Not too many months ago, sailboat racing fans the world over gathered around television sets to watch as the 2007 America’s Cup competition played out in Valencia, Spain. Shortly thereafter, sailing magazines were awash with full-page photos of the 75-foot International America’s Cup Class machines going about in the Mediterranean. In the photos that depicted…
When most sailors consider purchasing new equipment for their boats, sails are often the last things that come to mind. The presumed logic behind this outlook is that sails are so integral to a sailboat that they’re all too easy to overlook. It’s true, you’ll rarely find sails listed in marine catalogs. And when we…
Many sea terms are hundreds of years old, with some tracing their origin to dates well before the twelfth century, heralding a time when wind was king in the golden age of sail.While there are thousands of terms in the nautical lexicon—breathe easy, we won’t delve into all of them here—it behooves the sailor and…
My first sail on my newly purchased 1977 Pearson 323 was supposed to be a happy experience, filled with subtle lessons learned, silent speed, and successfully applied book-knowledge. I had purchased the boat only a week earlier, knowing little if anything about sailing larger boats. Our boat—Surprise—was moored on Lake Champlain in Vermont, with views…
Bascule bridge Last winter, our friends Susan and Scott came down to Florida to escape the Lake Erie winter and do a little sailing. I enjoy having other sailors aboard. It provides an opportunity to learn new techniques and to clean up those bad habits that accumulate after I have been doing things “my…