Cruising southern France
Fifteen friends from District 28 traveled to France in May. We spent time in Paris, on the Rhône and Saône rivers, and at the French…
Transiting the Swinomish Channel
By Michael Guelker-Cone Most of us have a bucket list of things we want to accomplish or places we want to go before heading off …
Nature Takes Charge in Isle Royale National Park
By Emmarie Raby The crossing from Grand Portage, Minnesota, to Windigo at Isle Royale National Park takes you over 24 miles of open water. Because …
Check your engine for cracked hoses
By Nick Ledbetter Every good captain conducts an engine check before departing on a cruise. I have diligently conducted engine checks on my boat for …
2018 Charles F. Chapman Award Recipients Honored
Each year, we recognize the top educators in United States Power Squadrons, America’s Boating Club, with the Charles F. Chapman Award for Excellence in Teaching. …
Exploring the overlooked anchorage of Polkinghorne Islands
By Steve Lorimer On several trips to northern British Columbia or southeastern Alaska, I’d noticed the Polkinghorne Islands just west of Wells Passage. We’d passed …
Spring 2019 Photo Contest winners
Via an online poll, USPS members voted for their favorite photo in The Ensign’s Spring 2019 Photo Contest, in which we invited photographers to submit …
Rounding the Horn
By Rafael Belliard When my first mate Linda, the perennial travel opportunities researcher, found the perfect way to round the cape, we decided to make …
Building a Boat With Glued Lapstrake Construction
By Al Meyer The beginning I launched my previous boat, Wee Lass, a Penobscot 14 designed by Arch Davis, in 2004 and had lots of …
Emergency room afloat — The medical kit and the conscientious boater
The realization When I started this column, I wanted to write about putting together a complete medical kit. The more I thought about the idea, …
Harrowing docking experience
My favorite story revolves around an experience my husband and I had while travelling on the Intracoastal Waterway in our first powerboat during our first …
DIY trailering device makes hitching easy
Boating is back in full swing! That means hitching up the trailer and taking the boat to the launch ramp. Sometimes hitching up the trailer …
Friends take a charter of Ontario’s North Channel
By Jerry Major After several years of enjoyable sailing trips to Ontario’s North Channel aboard Major Dad II, my 26-year-old 27-foot O’Day 272, my fascination …
