SAIL.SailMagazine

The UN Security Council, in an unprecedented move, voted unanimously to authorize states to enter Somalia's territorial waters in the Indian Ocean to fight piracy. With 31 hijackings and attempted hijackings reported off the Somali coast last year, the UN finds that piracy in this area has become a threat to international and regional peace and security.

States are authorized to use all

FULL STORY

A recent court ruling about pollution dumped from the ballast water of commercial ships is written to also require all recreational boats to get permits by September 2008, even though 99 percent of recreational boats do not have ballast tanks.

Boats and ships are different and should not be treated as the same. These costly permits—intended for commercial ships and supertankers that have

FULL STORY

By Rebecca Waters

Ouch!

Over 150 recreational boats are backed up on the Caribbean side of the Panama Canal with wait times of up to 2 months for transit. Officially, the delays are due to the arrival of an unusually large number of commercial ships, about 50 a day, up from the 38 expected at this time of year. However, speculation is rife as cruisers worry about crossing the

FULL STORY

Looking for an active family-bonding vacation? Why not learn to sail together. This summer Offshore Sailing School is offering its first Single Parents Week, July 13–18, at the Pink Shell Beach Resort & Spa at Ft. Myers Beach, Florida. Offshore has designed three course options (based on skill level) for single parents and their children, ages 7 to 17. Families will be paired together with a
FULL STORY

I’ll admit it: I was a catamaran newbie until last week when my wife, my family, and I chartered a Leopard 4300 from The Mooring’s base in beautiful Saint Lucia. Coming from a racing background spent on high-performance monohulls, I was a bit intimidated, especially when it came to maneuvering the boat in tight quarters. Luckily, this part proved to be the easy bit: It was sailing Steppin
FULL STORY