Destinations

Sailing Dalmatia

by Sail Staff, Posted April 17, 2009

In the book by Chris Santella, Fifty Places To Sail Before You Die, he and Jon Wilson describe Croatia as a “hidden gem.” Their description was so appealing that we decided to go and see for ourselves. We were joined by our regular racing crew, Dave Usechak and Steve Gaudette.The four of us arrived at Marina Kremik, just north of Split, Croatia in late April.

Superior Sailing

by Sail Staff, Posted September 22, 2006

Just as we were about to ease into a quiet evening at anchor in Presque Isle Bay, on the south side of Wisconsin’s Stockton Island, the crowd rushed in. The procession of cruising sailboats resembled a busy airport with planes lined up miles to leeward of the main runway. We watched as the cruisers came from all over the Apostle Islands and dropped into formation, motoring one by one into the

Race Charters in the Caribbean

by Amy Ullrich, Posted June 25, 2008

Amy UllrichCaribbean regattas aren't the sole province of locals and sailing journalists. Three big ones—the St. Martin Heineken Regatta (early March), BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival (early April), and Antigua Sailing Week (late April)—have non-spinnaker charter divisions, and several charter companies allow their boats to enter.

Go With The Flow

by David W. Shaw, Posted August 6, 2008

It isn’t always possible to sail to a plan; you need to look at the big picture.When I started cruising, in 1992, I jumped in with both feet, literally. I’d just bought a 1976 Bristol 24, and in early September I left my home in New Jersey, bound for the Great Lakes, where I’d leave the boat for the winter. I planned to head west the following spring, then south to the Gulf

Whaling, Whaling

by Sail Staff, Posted August 6, 2008

It doesn’t take much to lure me out of the Northeast in February—just a little warm salt water and a sailboat will always do it. But it was pure East Coast envy that brought me to Magdalena Bay, on the Pacific Coast of the Baja peninsula, for a whale-watching/sea-kayaking/camping adventure run by Sea Kayak Adventures. Mag Bay is the northernmost of the three bays on that coast to which

Spain Calling

by Amy Ullrich, Posted August 7, 2008

The upcoming America’s Cup events in Valencia (semifinals June 1–11, finals June 23–July 4) have drawn attention to Spain, with its long coastline, maritime history, and many attractions, as a charter venue. If you are among the many sailors worldwide thinking about combining a charter with a trip to the Cup matches—or just thinking about sailing in Spain this summer—you’d best pick up the

Where in the World

by Amy Ullrich, Posted August 7, 2008

If I knew whether this winter’s distinctly peculiar weather in much of North America is predictive of a peculiar summer to come, by now I’d be rich, or famous, or both. What I can predict without consulting an oracle is that the extension of daylight savings time in North America (March 11 through November 4, 2007) may well extend the sailing/chartering season—at least in places where short

Italian Lessons

by Amy Ullrich, Posted August 7, 2008

A charter in italy means seven days of feasts, for the eyes and the palate.C’ un parcheggio qui vicino?Is there a parking lot nearby?The hazards of being a tourist in the Naples area and along the Amalfi Coast are well known and mostly have to do with the narrow roads, testosterone-saturated drivers, too few places to park, and too many people. We

A Series of Fortunate Events

by Kimball Livingston, Posted August 7, 2008

Riding a mild breeze along Turkey’s rugged Mediterranean coast, a charter sailor doesn’t have to be a poet to wander freely as a cloudFortunately, the people in the French charterboat had so much trouble anchoring that they gave up and went away. Unfortunate for them, I suppose, but we set our hook, swam a line to shore, and settled into what I regarded as the kingpin spot

Five Mornings In Maine

by Sail Staff, Posted August 7, 2008

When you hit the weather right, the Maine coast is simply Shangri-laThe Maine cruise my new fiance, Caroline, and I took over the long Fourth of July weekend was a preemptive honeymoon. We’d been together and sailed together for over seven years when I donned my tuxedo and popped the question on a borrowed Rhodes 19 as the sun set over the Boston skyline on the summer