Why are so many cruising sailors scared of spinnakers? Today’s cruising A-sails are so forgiving and easy to deal with that there’s really no excuse for not having one on board.
A century ago, 300 individual communities dotted the islands of Penobscot Bay, Maine, each independently thriving off the land and sea. Today, the town of Rockland is one of 15 remaining communities, and it takes its role of culture-preserver seriously.
Boat shows are the ideal place to scratch your sailing itch. There, you can see what’s new in boats, gear, electronics and apparel, all while being surrounded by like-minded sailors. However, it’s rare you actually get to go sailing at a boat show, much less learn to sail.
An Englishman I met in British Columbia once told me that sooner or later every sailor falls in love with an older woman. His name was Duncan, and the moment he saw my boat, Drummer, he was awash in longing…
Long-simmering disputes in Florida between waterfront residents and cruising sailors came to a head this past summer, with residents pushing for new regulations that would prohibit anchoring within 300 feet of residential property.
Admit it: there’s something unbeatable about sailing in your home waters. You know every tidal pattern, every obscured rock and every fluky habit of the wind. You could navigate with your eyes closed, though you’d never close your eyes, for fear of missing out on the scenery.
According to Boat US, boats sinking at docks account for a disproportionate number of insurance claims. Frankly, I’m not surprised. Even a modest boat often has six or seven through-hull fittings below the waterline. Should one of these fail, the inrush of water will swiftly sink the boat
He was more tentative going forward on deck and his sore shoulder made getting out of the dinghy awkward. Would this be his last summer on the boat, especially now that he’s 15?
I woke from a deep sleep to the sound of my 8-year-old daughter, Asha, exclaiming: “Daddy, we are really close to the rocks! I can step out onto them!” That was enough to get me out of my groggy, dreamlike state, and I leapt out of bed and headed for the companionway with my shorts in my hand.
Those are the two words no one on any boat ever wants to hear. It is no surprise then that MOB recovery is a subject high on the list of any sail training activity. Kids in Optis and 420’s learn about it. Sailing schools teach it, offshore races have seminars on it, and there are detailed reports and debriefings on it.
When I began preparing Minx, my 1987 Pearson 39-2, for extended Caribbean cruising, I had to balance my champagne wish list against my beer budget.
The decision to host the next America’s Cup in Barcelona ruffled the feathers of some fans, but the Defender is happy with how the venue
Elan’s first sporty “Grand Turismo” yacht, the 43ft GT5, launched in 2017, and was actually a bit of a mash-up. It combined an existing go-fast
The days of multihulls being the weirdos of the sea are gone. Nothing illustrated this better than the 2021 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), which
There is, of course, nothing new about bowsprits—sailing ships have been using them for centuries. That said, these days they are more popular than ever
For years, Nautitech Catamarans has been doing things differently from other production cat builders, and it seems to be paying off. When the French company
From “cockloons” to “SmartRooms” and innovative nav stations, today’s multihull builders are fine-tuning the layouts of their mid-sized cruisers in increasingly interesting ways. Not only
The National Sailing Hall of Fame (NSHOF) announced its 12th class of inductees. Among them are many remarkable people who’ve made contributions to the world
In the following excerpt from Wild Seas to Greenland — A Sailing Adventure with Ocean Racer Ross Field, veteran mariner Rebecca Hayter, recounts how Field
