Its a rare coup when a world-class sailor also happens to possess great writing skills, as this is the winning ticket to capturing the true grit of offshore racing. When you start talking about premiere-level events such as the Whitbred/Volvo Ocean Race, or the Barcelona World Race (BWR), a double-handed, non-stop, around-the-world race, the number of people capable of participating is small,
Ed Baird on Tuesday became the second American to win the title of world sailor of the year in the 14-year history of the event. Who was first? Paige Railey in the women’s category in 2006, that’s who.Now here is the word from the ISAF Annual Meeting at Estoril, Portugal: St. Petersburg, Florida native Ed Baird was named ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Tuesday
For most dinghy sailors, co-skippering an Open 60 in the Barcelona World Race, a non-stop double-handed circumnavigation race via the three capes, would be a suicide mission. Luckily, Seattle based Jonathan Mckee, 45, isnt your typical dinghy sailor: His resume includes three years on the All American College Team during his time at Yale, a Gold medal in Flying Dutchman in the 1984 Olympics,
Julie Bracken, in her first turn at the tiller of the beautifully restored Spirit, won the three-day MDI Luders Invitational in Southwest Harbor, Maine, by one point over fleet secretary Dave Folger and his teenage daughter Liana in the vintage Voodoo. The Folgers in turn beat fleet newcomer and big-boat veteran Thomas Chase in his recently imported Grace by one point. The
The 200809 Volvo Ocean Race is still more than 11 months out, but teams are gearing up for the worlds most brutal fully crewed ocean showdown. Ericsson Racing Team recently announced that Brazilian sailing legend Torben Grael will be skippering one of their two boats. Grael is replacing American John Kostecki in this role, as Kostecki had to step down because of to family obligations. Grael,
We have a winnerIn response to SAIL’s Hunter 216 Giveaway Contest, we received roughly 1,000 entries that answered the broad question “What would you do if you won a Hunter 216?” The submissions ranged from pleas to upgrade entrants’ existing boats to odes to deserving friends or family to a number of thoughtful plans to share the boat with others. SAIL and Hunter Marine selected a
John Ross-Duggan had a full career ahead of him when he won the Hobie 16 National Championship in 1977, during his third year of medical school. Eight months later, he broke his neck in a car accident and was paralyzed from the neck down. He was 23.After battling through months of therapy to finish medical school and his residency, Ross-Duggan got back to racing
In the early 20th century, R-boat racing attracted the brightest and the best. R’s were large enough to be yachts and small enough to be toys. One of the most historic of the lot, Pirate, R11, is being restored in Seattle at the lively Center for Wooden Boats. Pirate was the first West Coast boat to campaign on the East Coast—she won the 1929 nationals at
Another fuel pump failure leads to an engine rebuild, this time on the hook.
The fleet couldn’t have wished for better conditions at the start of the 363-mile ocean race.
As the first competitors eye their approach Hawaii, Stan Honey talks strategy.
Living champagne dreams on a Top Ramen budget — and how you can do it too.
Simrad has upgraded their line of chartplotters with the NSS 4, a new model designed with going off soundings in mind.
Nearing the halfway mark of Falken’s passage between the Galápagos and Marquesas
Today we’re celebrating the birthday of one of history’s greatest yachtswomen.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Coneys Marine on Long Island has always counted on the power of family.
Bad puns aside, why do cats and sailing go so well together? It’s brain science.
Which modern synonym for “complain” originally was used to describe a ship that tended to round up into the wind due to a bad design
