Little Mystic’s crew is in awe of their grace Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 That old saying about how “the sea is so great and my boat is so small” never seemed truer than this past summer when Mystic’s 30 ...
A breathtaking show for an audience of one Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 It’s just past 2 a.m. The only sound is the velvet swish of water sliding along the hull. We’re about 50 miles offshore with no sign ...
On burying a sailor you’ve never met Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 “For the truth is that I already know as much about my fate as I need to know. The day will come when I will die. So the only matter of con...
A race for chariots and classics alike Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 While I’ve sailed and cruised much of my life, I’ve never been a racer, never even attended a race. So the day before the start of the 20...
Hand and reef, I’m in . . . but must I also steer? Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 After more than 20 years of sailing, I have finally figured out that I lack the knack for steering. Apparently I just don’t h...
Priceless memories acquired for little outlay Issue 96 : May/Jun 2014 In all the books I read growing up, cruising sailors generally came across as an un-wealthy bunch. Tristan Jones, whether his tale...
. . . but you can still enjoy the journey Issue 96 : May/Jun 2014 We should have known better. Over the years we have tried to plan ahead and have mail waiting for us when we arrived somewhere, but we...
She was a long time budding . . . Issue 96 : May/Jun 2014 Eleven years is a long time to dedicate to a two-year refit. But there it is. This summer we will launch our project boat, purchased in Februa...
Parallels between the Blue Ridge and the deep blue Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 I used to dream about sailing around the world in our beloved 32-foot double-headsail Cheoy Lee ketch, Experiment. You know t...
Not every child is raised alongside a yawl Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 My brother, Boo Boo, materialized in a crib in the dining room in 1964 about the time Dad birthed a boat in the living room. Dad had ...
The Oxford Dinghy lured a family into sailing Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 The last thing on my mind that Friday evening 34 years ago was buying a boat. With Peg beside me and our son Chris in the back sea...
Sailing a new boat is a mega adjustment Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 Sehnsucht is a German word for yearning and intensely missing something or someone. Standing on the deck of Mystic, our C&C 30, not ...
A clear, calm night at sea evokes awe Issue 100: Jan/Feb 2015 For as long as I can remember I have been obsessed by the sea. As I look back, I can see where my experiences on the sea and the lessons I...
Neenah-Nodaway Yacht Club celebrates 150 years Issue 99 : Nov/Dec 2014 Picture the United States 150 years ago as the Civil War was drawing to a bloody conclusion. Long before the Green Bay Packers, s...
A boat acquisition unfolds like a board game Issue 100: Jan/Feb 2015 Autumn in the Pacific Northwest brings fickle sailing weather, and given that our Cal 20 needed a keel-off refit anyway, we pulled ...
The seduction was short, sweet, and complete Issue 99 : Nov/Dec 2014 Whenever my husband, Kevin, suggested sailing together on his parents’ boat, my response was always “no.” I had spent many days fis...
Two boats, one storm, two outcomes Issue 99 : Nov/Dec 2014 In November 1981, my wife, Nancy (known as Boo), and I chartered a Ranger 33 out of Everett, Washington, with our friends Jay and Nancy. Vela...
But we are united under one: sailor Issue 99 : Nov/Dec 2014 I’ve grown weary of the labels that divide us: deniers, alarmists, extremists, centrists, greens, tree-huggers, libertarians, progressives, ...
The good memories eclipse the bad Issue 101 : Mar/Apr 2015 As I sit here writing this in my shed a million miles from the ocean, I gaze longingly at the chart on the wall. The winter rain gently patte...
Reflections upon entering the good old years Issue 101 : Mar/Apr 2015 Most of the time it is dark and hot inside during the summer months. It’s late July and for the past nine months I have lived in a...
A family’s unplanned evening swim Issue 101 : Mar/Apr 2015 Every third week our weekend sailing routine was interrupted by . . . work. There I’ve said it. I know you’re not supposed to use such langua...
The diagnosis was elusive and surprising Issue 101 : Mar/Apr 2015 Our passage up France’s Seine river from Honfleur to Rouen was uneventful. We ran all day with Entr’acte’s engine humming along at 3,1...
How sailors measure accomplishments Issue 100: Jan/Feb 2015 Nearby dock neighbors and friends spent a summer with a new-to-them sailboat after being boatless a few years due to health issues. The rein...
Sea horses for different courses Issue 101 : Mar/Apr 2015 The first time I heard it, the song brought tears to my eyes. It has had the same effect every time since. It wasn’t meant to be sad; it’s a s...
A life-changing lesson in wind against tide Issue 102 : May/Jun 2015 In New England, the seasons change quickly. I found myself rowing my dinghy out to Encore, my 22-foot Columbia Midget Ocean Racer, ...
Great Lakers explore a New Zealand favorite Issue 102 : May/Jun 2015 It could have been the gannets. In the few weeks we spent on or near the water in New Zealand, I learned to love these great diving...
Sailing solo and being social Issue 102 : May/Jun 2015 We three set off on an autumn day bound for nowhere in particular. Jerry in Raconteur, his race-worthy Ericson 32; Stuart in Over Easy, a well-fo...
Hanging out with cruising legends Issue 102 : May/Jun 2015 When your universe is an island the size of a sailboat, your perspective naturally will be dramatically different from the point of view of c...
Former owners reach out across the years Issue 103 : Jul/Aug 2015 There is a lot to love about sailing. Hal Roth put it simply when he wrote of “the pleasure and the freedom.” Lesser mortals talk abou...
. . . but extra pounds bring peace of mind Issue 103 : Jul/Aug 2015 Toward the end of my summer cruise I happened to anchor for the weekend in Sag Harbor, New York, just east of the breakwater in 12 f...
