Sail Magazine

by MacDuff Perkins

MacDuff Perkins loves sailing on the Chesapeake Bay with her husband and their super mutt, Dixie Poo.

Galley Gourmets

by MacDuff Perkins, Posted September 21, 2010

If the crew of an ocean racer sails on its stomach and a happy, well-fed crew is a skipper’s strongest asset, then the cook is as crucial as the navigator.We asked some competitors in this year’s Newport-Bermuda race how to keep a crew well fed and ready to go. All had years of experience provisioning for offshore racing, leading to as many galley philosophies as there were boats.On

Leveling the Playing Field, One Boat at a Time

by MacDuff Perkins, Posted June 24, 2010

Maureen McKinnon-Tucker was twenty years old when she first learned to sail. When she met her husband Dan Tucker, a J24 racer, the two developed a tight team both on and off the water. But all of this changed for McKinnon-Tucker on a day in 1992 when she was sidelined while her husband's team went out to race in Rockland, Maine. Pushing her bicycle down to a ferry landing, McKinnon-Tucker slipped

Summer Sailing for Kids

by MacDuff Perkins, Posted June 2, 2010

With Memorial Weekend behind us, summer has all but arrived. With it comes family vacations, trips to the beach, picnics in the park and the all-too-real possibility that your kids could get bored. Luckily, if you’re keen on introducing your children to sailing at a young age, community programs abound to transform their summer from average to adventurous. From Optis to windsurfers, there are

Rich Wilson Honored in Boston, Considers Future

by MacDuff Perkins, Posted April 21, 2010

Over 300 supporters came out to honor the American skipper Rich Wilson on on April 7th for his contribution to American sailing and youth education. Wilson, the 60-year old skipper of Great American III and math teacher from Boston, is best known for his participation in the 2008-9 Vendee Globe race, where he finished 9th after 121 days. But the skipper's

Sir Robin Weighs In

by MacDuff Perkins, Posted April 6, 2010

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston is sitting in the lobby of New York’s Algonquin Hotel. He's in town to receive an award from the Cruising Club of America, and he's telling me a story about his encounter with the American astronaut Buzz Aldrin.“He’s a marvelous man, brilliant,” Sir Robin says. “You meet him and you realize that this man was born to be an astronaut. Everything about him, from the

From the Office of Abuse and Neglect

by MacDuff Perkins, Posted March 1, 2010

It's Monday, and some of us at SAIL had less than stellar performances over the weekend on the water. So in order to console each other, we've pulled this video out of the archives. While rubbing is racing, it's important to remember just how much worse it could always be.

Looking Forward to Charleston

by MacDuff Perkins, Posted February 25, 2010

The sailors lucky enough to be present for the 2010 Key West Race Week witnessed a pretty quiet rum tent, with numbers down for the second year in a row in the IRC and PHRF fleets. When I mentioned how shocked I was to find there was no wait for the free Heinekens, a Savasana crewmember explained, “It’s because all the racers are pros. They don’t want to drink; they want to go home and sleep.

AC Friday: GAME ON

by MacDuff Perkins, Posted February 12, 2010

With only 3kts of wind, Alinghi and USA are on the line reading 23 and 17kts, respectively.For the best up-to-the minute coverage, check out the official America's Cup live ticker. For all the inside details, a race breakdown, and final wrap up, check back for Kimball Livingston's report from

That's Gotta Hurt

by MacDuff Perkins, Posted February 4, 2010

In between the America's Cup dramatics and the fiendish longing for VOR coverage, the Extreme Sailing Series in Asia offers some of the most exciting racing coverage on the internet. Racing Extreme 40s, a tricked out relative of the Olympic Class Tornadoes, crews of five have been bringing the boats through Singapore, Hong Kong, and finally Oman. On Day 4, in winds reaching 20kts, Team Red Bull