Industry News and Specials

Great Escape Contest Winner Announced

by Sail Staff, Posted January 10, 2011

SAIL Magazine and The Moorings are proud to present the winner of the Great Escape contest, Mr. Larry Deigh of Ashburn, VA. Congratulations to Larry and his family! We would like to thank everyone who entered. It was fun reading all of the submissions, which ran the gamut from hilarious to touching. The list of

Florida's Nightmare

by Meredith Laitos, Posted September 23, 2010

“We were having our best year ever. People were booked back to back to back. The instructors were starting to complain that they couldn’t get a day off…then the oil hit.” For Peggy Van Sleen of Emerald Coast Yachts (ECY) in Pensacola, Florida, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill has devastated more than just the Gulf of Mexico; it’s crippled her charter company as well.The worst oil spill in

Island Yachts wins Green Award

by Meredith Laitos, Posted July 28, 2010

The water may be blue, but Island Yacht Charters, Inc. has gone green. The St. Thomas-based bareboat charter company recently received the 2010 National EPA Environmental Quality Award in recognition of a multi-year effort to make its boats and its base more earth-friendly.Over the course of the past five years, Island Yachts transformed its fleet of 16 Island Packets, ranging in size from

Life After Graduation

by Meredith Laitos, Posted July 12, 2010

You’ve taken the sailing courses, received your certifications and spent a few summers crewing on your friend’s raceboat. You’ve learned to tie a mean bowline and trim a pretty mainsail. Still, the reason you first ventured into the world of sailing, to captain a charterboat in an exotic locale surrounded by friends and family, seems just out of your reach—and you’re not alone. In February 2010,

Gay Charter Company Sets Sail

by Adam Cort, Posted April 20, 2010

What organizers are describing as the country’s first gay owned and operated charter company is setting sail in New York May 7.Out on the Water Sailing Inc. will operate out of a pair of bases in New York City and Sag Harbor, New York, near western Long Island Sound. The company will offer everything from sail training to longer charters and delivery services.Company cofounders

Charter Captain Being Investigated

by Meredith Laitos, Posted April 19, 2010

The British Maritime and Coast Guard agency is investigating a French charter skipper who went “missing” for seven weeks with three paying passengers aboard before arriving in Coquimbo, Chile.According to reports, Boguslaw Norwid, captain of the 52-foot sailboat Columbia, refused to start his auxiliary engine when winds went light in the doldrums, causing the delay, which was long

TMM Yacht Charters takes a stand against crime

by Meredith Laitos, Posted April 14, 2010

In an attempt to provide increased security for Caribbean charter companies, TMM Yacht Charters in Tortola has launched a state-of-the-art security system to protect its property from would-be thieves. The BVI-police-backed "Marine Marking Initiative" combines covert and overt methods from

40 Years of Chartering (and Then Some)

by Amy Ullrich, Posted March 2, 2010

When we arrived at The Moorings’s Tortola base last February, our 40-foot catamaran was waiting at the dock, replete with modern conveniences: electric refrigeration, electric heads that always worked, a propane stove and, of course, a compass and an anemometer. We pre-ordered some provisions from a long online list and bought the rest from a nearby supermarket and a well-stocked store on the

Fairwind Sailing Opens New Base in the Bahamas

by Meredith Laitos, Posted February 28, 2010

“Goooood morning, cruisers!” the jovial voice rang through the VHF at 0815 every morning, kicking off the best part of every day in the Bahamian Abacos: Cruisers’ Net. From weather reports in various passages, to announcements from area restaurants and dive shops, Cruisers’ Net allowed us to become a fast fit in the friendly waters. The sailing was beautiful, the navigation was challenging and

These Numbers Don't Lie

by Meredith Laitos, Posted February 10, 2010

If you want to please a crowd, you have to know the audience. If you want to grow the sport of sailing, you have to know who’s getting in the boats. This was the thinking behind a recent survey conducted by the American Sailing Association (ASA). “We wanted to learn more about our students,” executive director Charlie Nobles said. “We hope people will take what we found, apply it to their corner