Maintenance & Repair
Maintenance & Repair
How To: Service a Winch
Hey Blockheads! Do you have a big boat race coming up and need to service your winches? Or want to check your gear to make sure its running right? Learn from our Harken Tech Team on HOW to do it
Advice, Inspiration, & Tours, Maintenance & Repair
Naples Sabot Refit Story
Brendan Savois paid $100 for a beat-up Sabot found at the impound lot at his home yacht club. Two years later, here's what he built... Brendan is a Harken Blockhead: passionate about sailing, willing to put in the work to
Advice, Inspiration, & Tours, Maintenance & Repair, Rigging, Tuning, & Splicing
@SailBriggs on Optimist Setup
Briggs Kossman — also known as @SailBriggs on social media — spent time with Harken Blockheads to share his fine-tuned Opti rigging and setup for racing. His current rig setup has taken years to perfect. In this video, Briggs walksContests
Contests, Regatta
2026 E Scow Nationals
The E-Scow runs deep in Harken history, acting as the test platform for Peter Harken's first ever block designs in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Never seen one? Close your eyes, and picture a 28-foot planing surfboard. It's athletic and highly competitive with
Contests
Blockheads Share Their Learning Space!
Every sailor has a sailing classroom. Maybe yours is under tree by the water, in a garage beneath the club, inside a shipping container, or on a remote island. Here are a few photo entries from our previous monthly contest...
Contests, Regatta
Chicago Mac 2026: Recap
Regatta Recap: Offshore Edition The Chicago to Mackinac 333-mile offshore race is the largest freshwater race the world has seen. Sailing on the Great Lakes is full of surprises, the Great Lakes show no mercy. This year, what was thoughtRigging, Tuning, & Splicing
Advice, Inspiration, & Tours, Maintenance & Repair, Rigging, Tuning, & Splicing
@SailBriggs on Optimist Setup
Briggs Kossman — also known as @SailBriggs on social media — spent time with Harken Blockheads to share his fine-tuned Opti rigging and setup for racing. His current rig setup has taken years to perfect. In this video, Briggs walks
Maintenance & Repair, Rigging, Tuning, & Splicing
Ice Boating: How to Sharpen Your Runners
Harken Blockheads Ella Bowers, Maggie McGary, and Lily Olson show how to sharpen iceboat runners to get ready for winter iceboating. In this video, they explain when to sharpen your runners, how often to maintain them, and what tools are
Advice, Inspiration, & Tours, Rigging, Tuning, & Splicing
The Optimist: What Gear Goes Where?
Do you need to replace or upgrade a part on your boat? There can be a lot of options to choose from, but we've got a resource to help you out! This infographic shows you exactly what part goes whereAdvice, Inspiration, & Tours
Advice, Inspiration, & Tours, Boat Grants
Boat Grant: Lightning
You Want to Race. You Don’t Have a Boat. Here’s What to Do. Want to compete in a tight one-design fleet but buying a boat just isn’t in the cards right now? Good news — boat grants exist, and they’re
Advice, Inspiration, & Tours, Maintenance & Repair
Naples Sabot Refit Story
Brendan Savois paid $100 for a beat-up Sabot found at the impound lot at his home yacht club. Two years later, here's what he built... Brendan is a Harken Blockhead: passionate about sailing, willing to put in the work to
Advice, Inspiration, & Tours
Spectrum Sailing
The USA’s National Autism Sailing Program Spectrum Sailing was born out of necessity. When Founder and Executive Director, Scott Herman, searched for a sailing camp that would accept his autistic son, no one would take him. Wanting to change this,Safety
Advice, Inspiration, & Tours, Safety
Rescue at Sea
For any sailor, catastrophic hull failure is bad enough. But when you're in the middle of the ocean in rough seas—sailing alone—with no help around for miles....it's life or death. On November 30th, 24 days into the 2020 Vendée Globe
Safety
Getter Better Without Looking Older
What do you picture when you think about the skin of sailors a little older than you...say, over 30? It might just be sunspots and wrinkles. Blockheads, you are at an age where, with the right precautions, you can prioritize
Safety
The Most Important Equipment
Blockheads, you are the ones on a sailing team who keep an extra shackle and a roll of tape inside your life jackets in case something breaks on the water – not just for your own boat but your teammates’Regatta Articles
Contests, Regatta
2026 E Scow Nationals
The E-Scow runs deep in Harken history, acting as the test platform for Peter Harken's first ever block designs in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Never seen one? Close your eyes, and picture a 28-foot planing surfboard. It's athletic and highly competitive with
Contests, Regatta
Chicago Mac 2026: Recap
Regatta Recap: Offshore Edition The Chicago to Mackinac 333-mile offshore race is the largest freshwater race the world has seen. Sailing on the Great Lakes is full of surprises, the Great Lakes show no mercy. This year, what was thought
Regatta