
Ask SAIL: Do Without a Bolt Rope?
Q: In one of your recent Ask Sail responses, you wrote about loose-footed mainsails. I have an S2 7.9 that has a rope-footed main.

Q: In one of your recent Ask Sail responses, you wrote about loose-footed mainsails. I have an S2 7.9 that has a rope-footed main.

Q: I’ve been watching the most recent America’s Cup down in Auckland, which has got me thinking about technology and sails. My question is, how

TO VANG OR NOT TO VANG Q: Last year, I bought a new, fully-battened Dacron main for my 36-footer. Unlike the old one, the new

Q: When sailing dead downwind (assume 22 knots of wind), if the main is eased out to 90 degrees relative to the wind (perpendicular to

Q: I’ve sailed and raced on a number of boats over the years. I feel like aboard most of the boats I’ve sailed, we’ve just

It’s hard to be sure when things started to change, but I am pretty sure it was the evening of April 20, 1993. As the

CHOOSING THE BEST JIB SHEETS Q: I need to replace the jib sheets on my 35ft performance cruiser. I keep hearing about how high-modulus line

Q: I have an old 30ft C&C from the mid-80s. It was originally equipped with a conventional spinnaker, but a spinnaker hasn’t been flown from

It was an early alarm. My wife likes it loud, and loud it was. The clanging clanged my nerves. I was suddenly wide awake and,

Q: This past winter I did a bareboat charter aboard a 38ft cruising catamaran. I was once again impressed by how heavy and massively built

The 2026 Newport International Boatshow is underway now. Here’s what to look forward to.

A new documentary relives the 1995 America’s Cup, as told by the American teams vying to defend the Auld Mug.

My parents, who have been collecting SAIL since I started working here like they did with my childhood artwork, are running out of storage space.

Team United by the Ocean took first place in the inaugural transatlantic race, with American-flagged 11th Hour Racing in a close second.

The temperatures are starting to cool off, the days are getting shorter, and your October issue is on its way. Here’s what’s coming up.

Offshore and offline go hand in hand.

Small electric outboards are becoming increasingly popular for everything
from dinghies to small race boats. We put three new models to the test.

The first days of the inaugural Ocean Race Atlantic test the fleet with sporty conditions.

Though they’ve made sailing easier and more accessible, electric winches must be treated with appropriate caution.

Sometimes it’s the imperfections that make things perfect.