THE SAILING LIFE
On Watch
19 Daughter of a Son of a Sailor
by Cap’n Fatty Goodlander
When Roma Orion, a third-generation liveaboard, left for college, she’d already collected more stamps in her passport than most of us will gather in a lifetime
**Letter from Aventura
**23 Worth the Wait
by Jimmy Cornell
If every voyage begins as a dream, then Jimmy’s long-awaited landfall at the Pacific’s Suwarrow Atoll was a dream come true
Passage Notes
27 Gracias, Gracious Graciosa
by Dan Welch
For many voyagers coming straight from bustling European ports, this Canary Islands outpost-“so sleepy it’s snoring”-proves to be just the ticket
**Point of View
**35 Smaller Circles
by Rod Kulbach
A veteran long-distance voyager muses on the cruising magic that may be waiting around the nearest corner
**People and Food
**39 Tahitian Treats
by Jacqueline Holt
Their landfall in Tahiti, coinciding as it did with their first visit to a real supermarket in two years, set the stage for a sumptuous feast
**Log of Ithaka
**The Back Table
by Bernadette Bernon
On their way home from three years spent cruising Central America, a pair of Yankees set for a spell in Georgia’s strange and hospitable backwaters
**FEATURES
**40 A Natural Highway of Haunting Beauty
by Barbara Marrett
Crisp, ocean-scrubbed air; clear water teeming with life; soft, green hues; and evergreen scents typify Pacific Northwest cruising
44 Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlottes by Tom and Vicky Jackson
This island wilderness marks a rugged boundary along the Inside Passage to Alaska
50 Ah, the Wonders of Desolation
by John Vigor
George Vancouver must have felt blue the day he named Desolation Sound, because the place couldn’t be more different from its name
56 Converging with the San Juanderers
by Elaine Lembo
Sailing in and out of the wake of her 1930s-era counterculture heroine, the author discovers a landscape that encourages dreamers
HANDS-ON SAILOR
**Varnish Tips
**62 A New Blueprint for Brightwork
by Tom and Vicky Jackson
Tips from two who’ve voyaged for tens of thousands of miles aboard a bright-hulled boat
**Spar Maintenance
**70 Hidden Costs of Rig Failure
by Brion Toss
To keep the mast standing, “Follow the load” is the mantra of this longtime professional rigger
**Step-by-Step Refit
**78 The Professional Way to Restore Gelcoat Shine
by William Burr
A short list of tools and materials, plus elbow grease, will have your topsides shining proudly
Techniques
84 New Lines to Live By
by Bruce Bingham
Striking a new boot top shouldn’t be all that difficult once you know the skills
**Piloting
**88 Cardinal Virtues
by Tom and Vicky Jackson
For those who leave U.S. shores, there’s a whole new set of navigation aids to master
**Systems
**90 Living with Marine Refrigeration
by Joe Minick
In the second of a two-part series, we highlight the maintenance and spares for your refrigeration
**Voyaging
**94 The 10 Days of Passage Planning
by Paul Bennett
Follow these day-by-day steps to make yourself and your boat ready
REVIEWS
**Boat Test
**Suspended and Alive
by Alvah Simon
The Carl Shumacher-designed Outbound 44 is a voyaging testament to the “restless mind of man”
**Boat Review
**Dances with Waves
by Jeremy McGeary
The Brazilian-built Dolphin 450 is a catamaran that puts performance at the top of the priorities
**Boat Review
**Performing Under Pressure
by Ed Lawrence
The Bavaria 38 showed her stuff during a 30-knot blow on Chesapeake Bay last October
**Classic Plastic
**A Capable Clipper
by Ernie Martin
With her five-foot bowsprit, clipper bow, and teak trail boards, there’s no mistaking the Bayfield 36
**DEPARTMENTS
**7/Editor’s Log
8/Mailbag
10/Shoreline
103/Another Opinion
107/Boats & Gear
127/Chartering News
175/Advertiser Index