pointers

I am doing a little more single handing and wondering if I am doing something wrong. When I am ready to lower the main, I point directly into the wind and release the halyard clutch. The halyard runs from the clutch (near the cockpit) through an on-deck block and then through another block...

I was doing some surfing on the web and found 2 references to the Merrimac River inlet in MA being the 2nd most dangerous inlet in the US. I know the area can be difficult to negotiate at times but does anyone have any pointers for sailboats for this inlet? The only things I have read are...