Sailboat Cruising

Favorite Weekend Cruise: Beaver Island

March 1, 2012

We left the hustle and bustle of Charlevoix, Michigan, just in time to make the second drawbridge opening of the morning as we pointed our bow toward Beaver Island, an isolated destination about 32 miles offshore in the middle of northern Lake Michigan. There was a thick fog, and a light drizzle fell from the sky. Thanks to our chartplotter, I knew our position and the proper heading to the island, but having no radar I remained wary.

Americans in the ARC

March 1, 2012

The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, which runs each November from the Canary Islands to the West Indies, is the most successful cruising rally in the world, with over 200 boats participating every year. It is also primarily a European event, with most boats hailing from Great Britain, Germany and Scandinavia.

Windshifts: Search for a Hidden Mayan Village

February 24, 2012

Tor’s informant told him to search the left side of the river for a subtle but distinctive change in water color. As they eased their dinghy upstream without finding anything noticeable, he wondered if his source had played a practical joke just to spice up a muggy afternoon of ex-pat boredom.

Just Launched: SAIL’s new blog site SAILfeed.com

February 13, 2012

This is a different kind of launch than we usually share with our readers. It has an engine, it’s got ballast and we’re hoping it sails…but it’s not a boat. We’re excited to introduce you to SAIL’s newest website, SAILfeed.com.

Bluewater Cruising: Better than a Month of Mondays

February 7, 2012

In the far Pacific, long-distance cruisers celebrate what it means to voyage, while locals celebrate what it means to be Tongan.

How to Properly Use a Windvane

February 6, 2012

It’s not as easy as pressing a button, but once you learn to use a windvane you’ll never get stuck hand-steering again.

Voice of Experience: Cruising Without a Sail

February 3, 2012

My wife, Penelope, and I recently enjoyed a wonderful cruise through the Florida Keys. Our boat, Alizee, a cutter-rigged Cabo Rico 36, was in excellent condition, with fresh bottom paint and recently inspected standing rigging.

Onboard Cookie-Baking Trick

February 2, 2012

Galley ovens often have hot spots. The short distance from the flame to the pan, a small heat shield, and the smaller volume of air inside the oven all contribute to food burning on the center bottom before its outer edges are cooked through.

Bluewater Families: Cruising with Kids

February 2, 2012

The prospect of sailing 4,500 miles across the South Pacific on a 48-foot sailboat with two small children and a wife prone to seasickness is enough to make most sane skippers back away in terror. Lucky for me, my not-so-sane husband saw it as the chance of a lifetime. So in May of 2008, we cast off from Honolulu aboard our Swan 48, Sundance, with our two children, Sofia Maria, 5, and Rufo, 4, and threw ourselves to the wind.

Seaweed Belongs in the Ocean, Not Your Engine

February 2, 2012

We were maybe a quarter-mile from the mooring, motoring slowly home on a still summer evening, when the piercing bleat of the engine cooling-water alarm made us all jump. I looked over the side: Sure enough, the flow of water out of the exhaust had ceased.

PRADA Cup Pairings Announced

The schedule for the PRADA Cup has been revealed as a multitiered extravaganza featuring over a month of racing, stretching from January 15 through February

The 36th America’s Cup

A Superbowl is a Superbowl, and a World Series is a World Series. Sure, the names of the players and the teams change from year-to-year,

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Analysis of the 36th America’s Cup

Over the next few weeks, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, the New York Yacht Club’s American Magic effort and INEOS Team UK will all battle

The Teams of the 36th America’s Cup

Emirates Team New Zealand Defender, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Though pulling off an event like the America’s Cup during a global pandemic was never

Best Boats 2021

The past year has been a strange and tragic one, to say the least. A funny thing happened, though, on the way to everybody just

VIDEO: Vendée Update

The first five Vendée Globe boats have passed Cape Horn and are beginning the final leg through the Atlantic, back to Les Sables d’Olonne, while

The America’s Cup Trust

I am writing this a few days before Christmas in the awful Plague Year of 2020 and am marveling at the great Double Alignment. Can

Boat Review: HH50

Sportscar builders say, “Speed costs, how fast do you want to go?” This is also true of boats. And if you can foot the bill,

Catalina’s Gerry Douglas Announces Retirement

After 45 years with Catalina Yachts, including four decades as chief yacht designer and executive vice-president, Gerry Douglas says he will be retiring in 2021.

Pay Attention to your Mission-critical systems

Our Nautor’s Swan 59, Icebear, was as close to Bermuda as we were going to get on our passage south to the BVI from the

Sailboat Cruising

Favorite Weekend Cruise: Beaver Island

Americans in the ARC

Windshifts: Search for a Hidden Mayan Village

Just Launched: SAIL’s new blog site SAILfeed.com

Bluewater Cruising: Better than a Month of Mondays

How to Properly Use a Windvane

Voice of Experience: Cruising Without a Sail

Onboard Cookie-Baking Trick

Bluewater Families: Cruising with Kids

Seaweed Belongs in the Ocean, Not Your Engine

PRADA Cup Pairings Announced

The 36th America’s Cup

Analysis of the 36th America’s Cup

The Teams of the 36th America’s Cup

Best Boats 2021

VIDEO: Vendée Update

The America’s Cup Trust

Boat Review: HH50

Catalina’s Gerry Douglas Announces Retirement

Pay Attention to your Mission-critical systems

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