This article originally appeared in the October 2009 issue The Burnett River is a big, slow-moving river, muddy from eons of moving silt. Where Moose, our 39-foot cutter, is moored at “Bundy,” eight miles up from the sea, the current direction changes twice a day as the tide floods and then ebbs. But Moose doesn’t clock around with tide cycle because she’s tied,
This article originally appeared in the December 2009 issueSweet little Bocas del Toro, Panama, was slipping astern of me. It is an obscure but superb cruising stop where life and laughter flow as easily as a mid-moon tide. The hub of the scene there is the Bocas Marina and a delightful bar called the Calypso Cantina.This is a classic example of what I call a cruisers’
This article originally appeared in the December 2009 issueLook around a skippers meeting at a typical regatta and youll see all the usual suspects: seasoned salts, their families and a smattering of recent college grads or young adults sampling the sailing culture. The same folks populate most charter bases and destinations, which makes sense, considering the means and
When John Smith sailed into the Chesapeake Bay in 1607, he couldnt have known the precedent he was setting. Ever since that early cruise, the area has been teeming with sailboatseverything from skipjacks dredging for oysters to race boats competing in regattas and flagships strutting their stuff at the United States Sailboat Show. With all of this on-water action, its no surprise that a dozen
Schools out, the boats in the water and the breeze is up. That means it is time for some summer cruising, and there are few things sweeter. From coast to coast, we want to know: whats your favorite summer sailing destination? Newport, Rhode Island or Newport Beach, California? Green Bay or Biscayne Bay?In your own words, tell us about your favorite summer cruise. Send 300 words
Youll have to go pretty far to find better sailing conditions or a more pleasant Caribbean destination than Antigua. The tradewinds here typically blow out of the east at 15 knots, and the islands high coastline provides a spectacular backdrop. On shore youll find great restaurants, sailor-friendly bars, quaint villages and an abundance of great anchorages.The four main places that I
Charter sailing the Beneteau 393 monohull Splendid Adventure with Lanier Sailing School out of Pensacola Florida shortly after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Walking down the dock to the Beneteau 393 Splendid Adventure I felt like I was arriving at the scene of a crime. It was late October, and the overcast night sky was pitch black. The air was sweltering hot, absolutely still. To the right I could see the lights of the port of Pensacola, Florida, to the left the lights of the citys historic Seville Square district. What I was really looking for,
Since my partner, Edvin Buregren, and I started planning to sail the Northwest Passage this summer aboard our 31-foot fiberglass sloop Belzebub IIon a shoestring budget, no lesswe have realized that a polar voyage is unlike any other.Route Planning: Picking a route through the Northwest Passage requires methodical planning. The majority of charted Arctic waters were surveyed with
I have always been drawn to solo sailing. Im not sure if its the challenge, the peace and solitude, or just the difficulty of finding good crew. Singlehanding has its risks, but Ive also found sailing alone very rewarding.Aboard my Westsail 32, Antares, I cruised from Detroit up Lake Huron and into Lake Michigan. The first leg, from Port Huron to Mackinac
Calling all sailors in the Pacific southeast of Hawaii! Some University of Washington students need your help retrieving a wayward data-gathering vehicle whose battery is on its last legs.
This weekend we’re looking back on the start of the inaugural Sunday Times Golden Globe, which began on June 1, 1968. There was no organized
Mark Synnott, Dutton,Penguin Random House, $32 You can fill a lot of shelves with books about Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition in search of
Looking to clean up your technique this season? Hop onboard with Newport’s Wind Walker for a lesson on textbook mark roundings. View this post on
Want to sail on the edge? Try running the bow for the first time on a 140-foot classic schooner in a world-class regatta.
I always thought you’d pry my classic Dubarry seaboots from my cold, wet hands, but that’s before I tried Zhik’s Seaboot 700. And while it
It’s summertime! The days are getting longer, the twilight more magical, and the nighttime breezes softer. Here’s a preview of SAIL’s June/July issue to inspire
Hang on Tight! Moving aft from the foredeck on a windy day, have you noticed a sort of no-man’s land between the mid-deck where coachroof
Colloquially the term “skyscraper” is used to refer to a tall city building, but nearly a hundred years before its modern architectural association, it had
The William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge, locally known as the Bay Bridge and actually two spans (one built in 1952, the second in 1973),
