“You can travel around the world, sail on any and every boat, and you’ll never find anything quite like the log canoe.” With a pipe in his teeth and a beard on his chin, Mike Spicer may have been the first to drop this line, but he was certainly not the last.
While the next Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) doesnt kick off until 2011, gears are spinning rapidly to get the various pieces in place so that teams can design boats, build boats and start test sailing their craft. As the past two editions have made completely clear, VOR teams that start early, train hard and are the most prepared are certain to be strong contenders, if not outright winners. It was no
Anyone who follows the Americas Cup likely has a headache the size of Texas and more than a few empty bottles of Aspirin kicking around the floor. And given the legal shenanigans involved, who wouldnt? The good news is that it finally looks as though the Cup is on track to be raced in February at a venue that both parties can agree upon.Astute Cup fans will baulk at this last sentence,
On November 8, BMW/Oracle released what could be the worst-kept secret of the 33rd America’s Cup, but also the coolest single development in months: a hard wing sail for their massive trimaran, which is slated to race against Alinghi in a Deed of Gift (DoG) challenge this coming February. But unlike the somewhat modest looking wing used on Dennis Conner’s Stars and Stripes 1988
When Tomas Nores, father of three sons under the age of 12, watched his kids sailing program dwindle from 100 enthusiasts to 8 miserable children in Optis, he knew something was wrong. The water was warm year-round in their hometown of Miami, Florida, and the breeze was always blowing, yet his kids were on the verge of throwing in the towel. Determined to not give up, Nores drove ten kids from
Moth Madness: A Q&A with Ace American Moth Sailor Charlie McKeeThe Moth class has a storied tradition dating back decades, but whats kept it thriving is that its a development class, freeing designers to experiment with sailplans, rigs, hull shapes, and, recently foils. Youve likely seen the amazing images of these tiny craft zooming around at astonishing speeds, with a wetted
For months, the sailing world has had a field day(s) with images of a Middle Eastern Americas Cup, as the defender, Ernesto Bertarellis charade YC, the Societe Nautique de Geneve (SNG), had hoped to hold the 33rd AC in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) nation of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK). Reportedly, the tiny nation, “conveniently” located precariously close to Iran, has spent hundreds
Should you find yourself needing a bit of reassurance as to why you sail, a glimpse of the 300-plus beautiful classic yachts that were assembled in Saint Tropez in September for the 2009 Classic Boats Regatta will immediately have you remembering exactly why you fell in love with our sport-and lifestyle-in the first place.
Anyone who follows high-end sailing will be familiar with Roy Disneys long line of Pyewackets, boats that have defined state-of-the-art sailing for more than a decade. But few people know the true extent of Disneys love affair with the Transpac Race, an event that he has been active in for the past four decades. In fact, Disney has held the Transpac record twice, first with his Santa Cruz 70,
Torben Grael and his crew aboard their superbly prepared Ericsson 4 dominated this year’s grueling 37,000-mile Volvo Ocean Race. Guy Salter, 37, a skilled ocean racer in his own right-he was bowman aboard Tyco in the 2001 VOR-was also aboard Ericsson 4 as the team’s media crew member; every boat had one. But under the race rules Salter couldn’t help his crewmates sail the boat. His job was to
Squalls are well known to sailors who cruise the middle Latitudes. Eventually, you become complacent to their bluster. But squalls vary in magnitude, and while
At the upcoming Trawlerfest Baltimore, set for Sept. 29-Oct. 3, SAIL magazine regular contributor Nigel Calder will give the low down on electrical systems as
Four years after being decimated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the Bitter End Yacht Club is set to reopen for the Winter 2022 season. Hailed
Bluewater sailing is 25 percent actually sailing and 75 percent learning how to live on a boat at sea, in constant motion and with no
If you missed the first installment, click here. Thankfully, the deck and cockpit of my decades-old Santana 27, Shirley Rose, were in pretty good shape.
This week’s confrontation between a pod of orcas and the Nauticat 44 ketch Tuuletar which left the boat rudderless is just the latest in a
Ever since the advent of GPS, I have not found much use for the chart table on my schooner Britannia. Most of our passagemaking navigation
At the upcoming Trawlerfest Baltimore, set for Sept. 29-Oct. 3, SAIL magazine regular contributor Nigel Calder will be talking all things diesel and diesel repair
Pressurized water systems are brilliantly convenient, but they raise the question of how to get water out of the tanks in the event of a
The Kiwis have long had a reputation as friendly people. However, things are getting a bit testy following Emirates Team New Zealand’s decision to possibly
