October Caption Contest
September 30, 2012
Situated at Malvarrosa beach in Valencia, Spain, this fountain, Fuente De Agua, is dedicated to the sea, the winds and the coast. All it’s missing is a caption.
Situated at Malvarrosa beach in Valencia, Spain, this fountain, Fuente De Agua, is dedicated to the sea, the winds and the coast. All it’s missing is a caption.
“Jim! What’s wrong?” I shouted as I sprinted half-awake toward the companionway with Glen, our 11-year old son, close on my heels. The roar of our diesel engine thundering into reverse had yanked me from my sleep.
After ten days of non-stop sailing from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, I deserved a night of deep sleep. So why was my crew awakening me at an hour that even a bishop would find ungodly?
The first time I saw a spinnaker I was only a few years old. It was flying on the bow of a 35ft foot cruiser off the coast of Maine. A few years later, my father agreed to set the kite on our 50ft Hinckley, a rare concession.
During the summer sailing season I had kept Radiant Beam close to my favorite cruising grounds near Pamlico Sound in North Carolina. As November approached, however, it was time to bring the boat back to her homeport in Wilmington.
Surely everyone who has sailed offshore has experienced that same elevation of the spirit, an upwelling of the life force, or whatever you choose to call it; you’d have to be dead inside not to.
For dreamers of all ages, the idea of cruising has an inescapable allure. But the question always remains: “When should I go? When can I realistically trade my current life for the freedom of cruising?”
On Saturday, April 14, I was enjoying a perfect sailing day at the Strictly Sail Pacific boat show in Oakland, California. More accurately, I was watching a steady stream of boats heading out to enjoy a perfect sailing day—racing, cruising, or just messing about—while wishing I was among them. I had no idea that just 30-some miles away, a tragedy was unfolding in a sailboat race.
After writing last month’s note about minimalist cruisers Thies Matzen and Kicki Ericson and their exploits in the much-traveled 30-foot sloop Wanderer III, I was overcome by some uncharacteristic soul-searching.
My dad came from a long line of sailors and seafarers, but he didn’t start boating himself until he was nearly 50. I was 12 years old when he bought a 14ft Rhodes Bantam. Together, with some trials and errors, we set about learning to sail it.
Lydia Mullan takes the helm at SAIL Magazine, succeeding Wendy Mitman Clarke.
This past weekend we had the pleasure of being invited to the Marblehead, MA stop of our sister publication Sailing World’s national tour—the Helly Hansen
Routine summer care of your boat is as valuable as long-term maintenance. Here’s a handy schedule to follow.
A summer cruise in Maine becomes a whole new adventure when island hiking leads the way.
Toward evening on a summer’s day, there’s nothing like a quick spin around the harbor.
Sail design has evolved over the centuries from square sails on tallships to triangular Bermuda rigs, back to the square-topped mains of today’s speedsters, and
The Canary Islands has been home to generations of sailors who have competed through the most demanding circuits.
44 and 41-footers are on the horizon for Fountaine Pajot.
As a midocean pit stop, Bermuda’s beauty, history, congeniality, and delectable fish sandwiches make it
a hard place for sailors to leave.
This convertible speedster performs across the wind spectrum.
