There was a time, not too long ago, that sailboat chartering meant renting a boat, gathering a crew, learning to captain it (or paying a captain) and taking off for some time in paradise.
When I was 11, my Dad, his buddies and I sailed Wind Dancer, his C&C 37, from Long Island Sound to Chesapeake Bay. It was my second offshore passage.
“I always put the fear of God into people that this is the world’s third-largest barrier reef,” says Capt. Joe Dyll of the western Florida Keys, which have long been one of his favorite cruising grounds.
When Dr. Seuss wrote these words, he must have had cruisers on his mind. Rare is the cruiser who doesn’t dream of sailing over the horizon, of exploring remote areas.
Each year, SAIL and St. Vincent and the Grenadines offer our readers the trip of a lifetime: a free charter in paradise on board a TMM Yachts charter boat. To win, readers submit their “Top Five Reasons” for chartering in SVG, and we sift through 1,000 essays to pick our winner.
As the sailing world gears up for the America’s Cup, it seems that all eyes are on the City by the Bay. But 500 miles south, just grazing the Mexican border, lies a city where you can sail year-round, the weather is nearly perfect and sailors are friendly as can be.
Our hosts, John and Caroline Charnley, and my wife, Caroline, were already swimming in the cool, fresh water, but of course, I just had to jump in from the “cliff” (about 10 feet high) above the pool.
It was the summer of 1946. Three of us teenagers from Grand Rapids, Michigan, all about to join the military, caught a car ferry to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and backpacked through the Porcupine Mountains on one final adventure together.
Ironically, many who sail to St. Lucia do so by default, as it has long been the final destination for the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. Every year the ARC brings well over 200 yachts en masse from the Canary Islands off Africa straight to Rodney Bay.
The typical snowbird traveling the Intracoastal Waterway sees little of North Carolina’s Neuse River, choosing instead to pick up the ICW again at Adams Creek. More than a few, though, have been known to not only venture another 25 miles upriver to New Bern for a visit, but to winter over there.
Revisit the drama, adventure, and challenge of this year’s Vendée Globe with a new documentary from race organization.
A newbie sailboat owner reflects on four years of boat love and his top 10 things learned so far.
With the best months of the sailing season right around the corner, whet your appetite with a few adventures from the April issue of SAIL. From Greece to Belize and beyond, this issue serves up charter inspiration, remarkable seamanship, and the extremes of ocean racing.
These proven pointers can add zest to a cruising vacation.
A handy new device from CLiX promises cleaner, easier fueling with patent pending technology.
IMOCA class phenom Charlie Dalin talks rivalries, routing, and redesigns—plus what it took to win one of the world’s toughest sporting events.
A strategic decision-making process is a key part of seamanship when things go sideways.
Late last year, 59º North had our first annual “staff training” weekend aboard our Farr 65 Falken and an interesting debate emerged…how to calibrate the depth sounder?
The epicenter of shorthanded ocean racing in the U.S. isn’t where you might think.
Marine Marketers of America has awarded the navigation app Savvy Navvy their Best New Product Launch award for a retailer program aimed at bringing the software to more users.
