Table of contents for October/November 2020 in SAIL

Suffice it to say, 2020 has not gone the way any of us expected. Plans, hopes, shattered dreams—even as we’ve all collectively done our best to keep moving, there’s no denying the many things that have been lost, left by the wayside or put on hold. Falling into the latter category has been our golden-anniversary coverage here at SAIL. Yes, as was mentioned a few months back, SAIL turned 50 this year, having been launched in early 1970 by entrepreneur and sailor Bernard Goldhirsh, founder of the Institute for the Advancement of Sailing, which started out publishing an annual sailboat directory in the late ‘60s—a publication that also continues to this day in the form of SAIL’s annual New Boats & Gear guide. Back in February, we started off with…

BAYDOG OFFSHORE LIFE JACKET Many of us love sailing with our dogs, but what's the best way to keep them safe out on the water? Same thing as with people—they need to wear a PFD! With this in mind, Baydog has created a line of offshore life jackets for dogs that is specifically configured to maximize survivability in a DOB (dog overboard) scenario. Key to this survivability is a pair of flotation “pontoons” running the length of the back of each jacket to ensure the “victim” remains upright in the water. Dedicated chest flotation also helps keep your dog's head up, to prevent them from becoming overly stressed and wasting their energy. In an upgrade from the company’s previous models, its larger life jackets now also include a pair of…

Never chartered? No worries. A vacation under sail can be the most memorable time of your life. That said, it also pays to be prepared by doing some reading, building your skills and listening to what the experts say. First and foremost, not all charter grounds are created equal. Some, like the British, U.S. and Spanish Virgin Islands, are as user-friendly as they come. Here you’ll find steady winds, line-of-sight navigation, easy anchoring, good nav aids and plenty to do ashore when traveling with non-sailors and kids. Other areas, though, can be a bit more challenging. The winds in Greece’s Cyclades Islands, for example, can quickly kick up into a Melt-emi; anchoring around the Balearics can get rocky; docking in Croatia calls for an almost daily Med moor (which can…

Long Live the Cup Here in the second decade of the 21st century, it’s hard to imagine just how important the America’s Cup once was. Before the advent of such events as the Whitbread race (now The Ocean Race) and the Vendée Globe, the Cup was the world’s premiere sailing competition, bar none. Twelve-meters represented the sport’s cutting edge; sailors like Ted Hood (far left) and Ted Turner (near left) were larger than life; the boats were crewed by amateurs from their country of origin; and corporate logos were strictly verboten. A simpler time, perhaps, but a no less competitive one! The Age of the Ketch Looking back at SAIL and sailing in the early 1970s, one of the things that stands out is the profusion of ketches. Today, even…

Are you out there sailing, cruising and living the sailing life? Share your experiences with other readers. Send your photos to sailmail@sailmagazine.com And don’t forget to sign up for our free eNewsletter, Under Sail, via our website sailmagazine.com I took this photo on an early morning in late September in a quiet cove in Desolation Sound, British Colombia. The relatively warm water and cool air result in frequent morning fog.— Al Kracke, Minnetonka, MN Here’s the view west from the Chesapeake Yacht Club on the West River after a beautiful spring sail.— Scott Shannon, via sailmail@aimmedia.com This picture was taken in Biscayne Bay, Florida, on a calm, light-breeze day in the middle of these stormy times that we are all weathering off the water.— Marcelo Kroeff, via sailmail@aimmedia.com We were…

A charter isn’t like most other vacations. It takes a good deal of pre-arrival strategizing and loads of onsite tactical execution if it’s to be a success. Because so much happens before you even untie the dock lines, the first day, in particular, can not only seem like barely controlled chaos, but set the tone for the rest of the trip. What follows are some tips on how to smooth out the rough patches before the first sunset and ensure the charter as a whole gets off to a good start. PROVISIONING What you’ll eat and drink on vacation can be somewhat defined prior to your arrival at the base. Most charter companies offer a provisioning service where you choose from a list of foods and beverages that will be…

Quiet. Th at’s what you hear as you back away from the mooring. No chug, chug, chug from the diesel as water cascades out of the exhaust. Just a slight whirring as the boat smoothly glides in reverse. A twist of the throttle and the boat moves forward with the most notable sound being the wake proceeding astern. This is how Betty Jane, my 1982 Mystic 20 Catboat, sounds now that she has had her combustion engine replaced with an electric motor. She was built as #50 out of 52 fiberglass catboats designed by Peter Legnos. She originally had an inboard diesel with a three-blade fixed prop sitting just ahead of the rudder. At some point, the diesel died, and her owner first removed it and then affixed a 6hp…

Despite this year’s myriad cancellations and postponements, the show will go on for the IMOCA 60 class. The Vendee Globe is scheduled to move ahead as planned, with sailors setting out from Les Sables d’Olonne, France, November 8. The Vendee Globe—a nonstop, solo, unassisted, circumnavigation—takes place every four years and is wildly popular with ocean racing fans. Despite only being visible to spectators for a few hours, it’s known for drawing enormous crowds, with millions of people turning out to see the boats off and welcome them back months later. Due to Covid-19, things on shore are sure to look a little different this year. However, solo ocean racing really is the definition of social distancing, so pandemic or not, the race itself will be much the same. For race…

It’s been a rocky road of late for the charter industry, especially here in the Western Hemisphere. First came hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean followed by Dorian in the Bahamas. There has also, of course, been the coronavirus, which burst into global prominence smack-dab in the middle of the late-winter charter season this year. As is the case with sailors everywhere, though, the mariners running the charter trade are made of pretty stern stuff. They also love what they do and aren’t about to give up on their dreams as a result of these or any other setbacks. Then, of course, there are the chartering grounds themselves. Granted, travel may be a challenge in this era of Covid-19, and places like the Bahamas and BVI continue to make…

Steady breezes, clear blue water and plentiful bays where you can grab both a mooring and a good rum punch—the U.S. Virgin Islands are heaven on Earth for sailors of all stripes. They’re also the perfect place to get kids hooked on cruising, as our family recently discovered on a circumnavigation of St. John. Cruising in the USVI has been a kind of nautical comfort food for my husband, Josh, and me, ever since the first time we sailed there in 2001. So three years ago, when our boys were 7 and 9, it was only natural that we head there again for their first charter. The week was fun, but also a lesson in the challenges of cruising with little ones. The first night, Luke, 7, nearly sleepwalked out…

BRIAN HANCOCK IS A SAILMAKER, WHITBREAD RACE VETERAN AND CREATOR OF GREATCIRCLESAILS.COM NIGEL CALDER IS AN AUTHOR AND EXPERT ON BOAT SYSTEMS AND DIESEL ENGINES GORDON WEST IS AN ELECTRONICS EXPERT WHO SPECIALIZES IN RADIO COMMUNICATIONS DON CASEY HAS WRITTEN MANY BOOKS AND ARTICLES ON MARINE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS TO VANG OR NOT TO VANG Q: Last year, I bought a new, fully-battened Dacron main for my 36-footer. Unlike the old one, the new main is loose footed. I have a mid-boom sheet arrangement and a traditional (non-rigid) vang. Is the vang really doing anything? It seems to me that tightening the vang would do nothing but straighten the boom, with little effect on sail shape — Don Lincoln, Brighton, MI BRIAN HANCOCK REPLIES There are a couple of things…