The founding editor of SAIL Magazine has died after a long illness. Murray Davis, an Australian by birth, arrived in America not by plane or by ocean liner but rather on a 45-foot ketch named Klang that he, his wife Barbara and their two young children had sailed from England.A consummate journalist, Davis always had with him a Rolodex stuffed with the names of many of the
British Olympian Ben Ainslie, just days after competing in AC class racing in Valencia, has been named ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year at the 2008 ISAF General Assembly in the Spanish capital of Madrid. Ainslie won his third gold medal at the Qingdao Olympiad (he also has a silver in the Laser) with an overwhelmingly confident win in the Finn dinghy. Ainslie, 31, is the first
Thirty years after the first Singlehanded Transpacific Race, theres a grassroots, run-what-you-brung, lets-celebrate-life spirit still thriving in West Coast shorthanded sailing. You wont find any French celebrity sailors with million-euro budgets. Nobodys out to beat the world; theyre out to beat their friends. But if youre thinking pushover, you havent met those friends. Lets pick just
Thirty years after the first Singlehanded Transpacific Race, theres a grassroots, run-what-you-brung, lets-celebrate-life spirit still thriving in West Coast shorthanded sailing. You wont find any French celebrity sailors with million-euro budgets. Nobodys out to beat the world; theyre out to beat their friends. But if youre thinking pushover, you havent met those friends. Lets pick just
Good nutrition can provide a performance edgeBy Carol M. BareutherThe optimal diet for a racing sailor depends on the kind of sailing being done and whether it requires more brainpower or brawn. Still, there are certain basic nutrition principles that apply to all competitors. Before the Regatta Carbohydrates are your bodys primary fuel and should
Its November 9, 1999, and youre sailing aboard USA-53, Young America, in the second round robin of the Louis Vuitton Cup. Conditions are a little breezy, maybe 18-20 knots of air with fairly large seas off Auckland, New Zealand. The boat seems capable and the crew is 100-percent dialed-in. But then a curious thing happens: In the midst of a tack, while pushed up by the
On Thursday, July 17, 2008, Mark Rudiger passed away from lymphoma. He was 53 years old. Rudiger had battled the cancer for 4 years, and he had been doing well in his fight until the tide sadly changed a few months ago. Rudiger was a legend in offshore racing and navigating circles, having navigated 14 Transpac races and two Volvo Ocean Races, the later being the
If youve ever been caught out Laser sailing in a serious squall, you have a taste of what its like to be completely self-sufficient in an over-canvassed boat, with the safety net of land feeling like an untrustworthy mirage. Now imagine that youre alone in the middle of the North Atlantic, with land nothing more than a week-old memory, on a wildly powerful IMOCA Open 60.
Zach Railey has seen a few things, going this far with the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team. For one, he saw every journalist’s slamdunk brother-sister story of the year go up in smoke when world female Sailor of the Year Paige Railey did not make the team. For another, he went from high-place finishes in lead-up regattas to tanking the Finn class worlds. But there’s a reason why this 23-year-old
A Q&A with Lou Varney, the brains behind Harkens Pro-Trim Traveler and Rigtune Pro and winner of this year’s SAIL FKP Eureka! AwardBy David SchmidtWhat is your professional background?I was originally a boatbuilder, and then I became a mast maker and a designer of high-end Grand Prix raceboat masts. What led you to think up the Pro Trim?I have
On September 15, 1835 HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin on board for a five-year voyage as the ship’s naturalist, reaches the Galápagos Islands. During this
The 2026 Best Boats nominees highlight innovation, diversity, and design—offering something for every sailor and every adventure.
A major powercat brand is turning towards new horizons with the announcement of three new sailing cats to join their lineup.
I have a confession to make: I recently read one of John Kretschmer’s books for the first time. You’d think someone who’s made a career
As the summer winds down, a season change is in the air. Autumn? Nope, it’s boat show season. You’d think the SAIL editors would all
A drop-in sailing lifestyle is a reasonable alternative to cruising on your own boat.
Reserve your tickets now.
Ready or not, boat show season is upon us.
As the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival approaches its half-century mark, a look at past, present, and future of this Pacific Northwest classic.
Tracy Edwards led the first all-female circumnavigation during the 1989/90 Whitbread Round the World Race and has been a bold advocate for women and girls ever since.
