Keeping both partners happy when one finds a new passion is an age-old dilemma; even Penelope stayed home in Troy when Ulysses sailed off. So often, one partner gets hooked on sailing, but their companion doesn’t; one has a boating background, while the other’s water-based activities are limited to the bath.If you’re having a hard time getting your loved ones into sailing, now might be the time to sweeten the deal. Sailing schools exist in every beautiful corner of the world and who can turn down a learn-to-sail vacation in paradise?

 On September 4, 2012, best friends Jessie Zevalkink and Katie Smith cast off the docklines in Northport, Michigan, aboard a capable pocket cruiser named Louise. The 23-year-olds had little sailing experience, yet they were determined to tackle one of the continent’s great adventures—the Great Loop.

For half a century, sailing schools have taught people of all ages how to get out on the water. School fleets were often full of aging boats and instructors’ experience could vary dramatically. There was no certification and no universally set standards. We asked some of the owners of the oldest sailing schools in the country what things were like then and what they are like now.

When to reef? Honestly, I wasn't sure. The wind was now up to a solid 13 knots, tickling 15 with every indication of getting stronger. Yet the 35-foot boat with a full-batten, square-top main seemed to be handling everything fine. In fact, as we galloped past Old Mission Light in Grand Traverse Bay, my sister and her daughter, both nonsailors, were below in the galley, happily making grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup without a hint of seasickness. Not bad for a sailboat I was originally reluctant to take on a four-day cruise on Lake Michigan. 

Digging deep into a wooden chest filled with doublets, waistcoats, sashes and breeches I found a tri-cornered hat, complete with beaded dreadlocks dangling from its leather brim. Perfect! Along with my plastic cutlass and scabbard, I was a near-clone of Capt. Jack Sparrow. I sauntered out into the bright sunlight to join my crewmates, scrambling over cannons and up ratlines like scurrilous pirates. St. Vincent and the Grenadines served as the primary filming location for “Pirates of the Caribbean” and a dozen years later, we found ourselves romping through several of the remaining movie sets at the town of Wallilabou, aka “Port Royal” in the popular movie series. It was just one of the many treasures we unearthed on a Sunsail flotilla cruise through the Windward Islands.

Flotilla sailing offers the benefit of a built-in group of friends, with many practical advantages as well. Daily weather reports, chart briefings and local knowledge, plus knowing a helping hand is not far away can set your mind at ease, whether you’re a novice charterer, or old hand.

Kris Scheppe met his crewmates for the world championship regatta just days before the three men would compete against some of the best sailors in the world. Scheppe, Scott Ford and Jim Kerr had only

Without question, the No. 1 pick for a winter getaway is the BVI. With its rowdy sailing in the Drake Passage to the many anchorages in this Caribbean island chain, the BVI has more to offer cruisers. 

The boat was stranded ashore in a snowy Maryland boatyard. I remember my first glimpse of the 1985 Kaufman 47 that my daughters and I would soon rename Quetzal like some might recall their wedding nig

SAILING Magazine's editors have rounded up some of the best gifts for the sailors on your list this year.

 I sat quietly in the cockpit as Bodacious Dream sailed easily in the dying evening winds, 40 miles out from Point Judith and Beavertail lights. These lights guard the entrance to Narraganse

 Sinn Fein, destroyed in Hurricane Sandy, was lovingly rebuilt by members of the Raritan Yacht Club and her owner Peter Rebovich and family just in time for the 2014 Newport Bermuda Race.Marianne

 A cruise along Brazil's Costa Verde includes stops at remote Ilha Grande.Michelle HurniWe began having doubts as we bounced along Brazil’s 100-mile-long Costa Verde coastline aboard a public

Every sailor dreads the possibility of a sinking boat and having to make the call to abandon ship. 

It was one thing to show our crew of five boys a chart of the Bahamas’ northern cruising ground, but quite another for them to see it for themselves from Elbow Reef Lighthouse. From this vantage p

SAILING Magazine brings you a sneak peek of all the new boats you can catch at boat shows. From fast and exciting to spritely passagemakers to dreamboats, there's a new boat for every taste. Fli