—a hard field test for engines, systems, crew and logistics.

August 10, 20265 min read

ArticleTechnique & Maintenance

A drone searches for a person overboard by probability

A new study simulates a drone searching for a person overboard with a drift map updated every second. The result is promising, but it also shows which links in onboard safety cannot be delegated to automation.

August 5, 20265 min read

ArticleTechnique & Maintenance

Bayview Mackinac 2026 puts seamanship ahead of the result sheet

The 102nd Bayview Mackinac ended with Natalie J first to Mackinac Island, 107 finishers and 87 retirements. Its useful lesson is risk management, not just silverware.

July 27, 20265 min read

ArticleTechnique & Maintenance

Sustainable marine fuels and the case for existing boats

NMMA’s latest update on sustainable marine fuels shifts the debate from green promise to real compatibility with engines, tanks, range and marina supply.

July 20, 20264 min read