A few weeks ago, a friend and I were having a wide-ranging conversation via email about our lives. We’d been students together a million years ago and went off in our different directions and were catching up. At one point, she wrote, “Tell me why you love sailing so much.” I thought I’d share a […]
Let’s play a little sailing game. I don’t mean a board game, I mean a game involving actual sailing. We can call it a maritime scavenger hunt. Or a nautical treasure hunt. Or a sailing rally. Whatever. A rose is a rose, right? Who cares? Here’s how it works. We give you five tasks. You […]
In a corner of a village fishing museum in Spain a few weeks ago, I came across an item that got me thinking about hardy seafarers. As pilgrims walking The Way toward Santiago de Compostela ambled by outside, I pondered a somewhat more modern relic — a British Seagull outboard motor on display. It was […]
Find the Perfect Gift for the Sailor in your Life Sailing instructor and knowledgeable nautical gift-giver Patrick Twohy put together this list of gifts that your friends will enjoy for years to come. As I have grown and, I hope, matured, I’ve come to find more joy in giving gifts than in receiving them. Finding […]
Look closely at the sides and stern of the cargo ships docked at Redwood City as you sail to and from San Francisco Bay, and you’ll see cryptic markings in a language filled with history and drama. The painted symbols provide critical information to tugboat captains, harbormasters and San Francisco Bar Pilots. Deciphering these maritime […]
ASA certifications are very good for showing a charter company that you have a certain amount of formal training and on-the-water experience. If you own your own sailboat, it’s a way you might convince your insurance company that you are a lower risk and deserve a discount on your premiums. But if you want to […]
Leech seems like a peculiar word to name a part of a sail but it makes sense if you go back farenough into sailing history. Going back to the late 1700’s and early 1800’s is far enough. That’swhen trade and warfare was conducted on square-rigged ships. These plied the trade winds,which largely meant sailing east […]
Have you noticed how some sailors stretch out ahead upwind, while others fall back? Part of making good progress upwind is keeping the boat to an optimal angle of heel. Too little and you give up power, too much and you might feel fast, but are losing height. The Merit 25 is wide at the waterline, […]
On the dock after the race I was asked if there are specific tips for racing in light wind and theanswer is that there very definitely are. I’ve listed the most important ones below. At the start: In light wind it takes much longer to get to the line, especially against the current. Get up close […]
The photo shows all five major keys to sailing upwind: Hi Racers, (and cruisers who like to make good time upwind), Our racing venue tends to create a ‘parade’ between the start and the end of the channel and the first chance boats have to separate and seek strategic advantage is on the windward leg. […]