Sail Magazine

by Andy Schell

The Lost Art of Kedging: how to set a kedge anchor

by Andy Schell, Posted May 31, 2013

Kedging works best with a long line. Unlike anchoring, it is scope rather than the weight of the ground tackle that provides the holding power.

Voice of Experience: Cutting Loose Down Under

by Andy Schell, Posted April 30, 2013

I first went to New Zealand in 2006. I was 20 years old and setting off on my first long journey away from home, bound for Brisbane, Australia, for a semester of college at the University of Queensland.

How to Complete an Atlantic Circuit in One Year

by Andy Schell, Posted February 21, 2013

By the time you read this, Kinship, an American-flagged Saga 43, will have made its second Atlantic crossing in little over half a year. As I write, the yacht is staging in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, just off the coast of Morocco.

Cruising Tips: Heaving-To

by Andy Schell, Posted January 21, 2013

During the 2011 edition of the Caribbean 1500 cruising rally, nine yachts of the fleet of 62 broke off after crossing the Gulf Stream and sailed toward Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos.

Dynex Dux Across the Atlantic

by Andy Schell, Posted October 22, 2012

On August 23, 2011, our 35-foot Allied Seabreeze yawl Arcturus (vintage 1966) became—we believe—the first monohull to cross an ocean sporting Colligo Dynex Dux synthetic fiber standing rigging. This after a 3,000-mile passage.

Matt Rutherford: Mission Accomplished

by Andy Schell, Posted September 18, 2012

"Matt Rutherford is a better sailor than you are." I wrote that in June 2010, right after Matt had returned from his second singlehanded transatlantic passage—which included runs across the North Sea and Bay of Biscay...

WX Rules: Avoiding the Azores High

by Andy Schell, Posted September 10, 2012

This year as the ARC Europe fleet departed Bermuda, the Azores high was centered abnormally far north, near 46 degrees, blanketing the middle latitudes with light and variable winds...

A Long Honeymoon to Europe

by Andy Schell, Posted June 13, 2012

The three of us were still in foulies. We settled into the cockpit, the first time we could truly sit down and relax together in 23 days. Somehow we made the anchorage before dark, but only just. Since we had first sighted land some 50 miles off, at exactly noon, we had been racing the sunset.

Revive a Drowned Outboard

by Andy Schell, Posted May 7, 2012

Dropped your dinghy’s outboard motor overboard? No need to panic. First, get the motor out of the drink quickly and rinse it thoroughly with fresh water; most importantly, do not let it dry.

Favorite Weekend Cruise: Galesville, MD

by Andy Schell, Posted April 10, 2012

For over 20 years now, three of my best friends and I have made a tradition of doing an annual sailing trip on the Chesapeake Bay with our dads. We “kids” are now grown up and dispersed around the globe, but our four dads still live within three miles of one another back home in Pennsylvania.