Experience: An Unexpected Breeze
March 20, 2023
My wife, Randy, and I sail the Catalina 320, Downtime, out of Mamaroneck, New York, at the western end of Long Island Sound among such
My wife, Randy, and I sail the Catalina 320, Downtime, out of Mamaroneck, New York, at the western end of Long Island Sound among such
Sometime this year, construction is expected to begin on a 704-megawatt offshore wind farm called Revolution Wind in southern New England waters. Inevitably with a
I got seasick the second day out. My stomach had been rolling ever since we’d slipped out of Howe Sound that morning, but we were all
To begin You don’t need to know much about how a piston engine works in order to drive a car. You get in, turn on the engine, shift into gear, step on the gas, and off you go. In a sailboat, though, you play a far more active role in harnessing the energy that propels you forward. You can get
When I moved my new Nicholson 32 sloop, Alibi of Bridham, from a marina to a mooring this summer I also had to rethink my power requirements, since the change meant severing my umbilical to the grid. Although I had a powerful (read: noisy) wind generator as an alternative power source, along with a small photovoltaic (PV) solar array to keep the engine’s cranking battery topped up when the wind dies, I’ve since decided to lose the noisy windmill and go wholly solar.
I had to find a way to charge the batteries in my absence, which meant wind or solar power. I toyed with the idea of installing a wind generator, but it seemed like too much expense and hassle; and, lacking a bimini, there was nowhere convenient to place a solar panel where it wouldn’t be either in the shadow of the rig or in the way of the crew…
When sailing close to the coast it often seems that NOAA’s wind forecasts are maddeningly inaccurate. How could NOAA get it so wrong?
The first time I tried to pick up a mooring singlehanded in a stiff breeze, I approached from dead downwind in the usual manner and stopped the boat with the pickup buoy right where I wanted it.
It’s not as easy as pressing a button, but once you learn to use a windvane you’ll never get stuck hand-steering again.
Maintenance-free and weatherproof, Ganz Eco-energy semi-flexible solar panels provide clean, quiet, reliable power offshore
Photos provided courtesy of the manufacturers It’s been a long time coming, but 2027 is truly the year of the cat. For the first time
Aspiring distance voyagers will find this newest cat a perfect fit.
While checking in on my parent’s boat at the yard, I saw this unusual keel. What’s the purpose of it? — Maddie Doherty, via sailmail@sailmagazine.com
The 2026 Newport International Boatshow is underway now. Here’s what to look forward to.
A new documentary relives the 1995 America’s Cup, as told by the American teams vying to defend the Auld Mug.
My parents, who have been collecting SAIL since I started working here like they did with my childhood artwork, are running out of storage space.
Team United by the Ocean took first place in the inaugural transatlantic race, with American-flagged 11th Hour Racing in a close second.
The temperatures are starting to cool off, the days are getting shorter, and your October issue is on its way. Here’s what’s coming up.
Offshore and offline go hand in hand.
Small electric outboards are becoming increasingly popular for everything
from dinghies to small race boats. We put three new models to the test.
