Sail Magazine

by Adam Cort

Adam Cort is SAIL’s executive editor. He lives and sails in the Boston area.

Secret Wins Rolex Sydney Hobart

by Adam Cort, Posted December 30, 2010

Australian skipper Geoff Boettcher, owner of the Reichel/Pugh 51 Secret Men’s Business 3.5, has won the 2010 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, taking the Tattersall’s Cup, which goes to the fastest boat in the fleet on corrected time.The 2010 race, one of the roughest in recent memory, was Boettcher’s 22nd Sydney Hobart. Nineteen out of the 87 boats that started had to withdraw due to

Wild Oats Wins Hobart Race

by Adam Cort, Posted December 29, 2010

Twenty hours after the 100-footer Wild Oats XI was first to cross the finish line in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, she has been declared the official line-honors winner after being cleared of a protest lodged by the race committee.Wild Oats XI completed the 628-course from Sydney Harbor to Hobart, Tasmania, in 2 days 7 hours and 37 minutes, in the process surviving one of

An Old-fashioned Rolex Sydney Hobart

by Adam Cort, Posted December 22, 2010

After several years of mostly tactical racing in comparatively benign conditions, the 2010 Rolex Sydney Hobart is set to return to its more traditional ways, with meteorologists telling competitors they are in for some very tough, boat and spirit-breaking sailing for at least the first 300 nautical miles of the race.The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted that early in the race the fleet

Class 40 Racing Coming to the U.S.

by Adam Cort, Posted December 7, 2010

Race organizer 11th Hour Racing is bringing grand prix Class 40 racing to U.S. shores this spring as part of its new Atlantic Cup regatta. The event, which is set to begin May 7, will include Pro-Am racing in New York Harbor, a double-handed distance race from New York to Newport, Rhode Island, and a series of fully crewed inshore buoy races in Newport. Highlighting the grand prix nature of the

User-Friendly Furling

by Adam Cort, Posted November 23, 2010

The new NEX continuous-line Code O furler features a bright green "I-Connect" sail attachment system in both the base and swivel unit to facilitate quick sail changes using a captive pin system. The I-Connect can be operated with one hand and has no protruding parts to snag errant lines. A "Quick Fit" line-fitting system provides easy access to the furling drum so the furling line can be left on

Happy Feet

by Adam Cort, Posted November 23, 2010

Barefoot sailing on a hot day is the best. But you do so at your own peril, especially when racing. Enter the new Marine Sandal line from Colorado-based Chaco, featuring a nonmarking Vibram outsole that offers exceptional grip on wet, steeply canted decks. The Z/2 Marine Sandal includes a toe strap for extra stability, while the Z/1 (pictured) lets all ten toes wiggle at will. Although they may

Cleveland Boat Wins BAB Contest

by Adam Cort, Posted November 22, 2010

Skipper Jim Sminchak of Cleveland’s Lakeside Yacht Club and the crew of his J/105 it prevailed over a strong field in SAIL’s 2010 Best Around the Buoys (BAB) contest and will be heading to Florida in January to take part in 2011 Key West Race Week.

And then There Were Two?

by Adam Cort, Posted November 11, 2010

The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Valencia, Spain, has dropped out of the running as the site of the 34th America’s Cup Regatta, leaving San Francisco and an unidentified port in Italy as the last remaining contenders.America’s Cup organizers are planning to announce a venue for the 2013 event by the end of this year. San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom has been lobbying

Brand New World

by Adam Cort, Posted November 10, 2010

It quickly became a running joke. “How come we never went snorkeling here before?” my wife, Shelly, would ask. “What a great beach. Why didn’t we go swimming like this the last time we were here?”The answer in each case was exactly the same: we’d been sailing, beating our way up and around St. John, reaching through the trades, reveling in the sheer joy of our boat speed. Not until the sun

U.S. Solo Sailing Update

by Adam Cort, Posted November 9, 2010

This past week saw not one, but two U.S. sailors competing in a pair of offshore, singlehanded classics. Making his way toward Cape Town, South Africa, veteran circumnavigator Brad Van Liew is currently leading the pack in the Velux 5 Oceans Race. Meanwhile, Etienne Giroire is fighting his way from Brittany, France, to Guadeloupe aboard the 40-foot trimaran ATNinc.com as part of the 2010