A boatyard on the water can be hard to leave.

Spring Crunch in the Boatyards, and Some DIY Tips

5/29/2012 - “Hope springs eternal” — in the boat yard, for sure. Our very small group that store and care for our boats on Rockport's Public Landing are on a first name basis. We know each other's families, dogs, and spring boat-working routines. We can easily read boat work body language (unlike,… SEE MORE
Looking for space to tie up to the public floats.

Spring in Rockport: Boat Launches, Rigging, and Paint

5/23/2012 - Springtime in my harbor is bittersweet. It’s exciting to see our small coastal village come to life after a long quiet winter. On the other hand, as each new spring arrives, our comfortable sleepy harbor seems a little busier. It’s plain to see Rockport Harbor becomes a bit more “discovered”… SEE MORE
Even an unnamed storm can expose a harbor's vulnerabilities. Make a storm plan now to prevent surprises this summer.

Creating a Storm Plan: 4 Tips to Remember

4/1/2012 - There is little that can be done on board once a Category 2 or above hurricane arrives. Make your preparations, EARLY, and seek shelter on shore. Check your insurance for a named storm clause which may pay, at least partially, for hauling expenses. But storms less powerful than hurricanes will… SEE MORE
A Northeaster, though not a named storm like a hurricane, can be a big, dangerous storm.

Planning for Summer Means Planning for Storms

3/31/2012 - If you're like most sailors, April finds you making plans for the boating season ahead. You're probably scouring the charts and deciding which favorite harbors to visit this year, and which new destinations to plug into the GPS. I learned the hard way, though, that in addition to these dreamy… SEE MORE
Scanning the bottom under headlamps, the dip netters watch closely. In the darkness, it's mesmerizing to watch the elver netters

Opening Night of Elver Season

3/23/2012 - “JAYSUS! You scared the shit out of me!” the irate woman with a dip net scolded me. I was afraid that might happen, I said as I apologized. With no flashlight or moonlight yet, I’d quietly made my way down the rocks and across the mud flats to get closer… SEE MORE
The youngest eyes and ears onboard make the best lookouts in the fog.

Sailing to Frenchboro in the Fog

3/19/2012 - Sailing to Frenchboro in the fog seems natural to us. The fog is familiar on our way to the little working harbor, we’ve seen it before. Under our quiet sails, with Frenchboro to windward, we’re safe moving slowly, hearing distant working engines and keeping clear of passing islands. After many… SEE MORE
The passenger schooner Victory Chimes crosses our bow in the Fox Island Thorofare. Photo by Tom Young/USHarbors.com.

A Sail Through History Along the Fox Island Thorofare

2/5/2012 - Someone planning to move their boat southward through Maine once asked me, “I won’t have much time to spend in Penobscot Bay, what is the one thing I shouldn’t miss?” That’s such a dismal thought, but my answer came quickly: “Sail through the Fox Island Thorofare”. The Fox Island Thoroughfare… SEE MORE
A Cape Cod Knockabout sailing fast to windward in Hadley Harbor. Photo by Tom Young/USHarbors.com.

Enjoying Knockabouts and Evening in Hadley Harbor

1/20/2012 - Woods Hole, the infamous current-ripped passage between Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay, gives me the willies. The combination of the racing current in the channel and rocks not far out of the channel is a bit too thrilling for me. But by timing our passage correctly, paying close attention to… SEE MORE