At the DockDinghy-dock smartsDon Street, who has been rowing rigid dinghies around harbors in Europe and the Caribbean for more than 60 years, thought he had learned everything there is to know about handling a dinghy in any conditions. But hes come up with a new trick for handling a hard tender around a crowded dinghy dock. The usual routine, says Street, is to
This month: coping with fog, inshore pilotingSeamanshipSailing in fogSummer sailing and fog seem to be inextricably linked in some parts of the country, and everyone who races or cruises will run into a bank of the gray stuff at one time or another. When you do, your priorities change from making good time toward your destination to not running into other
VisibilityHow to be seenWe all hope the lookouts on those huge container ships will see our little sailboats in rain, mist, and low light. Should we find ourselves in trouble, we pray that our rescuers will be able to make us out in the breaking waves.Some sailors have long recognized the value of being highly visible. Many ocean-racing boats have brightly colored hulls
On day two of my San Francisco Bay cruise I proved an age-old principle: As soon as you go home, you fall back into the same old roles.I hadn’t really been gone, but I had not in years idled away a succession of days on my home waters with no agenda except to go wherever I wanted, and do whatever seemed like a good idea at the time. What seemed like a good idea today was to sail my nephew,
By Amy UllrichSoutheast Alaska enjoys about 18 hours of daylightat the summer solstice, stretching time so that this12-day cruise at the end of June aboard Maple Leafseems like the activity equivalent of weeks.Nonetheless, my body stays resolutely on its EastCoast schedule; I occasionally fall asleep over my plate indaylight that is still fading at dinnertime and rise with the
First, an announcement from Sunsail:After the tragic events in South East Asia over the past few days, the thoughts and prayers of everyone at Sunsail are with all those who have suffered as a result of the earthquake and the resulting tidal waves. Sunsail has been working very closely with the overseas resort teams and the Federation of Tour Operators to evaluate the situation. This will
By Kimball LivingstonImagine sailing into a foreign port and finding it packed full of your best friends. That’s the dream—and sometimes the reality—of a long distance rally. I know the dream can be real. I’ve seen it. But let’s agree up front that rallies work for some people, and not for others. If for you the purpose of voyaging is to wander aimlessly (as aimlessly as
For multihulls, there are four important indicators of performance and stability: the Bruce Number; the Real Performance Index; the Stability Number; and the Stability Factor.Bruce NumberBruce Number is another form of the sail area-displacement ratio (a power-to-weight ratio). It shows how much sail area relative to displacement (weight) a boat has, but tells nothing about a
In the September, 2004 issue of SAIL, Clark Beek explores Australia’s Northern Territory on his Salar 40 ketch, Condesa, discovering “a land where the uninitiated should tread carefully” and where “Darwin is an Oasis”. Duncan Gould sails through the offshore islands of Venezuela. To read their notes from these cruises—supplements to the stories in print—read on
A perennial challenge for professional sailboat racing is striking a balance between boats that are exciting to sail, but aren’t so cutting edge (read expensive)
Following a tough night with 45-knot winds and 20ft seas, 73-year-old French sailor Jean-Luc Van Den Heede aboard the Rustler 36 Matmut is now within
The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is best known for the wild weather that often marks the Bass Strait between Tasmania and mainland Australia. However,
The Medalist I bought in 1962 was designed by Bill Tripp and built in Holland by LeComte. The hull was fiberglass and the interior finished
Though it’s a modern truism that boatbuilders favor bigger boats because they make more money on them, several production builders have recently begun introducing
Beneteau’s new First 18 is a boat born to introduce you to the joys of sailing. This meticulously crafted sailboat is mellow enough for a
. Figure 8 solo sailor Randall Reeves takes advantage of some fantastic weather in the Deep South to bake a loaf of bread for himself.
After completing the European Great Loop on our 1987 40ft Catalac catamaran, Angel Louise, my wife, Sue, and I sailed home to the States and
The Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image competition once again captures the excitement that is sailing from around the world An impressive 109 photographers from 25 countries
. Figure 8 solo voyager Randall Reeves explains the ins and out of how he manages his meals while on-passage. For more on Randall, see
