If you’re interested in learning what Rhode Island offers to boaters, mark your calendar for May 4 & 5 and plan to spend the weekend traveling the coastline of the Ocean State at a unique, state-wide boat show.

The Rhode Island Boat Show is a gathering of boats, equipment, and experts that takes place in five different venues, including Bristol, Jamestown, Middletown, Wakefield and Warwick. Attendees will have an opportunity to see new and brokerage boats, both on the water and on land; explore a range of Rhode Island marinas and service facilities; meet local vendors and experts; and get acquainted with beautiful coastline and scenic towns that may be new to you.

New Foundation is Taking Young Sailors to the Next Level

The first collegiate sailing regatta in this country was held in the waters off the Southport section of Fairfield, CT, but neither of the two schools in that shoreside town, Fairfield University and Sacred Heart University, has ever been a strong presence on the college sailing scene. The SAIL BLACK ROCK Foundation, headquartered at Captain’s Cove Seaport in nearby Black Rock Harbor, aims to change that with high-level race training for collegiate and high school sailors.

The Third Annual Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing, the only dedicated Class40 race in the United States, kicks off in Charleston, SC on Saturday, May 11. From Charleston, competitors will race double-handed to New York City. There will be a four or five-day stopover in New York before the race restarts and competitors sprint to Newport, RI. In Newport, teams will race a twoday Inshore Series.

Sailors on 202 yachts reveled in great breeze at the 33rd St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, held February 28 - March 3 in St. Maarten, NA. Recognized by sailors everywhere as one of the world’s best regattas, each year this event lives up to its motto: Serious Fun. World-class musical entertainment is an integral component of “The Heineken,” and this year’s prize-giving ceremony was followed by a concert on Kim Sha Beach headlined by motown legends The Commodores.

The evening’s top prize – the St. Maarten Cup – for the regatta’s Most Worthy Performance Overall went to Mark Plaxton’s Melges 32 Team INTAC, winner of the highly competitive sportboat class. Plaxton’s team did not lose a race in capturing the division, comprised largely of Melges 32s and 24s.

Waterway Guide, AMI, BoatUS Team Up to Offer Boaters the Latest Information on NJ, NY Waterways

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 5, 2013 - Superstorm Sandy dealt a devastating blow to marine facilities, navigation aids and channels along the New Jersey and New York coastlines. The storm also choked northern New Jersey's Intracoastal Waterway and other channels with sunken boats, sand, silt and debris from buildings and piers. How will boaters know what services are available or where the navigational hazards exist?

Owned by Josh Welch of Stonington, CT, SLIPPER is an elegant Herreshoff iceboat. “SLIPPER is built of oak and mahogany,” said Welch. She’s 26 feet long and 13 ½ feet wide. She was designed in 1925 by L. Francis Herreshoff and built by him and W. Starling Burgess that winter in a shared shop in Marblehead, Massachusetts. She was built for Commodore Charles A. Welch, who was my great, great uncle. Charlie Welch was a good friend of L. Francis and his best client. In 1925, Herreshoff created three designs for Charlie: the R-boat Yankee, a lifeboat cruiser that was never built, and SLIPPER, the only iceboat that L. Francis designed professionally.”

This year, the Mariner Class Association will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the birth of the O’Day Mariner. Mariners are found just about everywhere, especially in the Northeast where they were built. It’s surprising how often I’ll see a Mariner sitting in someone’s backyard on a trailer while driving along the coast. More than 4,000 hulls later, the Mariner is still in production and has a very rich history.

In the past 18 months, the Long Island Sound region has been walloped by four major storms — two tropical storms and two snowstorms. Though only some hit Connecticut directly, all four were direct hits on our infrastructure, economy and way of life.

Not only have these storms increased in frequency, they are bringing higher snow and rain amounts, winds, and storm surges — often at historic levels. In last month’s blizzard, Milford, CT received 38 inches of snow. Sandy brought Bridgeport a 13.3-foot storm surge, even higher than the 12.1-foot surge that hit the city during Tropical Storm Irene.