Sail Magazine

by David Schmidt

David Schmidt, a SAIL editor-at-large, is a recent transplant to the Pacific Northwest from SAIL's Boston offices

Port of Call: Penn Cove, Washington

by David Schmidt, Posted October 31, 2011

While Pacific Northwesteners are a laid-back lot, some things are sacrosanct. Take seafood. Sure, we might roll into the marina in an aging Subaru wearing worn-out Birkenstocks, battle-scarred jeans and an old regatta T-shirt, but you can bet your last roll of duct tape we don’t tolerate inferior seafood. Why should we?

Mechanical Leverage

by David Schmidt, Posted June 23, 2011

This article originally appeared in the December 2009 issueYour boomvang is a key tool for adjusting the shape of your mainsail. Sailing off the breeze without a vang, the pressure on your sail causes your boom to rise up, degrading sail shape. On small dinghies you sometimes don’t need a boomvang as the mainsail may be small enough that you can control sail shape with mainsheet

Hunter 27e

by David Schmidt, Posted May 18, 2011

The Hunter 27e just may be the quintessential “new-old boat.” The hull, deck, appendages, rig and interior have been sailing aboard the Hunter 27 since 2006.

Where to Charter: Antigua

by David Schmidt, Posted May 11, 2011

You’ll have to go pretty far to find better sailing conditions or a more pleasant Caribbean destination than Antigua. The tradewinds here typically blow out of the east at 15 knots, and the island’s high coastline provides a spectacular backdrop. On shore you’ll find great restaurants, sailor-friendly bars, quaint villages and an abundance of great anchorages.“The four main places that I

The Hobie Mirage Tandem Island

by David Schmidt, Posted May 6, 2011

Few designs pack as much fun into 18 feet as the Hobie Mirage Tandem Island, a two-person pedal-or-paddle kayak that converts to a sail-powered trimaran by attaching a pair of akas and amas, and stepping a carbon-fiber mast. The roller-reefing loose-footed mainsail carries a generous amount of sailcloth up high and is supported by vertical battens. The boat’s robust rotomolded hull encourages

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

Uphill Both Ways

by David Schmidt, Posted September 23, 2010

“Orcas! Two-o’clock!” The call from the on-deck watch filters into the thin, relative warmth of the cabin on JAM, John McPhail’s J/160. I look through the cold, spitting rain at the sea’s tumultuous surface. It takes a few moments to spot the orcas’ distinctive white spots amid a sea of whitecaps. Then three majestic mammals appear, obviously interested in the parade of raceboats

You Want to Go Where?

by David Schmidt, Posted September 21, 2010

Need a sponsor to make your sailing dreams a reality? If so, You Want to Go Where?: How to Get Someone to Pay for the Trip of Your Dreams should definitely be on your must-read list. Author Jeff Blumenfeld, a lifelong sailor and public relations expert, distills a number of sophisticated ways of wooing prospective sponsors into digestible nuggets in this well-written look at what it

Antiguan Traditions

by David Schmidt, Posted August 9, 2010

“The British attitude toward Antigua was ‘defend at all costs,’” says Randy, our tour guide to Antigua’s legendary English Harbour, a portion of which is now protected as Nelson’s Dockyard National Park. “This especially applied to English Harbour.”Standing in the center of the park, I take in the naturally protected harbor that the British used as their base of operations in the Caribbean

Repeat Business at Antigua Sailing Week

by David Schmidt, Posted June 24, 2010

Like many international sailing events, this spring’s Antigua Sailing Week found itself having to cope with the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajkull volcano, the bareboat fleet in particular taking a serious hit.“The Icelandic volcano probably lost us 15 to 20 boats,” said regatta director Neil Forrester. “Flights out of Europe were closed just at a time when a lot of charter guests were