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.
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!”
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Picture this: you’ve got the opportunity of a lifetime to crew aboard a great cruising sailboat. All that’s left is to pack your duffel. In addition to the essential layers of clothing, here are a few items that will keep you comfortable and happy at sea.
Cats make great cruising companions, but life on a boat can be challenging for them.
In case you hadn’t heard, the fall 2021 boat show season was one for the record books. If there was ever any doubt the sailing
After a year without boat shows, 2021 proved to be a blockbuster summer and fall for events around the globe, and the International Mulithull Show
Have you ever wondered how sailors navigated before GPS? Do you want an analogue backup if your electronics fail? Are you just curious about navigating
Imagine a sailboat under 60ft with private en suite accommodations for five couples plus professional crew. Add to that enough space to allow those same
. The Rolex Sydney to Hobart is one of the toughest ways to ring in the New Year, covering about 725 miles from Sydney, Australia,
To subscribe for free and have it delivered directly to your inbox every weekday, click here. Need for Speed Named for the author of “Around
This spring, two double-hulled canoes, Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia, will set off for what organizers are calling the Moananuiākea Voyage—a 41,000-mile, 42-month circumnavigation of the Pacific.
The SAIL e-newsletter is off for the remainder of the year, but before we go, we wanted to wish you and yours the very best
The Ocean Race will get underway early in 2023 after a five-year hiatus and a number of changes to the race’s formula, most notably the
