Blog Posts
Lyman-Morse Yard Tour
I used to live in Thomaston, Maine, literally just down the street from the Lyman-Morse yard, but that was 20 years ago, so I was happy to have a chance to revisit the yard this past week. It was then, and is even more so now, the kind of place where you can’t help but find ...read more
Notice to Mariners: Four Years at SAIL
Fresh out of college, I was working two jobs and living in a basement sublet in the Bronx. Twice per week, I would take the subway for an hour and 45 minutes (each direction) to a job I was miserable at, and while I sat on that train, I read back issues of SAIL Magazine and made ...read more
Notice to Mariners: A Blog from the SAIL Editors
As a teenager, I stumbled across a copy of Derek Lundy’s Godforsaken Sea in the back room of a used bookshop. I had never heard of the Vendée Globe and frankly found all the boat-speak in the first 50 pages a little difficult to get through. But Lundy’s storytelling and the draw ...read more
Down to the Sea — in Tall Ships
As a boy growing up in southern Indiana, magazines (including SAIL, of course!) and books were pretty much it in terms of the “sailing” I did in between summer trips to my grandparents’ place in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Among my favorites were C. S. Forester’s “Hornblower” ...read more
Considering Design Diversity
As a member of the SAIL Best Boats judging panel, I get to test sail a lot of the industry’s cutting-edge designs. From the latest production foiler to enormous yachts that are so tricked out a couple alone can handle them, the innovation each year is astounding. However, the ...read more
Playing Well With Others
A little over a year ago in the pages of this magazine, I mentioned how in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, I’d taken up solo-sailing out on Boston Harbor. I was able to do so thanks to the hard work of the Boston Sailing Center, which succeeded in keeping its fleet of Solings ...read more
The (Happy) State of Sailing
Full confession, when I first sat down to write this month’s editorial the plan was to bash Emirates Team New Zealand and its decision to put the site of the next America’s Cup up for sale, likely leaving its hometown, Auckland, New Zealand, in the lurch. Remember back in Bermuda ...read more
In Praise of Displacement
As I write this, it’s springtime in New England, and I’ve begun sailing out on Boston Harbor again, getting warmed up for the summer sailing season. As I’ve been doing so, I’ve been struck, not for the first time, by just how awesome it is being aboard a well-found sailboat. Not ...read more
A New Year of Sailing
The past 12 months have been tragic, troubling and downright strange. If there’s been a silver lining to the situation, though, it’s been the way so many sailors have still found a way to take to the water—that and the way it appears countless newbies have decided to take up ...read more
Three Years at SAIL
It’s hard to believe I’ve been with SAIL for three years as, truly, it’s flown by. It has been such a joy to write for this magazine, meet our community through your feedback emails and at boat shows, and lead our DEI initiatives. From sunglasses reviews to 12-Metre features, ...read more
Find Your People (Virtually)
Social media offers a world of new opportunities for sailors. I regularly see folks meet their next delivery crew in the comments section of Facebook or decide on their next charter based on breathtaking photos posted by a stranger. It’s a great way to connect with other sailors ...read more