Sail Magazine

by Rebecca Waters

Sun, Snorkels and Sailing in Turkey

by Rebecca Waters, Posted March 14, 2012

Thoughts of Homer’s walled cities, epic battles and tragic heroes filled our minds as we prepared for our weeklong charter in Turkey. True, our charter base in Marmaris was over 300 miles south of Troy, but that didn’t keep us from dreaming of ruins and lost civilizations.

School's in Session

by Rebecca Waters, Posted November 11, 2010

If your goal is to be able to charter a boat in your dream destination, nothing will prepare you better than a sailing course taught on a charter boat. Working on a charter boat, your instructor can walk you through the entire charter process, from chart briefing and provisioning to the final return. And who’s to say your class can’t be in that dream locale?“We use charter boats to teach

6 New DVDs

by Rebecca Waters, Posted February 27, 2009

Cast Off for MexicoIn their second video cruising guide (Cast Off for Catalina was released in 2005) Mark Ritts and Ted Field explain the ins and outs of cruising to Mexico, including what to bring, how to clear customs, and navigational tips. Though thy complete the trip on a powerboat, the video includes some excellent sailboat footage and would be a useful resource for

The Race That Wasn't and the Bachelorette Party That Was

by Rebecca Waters, Posted January 20, 2009

We arrived in Tortola determined, if not to win the cruising class, to at least have a creditable go in the annual BVI Spring Regatta with the all woman crew of “Team SAIL”. We looked damned good in our pink team shirts and matching pink Crocs and were sure to look equally good on the water aboard the Moorings 51.5 charterboat, Caribbean Soul. And if we failed…at least we escaped a cold

Gourmet Your Galley

by Rebecca Waters, Posted December 19, 2008

The Yachting GourmetThis book, geared toward the casual cruiser, breaks down every recipe into two parts: home preparation and galley preparation. If you’re new to galley cooking, this could be a good primer. Perfect for a weekend or weeklong cruise.The Yachting GourmetBy Mary Maskal283 pages, $32.95MEM Plublications, 2007

Review Special: DVDs

by Rebecca Waters, Posted November 20, 2008

Distant Shores: Cruising the Middle East, a sailing documentary produced by Paul and Sheryl Shard, allows you to enjoy the discovery of new places and cultures from the comfort of your own couch. This three-disk DVD set includes thirteen 30-minute episodes of their sailing-adventure TV series and contains some excellent sailing footage; the focus is on exotic destinations rather than

Zen and the Art of DIY

by Rebecca Waters, Posted November 20, 2008

In one of the best-written and most enjoyable boatbuilding books I’ve read—and I’ve read a few—author and journalist Larry Cheek provides the perfect blend of research and memoir. With little experience of either sailing or woodworking, he decides to build a wooden sailing dinghy from a set of plans by Sam Devlin, a designer of wood/epoxy stitch-and-glue small boats. What follows combines gentle

Attack in South America

by Rebecca Waters, Posted November 4, 2008

Philip Armand Leudiere, age 61, the skipper of a French catamaran skipper was shot dead last month during an attack on board his boat at anchor outside Marina de Caraballeda, on the Central Litoral coast between La Guaira and Cabo Codera, Venezuela.Four robbers boarded the boat undetected. In resisting the attack, the skipper was shot several times in the head. His wife, Catherine Marie,

Dreamcatcher

by Rebecca Waters, Posted August 7, 2008

Myth, mystery, and Midnight Magic evoke childhood adventures on a Lake Michigan charterWe were lost in the woods on Garden Island. The trail we followed from the Native American graveyard had melted into a woodland clearing, leaving us guessing at the path ahead. My brother Xander had even stopped pointing out peculiar vegetation and was instead studying the trail map

Paddle-Sailing Lake Champlain

by Rebecca Waters, Posted August 6, 2008

The littlest boat in the fleet turns a sailing vacation into an adventureI’d been invited to join the North East Trailer Sailor’s Association for its annual Lake Champlain Rendezvous in early July, but with only a week to go, I had no boat. That’s when the adventure began. Enter the NorseBoat, a 17.5-foot gaff-rigged trailersailer. Auxiliary power: two sets of wooden oars.