Sail Far Live Free

What's a Great Lakes sailor to do in the off season? Well for starters, there's the Chicago Boat, RV & Strictly Sail Show (formerly just "Strictly Sail Chicago") from January 11-15, 2017. The show is held at McCormick Place these days and includes much more than just sailboats, as the name implies. Even if you're not in the market for a new sailboat, there are plenty of vendors and seminars to occupy your time and interest. Here's just a sample of the talks and seminars you can attend from some of your (and my!) favorite sailing bloggers: Bahamas Adventure: Berrys, Exumas and Island Life from Katie & Jessie on a Boat Cruising Couples: An Egalitarian Approach to Cruising from Teresa and Ben (Sailing Simplicity and the Pursuit of Happiness)    What's it like to Live-Aboard a Cruising Sailboat on a Long Voyage from Paul Exner Or maybe you're like the Bumfuzzles and you're even considering a switch from a cruising sailboat to a ...

Have you ever come up to a dock that didn't have cleats in the places you wanted them? How about a piling without a convenient way to attach a fender? The Hand-ee-Cleat allows for custom temporary placement of a cleat around a piling or other locations. There are lots of other creative uses too, like using it as a gear hook, piling handhold or handle for carrying a SUP when wrapped around the board. The Hand-ee-Cleat is a fairly sizable cleat with a length of 11.25". It's made from glass-filled nylon with polypropylene webbing that uses quick-release buckles to wrap around objects up to 48" in diameter. I found it easy and quick to attach to the kid's swing set and a couple of trees around the house. While I haven't had a chance to try it out at the boat yet, the Hand-ee-Cleat is small enough that I'm sure it'll find its' way into our onboard cruising gear bin. The working load is rated at 650lbs, which is based on lab testing and is rat...

Visiting the Strictly Sail show in Chicago has quickly become one of Erin and I's favorite mid-winter traditions. While looking at a sailboat inside of a big convention center in January isn't nearly as fulfilling as feeling the boat heel in a fresh July breeze, we still enjoy the opportunity to browse the new selection of production craft from the big manufacturers and see what innovations show up at the exhibitor booths. Below are some of my quick impressions and photos from the 2013 show. Best In Show: Com-Pac 23 Pilothouse Sure, there were plenty of big boats that were more predictable winners like the Blue Jacket 40, Beneteau Oceanis 45, or Delphia 47, but the Com-Pac 23 offers an amazing accommodation plan in an affordable, trailerable package that's downright shippy! This little yacht was introduced earlier in 2012, but this was my first chance to take a look. She would make a perfect little pocket cruiser for a couple. There's a lot of live-ability in ...

The middle of a sailor’s winter here in the Great Lakes is marked by the occurrence of the Strictly Sail show in Chicago at the end of January. Chicago is the perfect host for such a show, with frozen Lake Michigan as a backdrop, skyscrapers creating one the world’s best skylines and deep dish pizza to feed your hunger. The show itself gives you something to look forward to after the holidays are over and helps you ease into your spring maintenance, repairs and upgrades for the coming sailing season. As the nation’s largest indoor all-sailboat show, there’s literally something there for every kind of sailor. Best In Show: Tartan 4300 While many of my favorite bluewater sailboat builders such as Pacific Seacraft, Valiant and Tayana were not at the show, the Tartan 4300 appealed very well to my salty sensibilities. I have nothing against the higher volume production boat builders like Catalina, Beneteau, Jeanneau and Hunter but you immediately notice a different feel when you step aboa...