Some upgrades and repairs on a sailboat are no-brainers. It’s not difficult know when you need new sails or the paint job and brightwork need attention. But figuring out if a battery upgrade is necessary and how to do it is at times less obvious. Odds are, though, that if the house batteries are more than five years old, you are going to want to think about replacing them. Wet-cell lead acid batteries have a life span of about five years. Some can be coaxed to perform longer, but their performance will degrade over time. If you’ve found that you are constantly charging the batteries or can’t run many of the systems you’d like to for long periods, it may be worth considering a battery upgrade as well. 

It was 40 degrees in the Pearson 36 Onne van der Wal had propped up on jackstands next to his house some nights. Although the boat, which was undergoing a mostly DIY refit, was heated, snow would pile up on its cover, making any project a bone-chilling affair. 

By all accounts, Michigan’s Gull Lake is a sailor’s lake, often bustling with regattas or packed with weekend daysailers. But there was something special about the 12 Stars that took to the racecourse on a crisp early fall weekend. Sailed by some of the best sailors in the class, the colorful boats were all 50 years old, lovingly restored, some just in time for the Vintage Gold Cup. It was exactly what the regatta’s organizers had in mind.

Catamarans are by far the favored boat for charterers, and charter fleets, which are full of cruising catamarans with a handful of monohulls reflect that. And it’s easy to see why: Not only is there

The crowd at the Hanse Yachts booth was buzzing, and they formed a veritable wall around one particular illuminated case. We patiently inched closer, and then we saw it—the new 315 e-motion rudder drive, which the German boatbuilder developed in conjunction with Jefa and Torqeedo.

From fun dinghies and classic cruisers to novel speedsters and luxurious cats, the class of new boats is exciting. Our editors share the most intriguing new designs coming to boat shows. 

When the one-two punch of hurricanes Irma and Maria stormed through part of the Caribbean in early fall the destruction left in their wakes was unlike any seen there in recent history. Boats were over

Charter and privately owned boats that had been moored in the hurricane hole at Tortola's Paraquita Bay are stacked on top of each other following the passage of the devastatingly strong Hurricane Ir

On a chart, the rhumbline appears as the shortest distance between two points, but when plotting a course through the British Virgin Islands, our “rum line” took a twisting path from one legendary beach bar to another on a weeklong charter cruise. 

 My definition of “boat” entails three essential capabilities—flotation, propulsion and steering. If you lose one of these, things are going to get difficult. We all know about keeping the water out, the rig up, and engine working, but we tend to take steering for granted. I have had a wheel go loose in my hands, and I can attest to the helpless feeling that accompanies it.

As the American Sailing Association’s affiliate representative, Elbert “Ash” Ashbaugh sees a lot of sailing school applications come across his desk. Many are from schools that have been successfully operating for awhile, complete with professional offices, insurance and the right boats for teaching; he might be able to get their applications approved in just a week.

Since its first running over a century ago, the Transpacific Yacht Race has bewitched sailors of all backgrounds and ages, to challenge the 2,216-mile course from California to Hawaii. This year’s edition was no exception—a magical experience, for more reasons than you could shake a wand at. There were racers young and old, on yachts large and small, from classic Cal 40s to the record-breaking maxi Comanche. There was a sled with a cat’s name, Pyewacket, and a cat with a monkey’s name, Chim Chim. And this year’s race marked the return of The Wizard.

Bermuda’s 22-year-old MacKenzie Cooper was on top of the sailing world as his Team BDA stormed across the finish line in first place in the first race of the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup finals in June. Held in conjunction with the America’s Cup on Bermuda’s Great Sound, the youth series pitted 12 teams from around the world against each other in an exciting fleet racing format that saw eight finalists on the line in a jaw-dropping display of speed, seamanship and sportsmanship. As Cooper’s boat crossed the line, the stands erupted in a sea of Bermuda flags while most of the tiny country’s population of 65,000 stopped what they were doing to cheer on the local favorites.

Mark Wheeler knew that staying calm was key. That’s easier said than done when you’re in 65-degree Lake Michigan with a storm on the horizon, building seas and you’ve just watched the boat you fell off of sail away at 18 knots.

SEPTEMBER 2017 Table of contents

More than 80,000 people packed downtown Auckland, New Zealand, in July to celebrate the triumphant return of the America’s Cup after a 17-year absence. Thunderstorms didn’t dampen spirits as Emirates Team New Zealand paraded down Queen’s Street, the Auld Mug held high, and onto a boat for a tour of the jam-packed Waitemata Harbour. 

The pilot books and online passage guides all agree: You do not sail across the Atlantic from west to east in a small boat in January, February or March. Even the Admiralty chart of the Atlantic warns sailors not to attempt an eastward crossing in those months. But Susie Goodall, 28, was having none of it. After four weeks in Antigua, mainly taken up with fixing her engine, she set sail on March 20 and, rather than take the recommended route via Bermuda, headed straight for the Azores. It’s known as the “devil-may-care” route and cuts 500 miles off the crossing, but also increases the likelihood of running into Atlantic gales. Which was exactly why she did it.