North America

Seven Days Under Sail in Desolation Sound, British Columbia

by Meredith Laitos, Posted September 12, 2011

It’s difficult to put into words what it’s like to sail in Desolation Sound, British Columbia, but “spectacular” and “breath-taking” are a good start. Located roughly 450 miles north of Seattle, Washington, the sound features abundant sea and wildlife. Along the winding inlets, 1,000-foot waterfalls cascade into 1,000-foot deep seas under bright blue skies. In the late summer, the weather is

The Chesapeake Bay

by Meredith Laitos, Posted June 13, 2011

When John Smith sailed into the Chesapeake Bay in 1607, he couldn’t have known the precedent he was setting. Ever since that early cruise, the area has been teeming with sailboats—everything from skipjacks dredging for oysters to race boats competing in regattas and flagships strutting their stuff at the United States Sailboat Show. With all of this on-water action, it’s no surprise that a dozen

A Down East Idyll, with Hurricanes!

by Adam Cort, Posted March 7, 2011

We were ghosting toward the mainland, gybing back and forth to make the most of a faint morning breeze. The sun was out and it was hot. To the north I could see swells breaking over Horseshoe Ledge and a rock formation called The Drums. I was also keeping an eye out for lobster buoys. The tide was ebbing, setting up a wicked crosscurrent in spots, and I’d already been forced to alter course

The Other Pacific

by David Schmidt, Posted November 10, 2010

Simply put, sailing in Hawaii is a dream. Bountiful winds, gorgeous islands, friendly people, unbelievable marine life and crystal-clear water make this place a paradise, as I found out last winter while sailing from Ala Wai Harbor in Honolulu to the coastal town of Lahaina on Maui’s northwest coast. Along the way I experienced enough of Hawaii’s magic to realize that it’s one of the world’s most

The Perfect Off Season

by Meredith Laitos, Posted April 20, 2010

On the first day of our charter we sailed to Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts, a charming island at the tip of the Elizabeth Islands between Vineyard Sound and Buzzard’s Bay. We dinghied ashore and bought fresh cod from a fisherman whose wife had lived on Cuttyhunk her entire life. We moseyed on to a general store, where Jaci, one of our crew, bought the Sunday Times and cut out the crossword

Sail Your Telltales!

by Ryan Jolley, Posted March 3, 2010

I know how to sail, right? At least I thought I did. I mean, I have a copy of Sailing for Dummies in my office, and I have worked at SAIL for 3 years, for Pete’s sake, so I know how to sail, right? That, at least, was my thinking going into a 10-day sailing course with my dad at the Offshore Sailing School. I couldn’t have been more wrong.We arrived at the Mansion House bed-and-breakfast

Decisions, Decisions

by Amy Ullrich, Posted January 7, 2010

"If I were on my boat, I wouldn’t go out today,” says Harry from the wheel. Of course he wouldn’t. Harry and Lyn Wey—friends, neighbors and lifelong sailors—keep their boat in Maine, where even a tiny splash could freeze you in the winter. Harry, who is on his first Virgin Islands charter, hasn’t quite tuned in to the essential facts of Caribbean sailing: any splash will be as warm as bathwater

Charter in the San Juans

by Robby Robinson, Posted March 9, 2009

"It really was warmer last week (last month/yesterday).”We heard that refrain throughout our brief week’s cruise. Wherever the warmth was, we missed it. Chartering in mid-August in the San Juan Islands, the storied archipelago of the Pacific Northwest, we weren’t prepared to don multiple layers, burrow in sleeping bags, and crank up our in-cabin heater every morning.

Summer is a-coming in

by Amy Ullrich, Posted February 11, 2009

Eventually. But now, as this issue of SAIL is arriving in your mailbox, is the time to start making plans for Summer ’09 if you’re thinking about a charter cruise in southern New England. The cruising grounds range from Massachusetts to Rhode Island to Connecticut, and the waters are chockablock with iconic destinations: the big, inhabited islands (Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and Block Island)

Deja Vu All Over Again

by Amy Ullrich, Posted August 21, 2008

Echoes of a long-ago family charter reverberate in a Florida charter with grandchildren. Maybe it's genetic. It was a long time ago—in our family's history and in the history of chartering boats—when my husband, George, feeling in immediate need of a vacation one August, chartered the only boat available in the state of Maine. It was our first time