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July 27, 2012

Live from London

Check back here for our live coverage of Olympic sailing starting on July 29.

In the meantime, check out a preview of the Games here.

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July 20, 2012

One For My Bucket List

by Tim Zimmermann

The Pacific Northwest's San Juan Islands move to the top of Tim Zimmermann's "Places To Cruise Before You Die" list.

When you are a cruising sailor, your perspective on the world is permanently warped. No matter where you go, if there is water, if there is wind, if there are harbors, you tend to ask one question: Would this make a good cruising ground? Sometimes that question can distract from your ability to see a beautiful place for what it is, especially if the Great Sailing God has not specifically placed it on the earth for your cruising pleasure. So worthy locations can be unfairly diminshed, even if they have lots of other qualities to recommend it. But too bad.

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July 12, 2012

Take Two

by Meredith Powlison

Our experts get the most out of a two-boat J/24 tuning session.

After reading a draft of Mike Ingham’s latest article on mast bend for our September issue, I had the good fortune to hitch a ride with him and fellow Quantum sailmaker Tim Healy for some two-boat J/24 tuning on a beautiful afternoon in Newport, R.I. With about 10 knots of breeze and minimal chop, we set off with the end goal of the J/24 Worlds in Rochester, N.Y., in mind. Here’s how a couple of our experts made the most of their practice session:

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July 10, 2012

MOD-ernizing Ocean Racing

by Ryan O'Grady

Although they've been hovering under the radar of sailing fans, Multi One Design 70 trimarans could shine in the spotlight if given the chance. With the right media, better scheduling, and improved promotion, these incredibly fast boats could really take flight.

July 2, 2012

Wednesday Night Is For Racing

by Tim Zimmermann

What's not to love?

Wednesday nights are for racing, not sitting at a desk.

I love all kinds of sailboat racing--inshore, offshore, dinghy, keelboat, one-design, handicap (well, I don't really LOVE handicap--you shouldn't need a stopwatch and a spreadsheet to know how you've done). But the type of racing I think I love above all others is casual weeknight racing. It's got just enough of an edge of competition to keep it intense and exciting. But it's also got the laid-back, playing-hooky-from-the-work-week and it's-okay-to-have-a-beer vibe. That is a unique, and perfect, balance.

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July 2, 2012

A French Affair Gets Personal

by Bruce Gain

The Pro-Am events of the Volvo Ocean Race are meant to be a fun way for passengers to try sailing a Volvo Open 70. Blogger Bruce Gain learns that for PUMA skipper Ken Read, racing is racing.

We were beating up in a nice 20-plus knot wind off the coast of Lorient, France, this weekend when Ken Read, PUMA Ocean Racing’s skipper, asked me if I’d like to steer. I thought, Did he really just ask that? In my head, I responded “hell yeah, I want to steer this thing, what kind of question is that?” But out loud, I accepted the invite as politely and calmly as I could.

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June 29, 2012

AC Guest Racer: Sex on the Water

by Dave Reed

Sailing World's Dave Reed keeps a low profile on Artemis Racing's AC45.

Sailing World editor Dave Reed scores a ride on board Artemis for their series-winning match race against Team Energy, and after weeks of anticipation, it's over in a matter of minutes.

After Artemis Racing handed France’s Energy Team its second match-race trouncing of the day in the opening matches of the America’s Cup World Series Newport, mathematically securing the circuit’s match-race title, Artemis skipper Terry Hutchinson exhaled deeply, releasing pent-up anxiety, and then quietly addressed his teammates, Sean Clarkson, Thierry Fouchier, Andy Feathers, and Julien Cressant.

“Not my finest day,” he confessed. “But great job every one.”

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June 26, 2012

We Are Go For Launch, People!

by Michael Lovett

In the end, I chose the Sled over the Volkswagen.

After a winter's worth of Saturdays and about a hundred sheets of sandpaper, the Sled is ready to splash.

Have you been eagerly following this Tough Sledding series? Were you beginning to wonder what became of my boat project?

My radio silence in recent weeks could indicate that I've fizzled out, put down my sandpaper, and left the Thistle partially refinished in Mom's garage. And I'll admit, I had my doubts—especially as Memorial Day passed, the lawn needed mowing, and there was that crib to assemble.

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June 21, 2012

Cammas' Poker Face

by Bruce Gain

Groupama victorious in Lorient, France.

Groupama’s Franck Cammas hasn't declared victory in the 2011-'12 Volvo Ocean Race just yet.

Groupama is the likely favorite to win the Volvo Ocean Race in early July with a current 23-point lead over second-place PUMA--but Franck Cammas is hardly ready to declare victory just yet. The French skipper says many things could still go wrong before he and Groupama become the second French skipper and team, respectively, to take the trophy since the first around-the-world race (the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race) began in 1974.

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June 18, 2012

The Sublime Pleasure of a Tropical Wilderness

by Tim Zimmermann

Tim Zimmermann rediscovers the extraordinary marine habitat of Little Bahama Bank.

Every once in a while you discover something special. Recently, I had occasion to spend 10 days on the Little Bahama Bank. I wasn't there to explore the Bank itself--I was there to learn about marine mammal research--which perhaps allowed the Bank to sneak up on me a bit. But regardless of my focus, by the time I hit the dock again in West Palm Beach, I had learned something important: The Little Bahama Bank is one of the most extraordinary habitats I have ever seen, and perfectly suited to exploration by boat.

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