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
Caribbean. Everyone likes to save moneyand why not. If you must have some time in the tropics and cant wait for the summer specials in the Caribbean and the Bahamas to kick in (see May SAIL for a rundown)and if youre flexible about datesyoull find that most bareboat companies in the Caribbean are offering last-minute online specials. The list on sailmagazine.com links to company Web
It doesnt take much to lure me out of the Northeast in Februaryjust a little warm salt water and a sailboat will always do it. But it was pure East Coast envy that brought me to Magdalena Bay, on the Pacific Coast of the Baja peninsula, for a whale-watching/sea-kayaking/camping adventure run by Sea Kayak Adventures. Mag Bay is the northernmost of the three bays on that coast to which
It isnt always possible to sail to a plan; you need to look at the big picture.When I started cruising, in 1992, I jumped in with both feet, literally. Id just bought a 1976 Bristol 24, and in early September I left my home in New Jersey, bound for the Great Lakes, where Id leave the boat for the winter. I planned to head west the following spring, then south to the Gulf
The word is “most.”Most bareboat-charter companies are able to hire a skipper for you at most or all of their bases and most can also find an instructional skipper, should you want to brush up your basic sailing skills or acquire cruising-specific knowledge. Most of the time it goes well. You not only pay the skipper, but are also expected to provide a cabin on your boat for him/her as
Amy UllrichCaribbean regattas aren’t the sole province of locals and sailing journalists. Three big ones—the St. Martin Heineken Regatta (early March), BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival (early April), and Antigua Sailing Week (late April)—have non-spinnaker charter divisions, and several charter companies allow their boats to enter.
Edited by Amy UllrichA READER ASKSMenno Speyer, who lives in Qubec, wants to know about longer-term charters. “We currently own a boat,” he writes, “but are considering selling it. We would still like to be out on the water for at least a month each year. We’re thinking of warm-water locationsthe Caribbean, the South Pacific, Asia, and other warm places. How can we
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