On the East Coast, West Coast, and Gulf Coast…on the Great Lakes and all the little lakes and rivers, toomost American sailors have been wooed at one point or another by the siren call of an occasional low-stress, mid-week race. (OK, perhaps it was the skippers promise of beer and burgers afterwards.) These informal beer-can chases are a great way to break up the
Hunter Ratliff wants nothing more than to feel the weight of a gold medal around his neck. To stand on the podium, national anthem blaring, knowing his success came from no one but himself. But its going to take a while to get there.Last November, Hunter, now 25, embarked on an Olympic campaign for his 470 sailboat. He and his crew, Topher Williams, spend their days building what Ratliff
So there we were last Friday evening, sitting on the rail of Tom Hills magnificent new Reichel/Pugh 75 Titan XV during the 2009 Ida Lewis Distance Race off Newport, Rhode Island, happily munching on carrots and hummus, when a curious thing happened: a torrent of saltwater exploded over everybody seated at the back of the sled. It happened so suddenly that all I could
When kids grow up sailing on the Charles River in Boston, its easy for them to assume that the breadth of their sport stops there. Thats why, every summer, Bostons Community Boating Inc. (CBI) brings in a fleet of sailing stars to crew for their outstanding students in the annual Kids Sail the Stars event. The formula is simple: the most dedicated junior sailors are the
While the Volvo Ocean Race has been dominating sailing headlines this year, there’s an unofficial circumnavigation “race” taking place: The contest to become the youngest person to circle the globe. At only 17 and 16 years old respectively, Zac Sunderland (USA) and Mike Perham (UK) are vying for a place in the pantheon of sailing world-record holders David Dicks, Jesse Martin,
In the current economic climate, its no surprise that that potential sponsors are balking at the prospect of ponying up the $50-60 million needed to fund a first-rate Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) campaign. The VOR itself has been working to reduce costs, as they recognize that sponsors only get their full value if there are plenty of boats competing.So far, changes include a
If I’m not mistaken, more than one of the rock-star boats that were supposed to be making news are not. If I’m not further mistaken, quite a few of the usual suspects are missing from the ranks of the regulars.It’s a sign, but a sign of what? New boats are being built—in lesser numbers. Races are being sailed—with fewer boats at the higher end. And high-profile boats disappear for a
My husband Andy and I naively thought that our sailing game plan would remain the same after our daughters were born; we would just incorporate the children into our regatta mode and not skip a beat. So far, we have skipped beats and runs, and even entire races. We have arrived late, gone to bed early, sailed better, and had more fun. Avery (8) and Jordan (6) love regattas, but their game plan
My husband Andy and I naively thought that our sailing game plan would remain the same after our daughters were born; we would just incorporate the children into our regatta mode and not skip a beat. So far, we have skipped beats and runs, and even entire races. We have arrived late, gone to bed early, sailed better, and had more fun. Avery (8) and Jordan (6) love regattas, but their game plan
The International Olympic committee announced on 13 August, 2009 that there will be 10 sailing events at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. This is a decrease from the 11 sailing events at the 2008 Games in Beijing, making room for new events that were not held in Beijing.The eliminated class is the Tornado catamaran, despite the request made by the International Sailing Federation to keep
There is something almost mystical and more than a little eerie about scuba diving in the deep ocean, hundreds of miles from land and a
This past summer, the U.S. SailGP Team began accepting applications from community sailing organizations interested in partnering with it as part of the SailGP “Foiling
The one word to sum up the 2021 12 Metre North American Championship is “variety.” Over three days, the eight-boat fleet saw everything from postponement
Thanks to my long connection with this magazine I’ve had many opportunities to sail with some exceptional people. One of my more memorable outings came
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hurricanes (the term most U.S. sailors are familiar with) and typhoons are just two different names
Thinking of spending cyclone season in the South Pacific? Plenty of sailors take the chance every year, with the recent travel restrictions imposed by the
With 2021 drawing to a close, Laser sailors find themselves reflecting on both their class’s 50th anniversary and the passing of the man who made
Newport, R.I. — The 7th Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup wrapped up on Saturday after five days of highly competitive racing in
Dufour Yachts seems to have shifted its strategy with the introduction of the new 530. Previously, the French builder maintained two lines: Performance and Grand
