Sailboat Cruising

Inspect your Lifejackets

July 2, 2013

When you inspect your inflatable lifejackets, hope you don’t find any surprises. They say you should never take anything for granted in life, and I reckon that applies to lifejackets too. While exhuming my inflatable lifejackets— one manually actuated, one auto-inflating—from their basement crypt last spring, it struck me that I had never once inspected them or serviced them since they were new—and that, I realized guiltily, was many years ago.

Ted Hood, Gone to Fiddler’s Green

July 1, 2013

Frederick Emmart “Ted” Hood, 86, of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, an internationally heralded yachtsman, sail maker, yacht designer and builder, died Friday, June 28 surrounded by his family.

The 2012 ARC: World Cruising Club’s Atlantic Rally

June 28, 2013

For many people, sailing across the Atlantic falls into the same category as climbing Mt. Everest. Even among serious sailors, a transatlantic crossing is not something to be taken lightly. Not only is it logistically challenging, it’s weather-sensitive, resource-dependent and more than a little intimidating.

Windshifts: Ship Passing in the Day

June 28, 2013

After the rigors of our Ouija board navigation, Ken treated me to a spontaneous VHF serenade. Suddenly, blasting out of the radio came the unmistakable sound of the “Ride of the Valkyries.” I grabbed the microphone and hollered to my mid-ocean friend, “Charley don’t surf…Charley don’t surf!”

Cruising: Tips: A Pocket for Cockpit Clutter

June 28, 2013

Cockpits get cluttered underway or at anchor. Inevitably someone steps on that wayward tube of sunscreen, someone else sits on your sunglasses, and small stuff goes missing. If you want to keep everything within reach and handy, you need pockets.

Cruising Tips: Boomed-out Headsails

June 28, 2013

I will say it until I’m red in the face: displacement cruising yachts, no matter how nimble, always make faster passages sailing in a straight line. Forget the gybing angles that racers use when sailing downwind. Square the sails off and run!

A Terrible Sinking Feeling

June 28, 2013

My running diesel made a clunking sound, followed by silence. Next came the sound of rushing water, as if from a large hose. I quickly pulled the companionway steps off the engine compartment and saw tannin-darkened river water gushing in around the propeller shaft, a shocking confirmation of my worst fear. If the flooding water couldn’t be stopped, Kelly IV, my 1979 Endeavour 32, would be lost.

Is Sailing’s Mystique a Mistake?

June 28, 2013

It’s no secret that the popularity of recreational sailing in America is ebbing and, sadly, has been for decades. According to the US Coast Guard, since 1999 sailboat registrations have dropped by more than 25% , a trend that began back in the early ’80s, and now barely 2% of all registered boats are powered by the wind.

Why Les Voiles de St.Barths is a Rising Star

June 27, 2013

Around the world, there are only a few sailing events with a recipe potent enough to capture a sailor’s senses so effectively that they too become immediate repeat customers. For those events that have mastered the recipe, the result is a regatta with a long life.

Science Calls on Sailors with Secchi App

June 27, 2013

When a team of UK-based scientists learned that the population of the Earth’s marine phytoplankton had declined 40 percent since 1950, they set out to find the cause. Phytoplankton is the ocean’s primary producer, and a decrease in its population could mean trouble for oxygen production, food chain supply and climate regulation.

Rolex Nominations Open

Award season is upon us, and US Sailing is looking for the next Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year. Established in 1961 by US Sailing

Buying a New Main Sail

I’ve always known the importance of having good sails. As a low-budget boat punk, I prioritize making sure I can get where I’m going with

VIDEO: Protocol and Class Rules of the Next America’s Cup

The Defender, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, and Challenger of the Record, INEOS Britannia, have announced the protocol and class rules for the 37th America’s