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2018 May 7

Donald Crowhurst perpetuated one of the greatest frauds in sports history in a race to be the first person to circumnavigate nonstop, until it all caught up with him. Now the story is making it to the big screen in The Mercy.

There was never any doubt that the tragic story of Donald Crowhurst would have to be included in my book about madness at sea. Of all the stories I researched, it’s the one that has caught the publi
2018 May 1

When racing a Chesapeake Bay log canoe, sometimes you just have to keep it upright and in one piece to win

It was a typical race day on Chesapeake Bay’s Miles River. The wind started out at 12 knots, gusting to 16. But of the 11 Chesapeake log canoes that left the dock at the Miles River Yacht Club for a
2018 May 1

Don’t head out to sea without knowing what to do when emergencies—both small and large—arise

1 How  your life jacket worksSpinlock created a life jacket with an integrated harness and several other safety functions specifically for sailors in the Volvo Ocean Race, but it is available to
2018 May 1

The pristine cruising grounds in British Columbia’s Haida Gwaii Islands are a step back in time

The silence made my ears ring. No electronic chirps, no roar of jets overhead, no sounds except the softly lapping waves on the sturdy wooden hull and the whisper of wind in the sails. An occasional s
2018 April 1

A stress-free charter in one of the world’s most exotic locations was just the ticket for this happy group

The Moorings 4800 rides at anchor.Susan Colby photo Sailing French Polynesia is the stuff dreams are made of. We had Laura, a marine biologist, who dreamed of exploring the sea life and coral gar
2018 April 1

New boats, new locations and a robust hurricane recovery are keeping charter companies busy

There’s never been a better time to charter, with new bases popping up in both new locations and old favorites. Charter boats, whether monohulls or big cats, are getting more comfortable and easier
2018 April 1

A charter through the Greek islands reveals ancient history and Mediterranean beauty

I was sprawled in our cockpit in a quiet cove among the Greek Islands one evening, gazing at the brilliant stars dotting the black sky. Suddenly I wondered if a Greek sailor, perhaps on the verge
2018 March 27

The crew of a Volvo Ocean Race boat suspended a 10-hour unsuccessful search for crewmember John Fisher, who went overboard in the Southern Ocean March 26. Fisher was declared “lost at sea” by race officials, but other nearby ships continue the search.

In gale-force conditions, Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag crewmember John Fisher fell overboard in the Southern Ocean approximately 1,400 miles west of Cape Horn on Day 9 of the 7,600-mile Leg 7 from Auckland, New Zealand, to Itajaí, Brazil. According to race officials, the Scallywag crew immediately turned the boat around and began to sail upwind in a search pattern coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre. After a 10-hour search, the team was  unable to locate Fisher and with conditions worsening and daylight fading, they stopped the search and turned back downwind toward safe harbor on the Chilean coast, the nearest safe landfall approximately 1,200 nautical miles away.
2018 March 1

Fazisi, a boat unlike any the Whitbread race had ever seen, has always faced challenges. Designer Vlad Murnikov reflects on the life of the legend and how, even battered by a hurricane and plundered by thieves, you can never count the old girl out.

As it often happens these days, the news came through Facebook. The striking hull of a maxi yacht, massive yet graceful, laying on top of the salvage barge, looking very sad with all the deck gear stripped, hatches torn apart, stanchions and pulpits bent, yet looking hauntingly beautiful even in this distressed state. 
2018 March 1

Over the course of two years, the Alden 44 Tioga sailed an Atlantic loop, with 33 friends and family taking turns crewing

It began with a dream of sailing bluewater. In 2008, Philip Kersten, owner of the 1978 Alden 44 sloop Tioga, assembled a rookie crew to sail from Nahant, Massachusetts, just north of Boston, to Bermud
2018 January 1

Buying a boat for charter offers owners a chance to skip the maintenance and finance their charter vacations

Most sailors aspire to own a brand-new boat, but the rising cost of boat ownership can make that dream seem out of reach. The good news is that the charter business has also ballooned in the last deca
2018 January 1

Hurricane-ravaged schools and charter companies are getting back on their feet, with a little help from friends

As the worst hurricane season in decades ravaged the Caribbean, Texas and Florida,  marine businesses immediately sprung to action to assess the damage and get back on their feet in hopes of still being able to capitalize on the lucrative high season just months away. 
2018 January 1

Famed lensman Onne van der Wal set a deadline for the mostly DIY refit of a classic cruiser fit for the family

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. 
2017 November 1

Star boat sailors are breathing new life into the class by rescuing, restoring and racing classic wooden boats in the inaugural Vintage Gold Cup on Michigan’s Gull Lake

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.
2017 October 1

Following in the footsteps of auto technology, electric power is the future for sailboats

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.
2017 October 1
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. 
2017 October 1

Some of the world’s most beloved cruising grounds hammered by hurricanes are fighting their way back to welcome cruisers

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
2017 September 14
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
2017 September 1

An early season cruise through the British Virgin Islands had this band of merry friends in search of the best rum bar

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. 

Perry on Design

  • This raised saloon offshore cruiser offers comfort and performance

  • A family cruiser that has so many interior options there’s sure to be one to suit

  • This gentleman’s skiff takes you sailing fast and comfortable

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