Letters

Style Over Safety? Dear Sir/Madam, Looking at the “stylish pinnies” in your March 2021 edition (“MudRatz Ready to Rock!” windcheckmagazine.com/article/mudratz-ready-to-rock/), I wonder about the choice of life jacket color. Almost looks like they are designed to be a camouflage in the water. A couple of years ago, while crewing on a boat my friend’s wife fell off during a knockdown. Being petite she was a little difficult to see in the water because of her dark clothing. We did recover her safely after…

Ho Sailors! I picked up WindCheck in Belfast, Maine this fall and am still amazed by the range and variety of your articles. Fascinating stuff, even for someone with limited sailing experience. Keep it up! Jackie Barchilon, via email Jackie – Thank you for the kind words. It’s our goal to deliver engaging a read to all those who enjoy the waters of the Northeast, and our crew strives to make each issue better than the one before. —…

I read the On Watch piece about my friend Sheila McCurdy yesterday, which brought back many memories of the early 1970s, Sheila, and her father, Jim. John Rousmaniere will remember the gang of extraordinary offshore sailors at Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Sheila was immersed in offshore sailing as a young woman, even from the outside, and she had a sailing sister in Cold Spring Harbor, in Susan Noyes, daughter of David Noyes,…

Dear Plank-on-Frame sailors in the Opera House Cup, We are writing to you for two reasons. First, we’d like to encourage you to register for this year’s Opera House Cup on Sunday, August 16. Registration is now open at operahousecup.org. Most of you have been with us in recent years, but some of you have been away, and we would love to have you back. The soul of the race is with the owners such as you,…

Test Your Metal Editor’s note: As discerning readers know, Coop’s Corner comprises some of the finest writing to be found in any sailing media. Contributing Editor Joe Cooper’s monthly musings are always entertaining (for best results, read Coop’s Corner by the light of a brass hurricane lamp), and the column in our November/December 2019 edition (entitled “If” – online at windcheckmagazine.com/article/if/ in case you missed it) is classic Coop. Dear Mr. Cooper, I read WindCheck every chance…

Breathing new life into a vintage regatta I have been a member of the Storm Trysail Club since 1980 and have sailed in upwards of 20 Block Island Race Weeks. As I’ve grown up in sailing – and the STC – I’ve watched and experienced the evolution of BIRW: the size, caliber, and enthusiasm of the people attending. Up until just a few years ago, BIRW was sponsored by a luxury timepiece manufacturer and, for those years,…

Slide Job! When looking at trimaran sites, I found your article on small tris. I didn’t notice any of Kurt Hughes’ designs there, but there may have been. I mention this because I have an 8.5 metre tri which uses the offset sliding beam idea that Hughes uses (he designed 19- and 31-foot tris with ‘sliding arms’) and it works well, bearing in mind that most people don’t fold (or slide) their boats very often. Cheers, Brian…

Editor’s note: Whitney Connor Peterson’s excellent article in our January/February issue (“Offering Options: There’s More to Junior Sailing than Optis and a Race to the Top”) continues to generate replies from around the sailing world. The letters below were posted to “Feedback” at windcheckmagazine.com. This is the norm that hurts the sport. I am a hardcore pre-1989 racer, and starting with racing hurts. I have run multiple programs, and focus on Fun second, only limited by Safety….

I thought Adam Loory’s article (Teaching Old Sailors New Tricks; January/February 2019) regarding the concept of “Plus One” crew formats was great. I think the idea is fantastic. Brooks Ritchey, via email Brooks – Plus One (or Plus 1) is indeed a fantastic idea! As you know, Adam conceived this new shorthanded racing class as a solution to the problem of getting enough crew…and to make big boat racing fun again. In Adam’s words, “It also could…

Editor’s note: We’re still getting lots of feedback on the Publisher’s Log in our September issue, “Resume Hand Wringing!”, in which Ben Cesare opined, “I think we need a better tool [than the Optimist] for the job [of teaching kids to sail].” Across two junior sailors I never had issue with the [Optimist]. I honestly think it’s a great class, but again, I’m a focus group of one. At a beginner’s level, say a 9-year-old, you can simplify…