2017 May 1
I have dreams about sailing. My boat is named Main Street, which may be why I sometimes dream I am sailing it on a street, weaving through motor vehicle traffic under a spinnaker. That’s really
2017 May 1
This innovative aluminum design comes from an unlikely source
I am not sure where to start telling you about my friend Steve’s skills. He has so many. I’ll just say Steve is a craftsman who can build anything. He built his own plane, he’s a commercial pilot, then designed his own floats and retractable landing gear to turn the plane into an amphibian. He inherited an aluminum 34-footer that he modified significantly after teaching himself to weld aluminum. So when Steve said he was going to design a new boat for his next project I was not surprised. The surprise was this is a boat I could own with pride.
2017 May 1
Twenty-two minutes. Doesn’t seem very long, does it?
2017 May 1
One land-locked sailor has dedicated his life to ensuring access to sailing programs for all
Anyone who has grown up on the water knows the transformative power it has. It’s a classroom, a playground and a haven, a constantly evolving presence that can deliver whatever is needed, from job skills and life lessons to bonding, excitement and peace.
2017 May 1
A dinghy neophyte goes from capsizing queen to regatta worthy in a week thanks to an intensive and fun warm-water training program
Capsizing: One thing you don’t have to worry about here is getting your rig stuck in the mud,” sailing instructor Colin Gowland commented wryly at our first morning briefing. Having never previously set foot in a Laser, the significance of that statement as being one of the very first on Gowland’s agenda didn’t immediately set in. In fact, I may have even laughed out loud.
2017 May 1
Get your boat where it’s going safely by keeping an eye on what hauls it
Some of the best adventures happen on trailersailers. On what other kind of sailboat can you explore far-off inland lakes, wide rivers or obscure bits of estuaries all in the same weekend? In fact, one of the only drawbacks to being a trailersailor is that you’ve just doubled your maintenance requirements: not only do you have to take care of the boat, you must take care of the trailer, so that it will take care of you.
2017 May 1
Small family fun from Chuck Paine
For some odd reason these days I seem to be attracted to “grandpa boats.” This new Chuck Paine designed 18-footer looks like just the ticket for me to have some fun with my grandkids, Violet and Drake. In fact it’s perfect in every way.
2017 May 1
There’s no doubt that ACC boats will set a blistering pace, but without much of the intrigue and tradition of the America’s Cup it remains to be seen if the event will continue to be considered the pinnacle of yachting
There was a time in the America’s Cup when keels were skirted, boats were outed as “dogs” after their first appearance on the racecourse and skippers called fouls on each other during races. In case you’ve buried your head in a Rosenfeld photography book for the last 10 years, those days are long gone. The America’s Cup will never look like that again.
2017 May 1
Undeterred by Gulf Coast heat, wind, mosquitoes and jumping fish, a pair of friends tackle the Texas 200 endurance cruise aboard their small boat
The first time I sailed the Texas 200—a grueling 200-mile multiday small-boat endurance cruise along the desolate Gulf Coast and barrier islands of southern Texas—my home-built plywood dinghy was dismasted on the first afternoon.
2017 May 1
Dear Boat Doctor, I recently had to connect some bare stripped wires to a terminal strip, the kind where you put the wire in the hole and tighten down the screw.
2017 May 1
There is a widely held belief among sailors that the secret to getting more people into the sport is to get them on the water. Rob James, owner of Kingdom Yachts Sailing Club, an American Sailing Association school in Atlanta, Georgia, thinks the key is to get them in a boat, but not necessarily one that’s on the water.
2017 April 12
This carbon fiber cruiser contains a bevy of performance features
The new Arcona 465 is built in Sweden and designed by Arcona’s head designer Stefan Quiberg. I like pretty much everything about this boat. The target was a high-performance racer/cruiser optimized
2017 April 11
Bone up on your knot-tying skills with a few out-of-the-box fun and useful projects
Basics knots, like a bowline or Figure 8, are the foundation of sailboat knots and have been since the beginning of time. These knots are used to terminate control lines, prevent the loss of lines and perform other important tasks. Lesser known “fancy knots,” such as monkey’s fists or different braids, can be useful or just nice to have around from a decorative perspective. Fancy knotwork can be a lifelong pursuit, getting as complex as you like, but there are a few knots that are easy to learn and are still useful. And practicing these less-than-everyday knots can up your knot-tying game.
2017 April 11
At the top of Lake Huron lie the magical cruising grounds of the North Channel, where wildlife, northern lights and perfect sailing are a trifecta of pleasure
South Benjamin Island is a protected and picturesque anchorage.Sharon Mathews Stevens photo Look at the bear!” someone shouted, pointing through the lifelines of our chartered Jeanneau 49 Summe
2017 April 1
Back when parents sent kids away to weeks-long all-outdoor excursion camps, one could choose to go to a sailing camp; if you could call it that. A half dozen kids between 10 and 15 years old would join a counselor (usually a college kid on break) to cruise from port-to-port aboard a sailboat just large enough to sleep them all. They would carry their own cash, watch their own weather, pick their own destinations, cook their own food, and generally care for themselves. They’d leave on a prescribed date and return in time for the fall semester, but in between, they were on their own.
2017 April 1
Chris Caswell discovers the delights along Florida’s west coast and Pine Island Sound while trying to stay on the right side of the buoy
It was no dark and stormy night, but the middle of a bright Florida afternoon when I spotted the mystery buoy. It was near our course and I had no idea what it marked, so I brought the engines back to neutral and we drifted while I issued orders.
2017 April 1
My 47-foot boat is 31 years old and is slowly showing her age. I have taken care of most of the systems, but I need to work on the main electrical panel. The panel is starting to mechanically fall apart, some of the breakers have failed and I ran out of capacity long ago. I have patched it over the years, but I think it’s time for a replacement.
2017 April 1
Pretty to look at and tough to boot, this classic cruiser makes a fine family boat
The Alberg 29 was designed by naval architect Carl Alberg and built by Nye Yachts in Canada from 1976 to 1985. The full-keel, masthead sloop was made to replace the much-admired Alberg 30, which had been in production since 1962.
2017 April 1
The king of the trimarans serves up 3 versions of a new model
At rare times certain designers can be considered dominant in their genre. Think Doug Peterson in the early IOR days and Bruce Farr in later IOR days. This dominance seldom went outside that genre. You could argue that in Bruce Farr’s case. But when it comes to trailerable, folding trimarans for the past 25 years, maybe longer, Ian Farrier has totally dominated the scene. You think folding tri and you think Ian Farrier. It’s automatic. This has given Ian many years to slowly evolve a near-perfect product. I say “near perfect” because I’m sure Ian has more tricks to come and I don’t want to sound like I’m limiting his creativity. Are these good boats? Numbers don’t lie, not in this case. If that’s not enough for you I have sailed my buddy’s turbo F-27 several times and I can assure you that it is a most enjoyable and at times exciting ride. If you want to sail flat and fast you can’t beat one of Ian’s trimarans.
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This rugged pilothouse cutter can handle the rough stuff in comfort
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This small oceangoing cruiser can be built by DIY builders
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This folding trimaran for fun cruising offers plenty of options
