Sail News

Photo by Ellen Massey Leonard We didn’t get off on the right foot sailing into Hawaii. It was our own fault, of course. We should have known better. It’s never a good idea to assume that just because procedures were a certain way one year, they will be the same the next. It was an

Many of us who are cruising sailors have been sailing mid-ocean or walking along a perfect beach in the middle of seemingly nowhere, only to be appalled at the amount of plastic trash we find. Few of us, however, have taken that disheartening reality and turned it into a lifelong mission to transform the plastic

Sarah and Alani in Central America I met Captain Sarah Schelbert back in 2019 while on the boat trip from hell aboard a seaworthy but poorly run Triton 28 in the western Caribbean. I was trying to help the owner sail his boat back to Florida from the Rio Dulce, in Guatemala. Outbound from the

Annapolis may be the sailing capital of America, but if you looked around the United States Sailboat Show last fall, you would have no choice but to conclude most sailboats are now built in Europe. The Dufour 470 is a good example of a modern French performance cruiser. DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION The Dufour 470 carries

This past weekend saw 20 IC37s off Newport, Rhode Island engage in fast and furious one-design racing with the win going to Peter McClennen’s Gamecock. “It’s huge,” said McClennen of the win. “I think of the one-designs of this club going back to the New York 30 [built in 1905]. As a classic yacht enthusiast,

The Open 66 racer NV strapped down in the event a cyclone should ever swing by Photo by Joanna Hutchinson Having set ourselves the task of transforming our recently purchased Open 66 ex-Vendée Globe racer, NV, into a performance family cruiser, my partner, Timo, and I found ourselves (extremely) high and dry as cyclone season

The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same. Some of it is timing. Some of it is just the way of the world. Either way, it can be fascinating to see the evolution of the boatbuilding industry over the years, as has been evident in SAIL magazine’s annual Best Boats contest.

Sailors from Courageous Sailing Center in Boston take a Rhodes 19 out for a spin Photo courtesy of Courageous Sailing Center Whether they’re at the end of their collegiate career or after aging out of a summer sailing program, a lot of young sailors have a hard time finding a way to continue sailing as

Photo by Dan Nerney “What’s the joke about heavy weather? You know it when you see it.” Figure 8 singlehander Randall Reeves drew laughs from the Cruising Club of America (CCA) sailors attending the forum “Heavy Weather Sailing: Bluewater Perspectives” as part of the CCA’s centennial celebration in Newport, Rhode Island, last week. He joined

There’s so much going on in the news that you would be in good company if you didn’t realize the first major storm to hit the Caribbean was in full force. Hurricane Fiona is currently raging over the Turks and Caicos and is projected to make its way north in the coming three days. Puerto

The 2022 Star Worlds featured six days of intense racing where the final and deciding gold medal win went to Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi of Italy. During some of the toughest sailing conditions in the race’s recent history, sailors and race management overcame daily challenges ranging from light air and very choppy seas to

The author’s dinghy hangs on for dear life during one of a number of rough passages In 1980, I owned a 26ft fiberglass ketch named Recycle, a full-keeled vessel with a 10 hp Honda outboard in a well behind the tiller. An inflatable dinghy would have been nice, but I could only afford an 8ft

Over the years, these products have become simpler to use, smaller, and lower cost. This technology is both more advanced and more accessible than ever before. Bob has much to share with his extensive knowledge of seamanship, safety systems, and vessel operation. Matt is the CEO of FarSounder and an expert as the founder of

The MOD 70 Argo en route to victory in the RORC Caribbean 600 Photo courtesy of RORC/Arthur David Brian Thompson could have become just another financial type on Wall Street, which would have been surprising enough in itself for a Brit who grew up in the London suburbs, reading Science Fiction books on smoke-filled commuter

Photo courtesy of 11th Hour Racing Team/Amory Ross With IMOCA 60s gaining more attention globally due to their inclusion as the principal class in The 2023 Ocean Race, events like Le Défi Azimut are suddenly in the spotlight. If you’re a new fan of the IMOCA class, here’s what you need to know. What makes

Although they don’t generally make it into print, there’s often a backstory to the boat tests we do at SAIL: case in point my sail trial of the J/9, winner in the “daysailer” category of SAIL’s 2022 Best Boats” awards. Checking the forecast before setting out from Boston for Newport, Rhode Island, it looked like

Though they don’t reel off the miles like a performance-cruiser, I would argue that some of the purest, best sailing can be found aboard small boats. Frankly, when it comes to being an expert in trimming sails, balancing loads and steering clean courses, a responsive small boat is a masterclass. And learning to sail a

While many sailors are said to be superstitious, I never had any qualms about casting off lines on a Friday or hanging a large stalk of Jamaican bananas from the mizzen. Nor did I see any cause for concern heading out on “The Ides of March” for a quick daysail aboard my Dyer dinghy. After

First place in Class 3 Day Sailor division is Bijou II pictured here racing Gamecock in the Day Sailor division of the Newport Classic Yacht Regatta presented by IYRS this past weekend. Photo credit to Nancy Bloom Now in its 43rd year, the Newport Classic Yacht Regatta presented by the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS)

As a former dinghy racer, I can be hard to please when it comes to “bigger boats.” And while the 27ft Saffier SE 27 Leisure is hardly “big,” I’m always skeptical the freedom and performance that made me fall in love with sailing will still be there in any boat that weighs more than my