Books+Media

The Volvo Race's Storied Past

by Sail Staff, Posted September 19, 2012

For those wondering about all that talk of the “good old days” in the Volvo Ocean Race, there could be no better primer than the recently published Sailing Legends: Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Race 1973-2009, by veteran sailing journalists Bob Fisher and Barry Pickthall.

Lifeproof Your iPhone

by Peter Nielsen, Posted September 14, 2012

Cell phones and water don’t mix, which by extension means that cell phones and sailing don’t mix. Although I usually leave my phone belowdecks while I’m actually sailing, I once managed to fall overboard while the boat was sitting happily on its mooring...

Essential Sailing Apps

by Lindsey Silken, Posted June 26, 2012

While your smartphone or tablet will never take the place of your other onboard electronics, it never hurts to have a backup. Loading up with a bunch of apps to help you get from point A to point B can also be a lot of fun, whether you’re underway or planning your next cruise from the comfort of your office or living room. Here are a few we’d recommend.

Protect Your iPad

by Lindsey Silken, Posted May 11, 2012

Smartphones are now commonplace offshore, but many sailors hesitate to expose their beloved iPads to the elements. Fear not—there’s a growing number of weatherproof cases that make it possible to take your tablet sailing.

More than a Map

by Meredith Laitos, Posted October 31, 2011

As sailors continue to debate the pros and cons of digital navigation apps and paper charts, map junkies just grin and think: the more, the merrier! Well, junkies, rejoice. The National Geographic Society has expanded its “Trails Illustrated Maps” series to include a number of popular sailing locations, including the Virgin Islands, Channel Islands, Apostle Islands and Boston Harbor Islands. In

Star Collector

by Charles J. Doane, Posted September 27, 2011

Though sextants are no longer used by most bluewater navigators, they are still objects of fascination to a certain passionate sect of sailors. On the one hand they are merely precision measuring instruments. On the other they seem like magical tools employed by celestial priests and druids. For those who worship the very concept of the sextant, here is a book that should satiate even the most

Jobson's Cup Runneth Over

by Meredith Laitos, Posted August 23, 2011

When Gary Jobson saw his first 12-meter at age 12, he dreamed of someday getting a taste of the America’s Cup. Over the next five decades— from his role as tactician for Ted Turner aboard Courageous in 1977 to his role as an ESPN commentator in New Zealand in 2003—Jobson got his taste, and then some. Along the way, he met a host of fascinating characters, often switching from racer to

Bull Canyon

by Sarah Eberspacher, Posted July 6, 2011

Lin and Larry Pardey have long been fixtures in the sailing world, thanks to their many instructional cruising videos and DVDs, and Lin’s 11 books about the couple’s life afloat.Lin’s most recent work, Bull Canyon: A Boatbuilder, a Writer and other Wildlife, breaks with this tradition by addressing the time they moved to an isolated California canyon 60 miles inland to build their

DVD Review: Around Alone

by Amy Ullrich, Posted June 1, 2011

In 1983, Dodge Morgan, then 53, sold his electronics company and made a promise to himself: he would sail around the world, alone, without stopping. He hoped to complete the 27,459-nautical-mile voyage onboard his 60-foot cutter, American Promise, in 220 days. That would require him to sail 100 miles a day at an average speed of 6.25 knots. As Morgan boarded American Promise in

See Like a Sailor

by MacDuff Perkins, Posted December 29, 2010

In his book Plain Sailing, Dallas Murphy gives new sailors the essential information needed to get on a boat and become a significant crewmember, while also offering experienced sailors a strong reminder of what it means to be out there in the first