Books+Media

The Volvo Race's Storied Past

by Sail Staff, Posted September 19, 2012

For those wondering about all that talk of the “good old days” in the Volvo Ocean Race, there could be no better primer than the recently published Sailing Legends: Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Race 1973-2009, by veteran sailing journalists Bob Fisher and Barry Pickthall.

Lifeproof Your iPhone

by Peter Nielsen, Posted September 14, 2012

Cell phones and water don’t mix, which by extension means that cell phones and sailing don’t mix. Although I usually leave my phone belowdecks while I’m actually sailing, I once managed to fall overboard while the boat was sitting happily on its mooring...

Essential Sailing Apps

by Lindsey Silken, Posted June 26, 2012

While your smartphone or tablet will never take the place of your other onboard electronics, it never hurts to have a backup. Loading up with a bunch of apps to help you get from point A to point B can also be a lot of fun, whether you’re underway or planning your next cruise from the comfort of your office or living room. Here are a few we’d recommend.

Protect Your iPad

by Lindsey Silken, Posted May 11, 2012

Smartphones are now commonplace offshore, but many sailors hesitate to expose their beloved iPads to the elements. Fear not—there’s a growing number of weatherproof cases that make it possible to take your tablet sailing.

Small Boat Seamanship Manual

by Sail Staff, Posted March 5, 2003

Small Boat Seamanship Manual Edited by Richard N. Aarons $29.95. 2002 International Marine, Camden, Maine Richard Aarons and International Marine have taken the U.S. Coast Guard Boatcrew Seamanship Manual and made it available to recreational sailors. Aarons made only small changes in style and organization, so the Small Boat Seamanship

Footloose Tunes: A review of Barefoot Davis’ CD

by Sail Staff, Posted October 18, 2007

By David SchmidtIt’s not often that sailors also make their marks as musicians, but Caribbean local Davis Murray has achieved this feat with the release of his pre-release demo CD, Barefoot Davis (ISW Records). The album, which Murray self-describes as “country Caribbean” has obvious influences including Bob Marley and Jimmy Buffet, but with plenty of originality and true

Northern Pirate, Southern Hero

by Amy Ullrich, Posted November 7, 2008

"June 30, 1861, CSN Sumter. Mississippi Delta. Bound for the sea. Blazing sun, thick haze.The eyes of Commander Raphael Semmes are burning, and there is nowhere to turn for relief. It’s high tide at Head of the Passes, his only chance to break from the cage Abe Lincoln’s sea boys have built round him and New Orleans. And right now the South’s little bark-rigged raider, the ship channel

River in the Sea

by Steve Henkind, Posted November 20, 2008

The Gulf Stream: Tiny Plankton, Giant Bluefin, and the Amazing Story of the Powerful River in the AtlanticWhat do Portuguese men-of-war, pirates, Benjamin Franklin, and Ernest Hemingway have in common? They are all closely associated with the Gulf Stream.In this wonderful book, Stan Ulanski ties together many facets of this great river in the sea, including its

Legend Reborn

by Sail Staff, Posted November 20, 2008

I well remember watching, at the age of 11, lone sailor Francis Chichester sail into Plymouth, England, at the end of his solo circumnavigation. In the weeks and months before, we had seen the story unfold on our TV screen and marveled that one man could sail what I then considered to be an enormous boat singlehanded. Upon stepping ashore Chichester was knighted by the queen, and later his boat

Many Voices, One Body

by Elizabeth Wrightson, Posted October 21, 2008

DJ-turned-author Michael Buckley has hosted his popular Sunday-morning program, Voices of the Chesapeake Bay, on the Annapolis, Maryland, radio station WRNR for the past seven years. His interviews with a steady stream of Chesapeake locals and authorities on the bay amount to an oral history of the area, with authorities ranging from paleontologists to a former governor and numerous