Cruising the challenging waters of the Beagle Channel and Cape HornThe change in the weather is as emphatic as it is fast. One moment we’re meandering along, running wing-and-wing before a light northerly breeze that’s just enough to get our heavy 56-footer trundling along at 5 knots. The next, the sky to the west takes on a gunmetal hue and the jib shakes itself as the
A resident of Grenada, Chris Doyle wrote his first Cruising Guide to the Windward Islands in 1980. The current 2007-08 guide is the twelfth in the series.By Chris DoyleFOOD AND DRINK» ProvisioningThere was a time when charterers set off for the Windwards with bags of food—who knew what you would find down island? Forget
Chris Doyle has been writing and updating the Cruising Guide to the Leeward Islands since 1989.FOOD AND DRINK» ProvisionsIf you decide to self-provision or just need to restock, it doesn’t get better than in St. Martin, where the supermarkets are giant and waterside provisioning services ensure that superyacht guests (and you) are never
Unfavorable winds turn an offshore adventure into a sleepy crawl down the DitchBy Dave BaldwinWe emerged from the darkness of an overnight passage 10 miles off the North Carolina coast when Joe asked an ordinarily easy question: Should we turn off the engines and sail? The light breeze had finally clocked around so that it wasnt hitting us on the nose andhaving spent
A thousand islands, a balmy climate, friendly people: Croatias Dalmatian Coast knocks the socks of most other cruising groundsWith my wife, Roz, and my old Scottish mate, Patrick, Id bought tickets on a low-price airline from London to Split. Two and a half hours later we were losing altitude over a fairytale fortress on a tiny island. Well sail there for sure, I
Myth, mystery, and Midnight Magic evoke childhood adventures on a Lake Michigan charterWe were lost in the woods on Garden Island. The trail we followed from the Native American graveyard had melted into a woodland clearing, leaving us guessing at the path ahead. My brother Xander had even stopped pointing out peculiar vegetation and was instead studying the trail map
When you hit the weather right, the Maine coast is simply Shangri-laThe Maine cruise my new fiance, Caroline, and I took over the long Fourth of July weekend was a preemptive honeymoon. Wed been together and sailed together for over seven years when I donned my tuxedo and popped the question on a borrowed Rhodes 19 as the sun set over the Boston skyline on the summer
Riding a mild breeze along Turkeys rugged Mediterranean coast, a charter sailor doesnt have to be a poet to wander freely as a cloudFortunately, the people in the French charterboat had so much trouble anchoring that they gave up and went away. Unfortunate for them, I suppose, but we set our hook, swam a line to shore, and settled into what I regarded as the kingpin spot
If I knew whether this winters distinctly peculiar weather in much of North America is predictive of a peculiar summer to come, by now Id be rich, or famous, or both. What I can predict without consulting an oracle is that the extension of daylight savings time in North America (March 11 through November 4, 2007) may well extend the sailing/chartering seasonat least in places where short
The upcoming Americas Cup events in Valencia (semifinals June 111, finals June 23July 4) have drawn attention to Spain, with its long coastline, maritime history, and many attractions, as a charter venue. If you are among the many sailors worldwide thinking about combining a charter with a trip to the Cup matchesor just thinking about sailing in Spain this summeryoud best pick up the
A woman in search of new adventures finds a Pacific Seacraft 34 to carry her dream.
By Tom Cunliffe, Adlard Coles, $35 Amazon.com, $26.47 One could read the subtitle of Tom Cunliffe’s new Bosun’s Bag—A Treasury of Practical Wisdom for the
Fish On—Carefully. If you’re fishing for dinner, choose your reef fish wisely to avoid toxic ciguatera.
The first Vendée Globe competitors are closing in on the finish line. For Zhik, there’s been no better test of their offshore gear than Yoann Richomme putting it through the paces during his incredible race.
The Cruising Club of America announces its annual awards to six sailors for a range of accomplishments, all of them bound by the same deep commitment to bold bluewater sailing.
The January/February 2025 issue of SAIL is on newsstands today, and here’s a quick look at what’s inside!
We are excited to kick off the new year with SAIL’s Top 10 Best Boats for 2025, which our team of judges chose after months of testing, walkthroughs, and study of nearly two dozen models. Whether it’s a fresh crop of small yet surprisingly spacious cruisers to bring more accessible price points to the market or purpose-built adventure boats made for chasing down the horizon, these boats are all about making dreams a reality.
No Dragging in the Gale When the weatherman says it’s going to blow old boots, most of us tend to look for a marina berth.
We all know that we need to carry flares for potential emergencies onboard, but traditional flares are a sticky wicket when it comes to safe,
The Cruising Club of America (CCA) is a collection of 1,400 ocean sailors with extensive offshore seamanship, command experience, and a shared passion for making
