As the 70-foot Sunseeker drifted down on us in the dark, I couldn’t stand it any longer. I lurched forward on deck in my bathrobe, screaming and clapping, trying to get their attention before they hit us. My mate was prone on the bow of the bucking ketch, easing the snubber for the third time, …
It was early summer, and twilight had stretched itself across the sky with feline languor. The afternoon breeze had dwindled to a zephyr, and we were ghosting along up my favorite river under main and genoa, the sails just filled. Ahead of us, the full moon rose fat and orange as a ripe cantaloupe, …
Small boat sailors interested in performance and even simply sailing well know how important it is to be able to feel shifts and changes in wind pressure and respond quickly to them. Harken’s new Zircon blocks deliver that feeling of sensitivity, leading to more precision with your sheets, smoother …
Top 10 Best BoatsEach year SAIL’s expert review team spends boat show season—and sometimes months leading up to it—sea trialing and inspecting the new boats to celebrate the best the industry has to offer, and the results are in. This year’s SAIL Top 10 Best Boats represent a wide range of sailing …
It was a crisp Saturday morning in early spring. Six of us had assembled to commission our sailing club’s older 32-foot sloop for a season on the Chesapeake Bay. I had just joined the club and was hoping to make a good first impression. The boat was already in the slip, and we spent an enjoyable …
Nov. 29/2023: And here I am—way late—with a description of how the good ship Lunacy and her faithful Lunatics finally finished their voyage down to the warmth of the W’Indies. The last photo in my previous post, some may recall, was of a massive barge/crane/ship thingy that I found anchored across …
The results are in, and the Cruising Club of America (CCA) has announced the recipients of its 2023 awards. Kirsten Neuschäfer of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, has received the club’s highest honor, the Blue Water Medal, awarded “in recognition of the tremendous effort, determination, and skill she …
The Cruising Club of America (CCA) is a collection of 1,400 ocean sailors with extensive offshore seamanship, command experience, and a shared passion for making adventurous use of the seas. Their experiences and expertise make them, collectively, one of the most reliable sources of information on …
Every year, boatbuilders of all types submit their new models to be nominees in the SAIL Top 10 Best Boats contest. We start reviewing these as soon as they are available, sometimes traveling throughout the country or even overseas to examine the boats, talk to designers, builders, and dealers, and …
Put human beings in confined quarters with limited privacy, mix in periods of boredom spiced with exhaustion, add a pinch of terror and seasickness, and you have the recipe for tense moments onboard. Whether it’s a charter with friends you thought you knew well, a long weekend with strangers, or an …