WindCheck Magazine Springtime is On!

Last month, I was encouraged to sing the praises of February because it is a short month. But now, let the real seasons begin for sailing, fishing and boating. So much to look forward to in March. Of course, the vernal equinox probably tops the list. Come March 20, it will be officially OK to take the cover off the boat. And then get focused on prepping for family fun, fishing, racing or all three. We have all heard by now about the big boost in folks joining our ranks on the water. Well, that also means if you want the yard to get your boat in for some actual practice before the slew of April and May events and especially if you are doing the Newport Bermuda Race (which at the time of this writing is on track for a record 200 entries), then you need to try and grab a bluebird day and start on the list. Personally, I have to find the list first! So if you want to be fishing in April, get your boat to the front of the line!

Luckily, you have a few weeks to enjoy this issue of WindCheck and there is plenty to absorb. Featured is a great tale of Argo ripping off 700 miles in the first 24 hours of the 2022 RORC Transatlantic Race along with two other MOD 70 trimarans. After 2,500 more miles, they ended up crossing jibes at the very end of the race. Another two features require huge thanks to the authors. Rick Bannerot placed his third installment about junior big boat sailing with the story of an Optimist kid on the verge of leaving the sport who became a passionate racer. The other big thanks go to Butch Ulmer for helping us continue recounting the history of Ulmer Sails on its 75th anniversary. This third installment is delightful and it was hard work! Putting pieces together from decades ago is not easy and Butch has done the heavy lifting. Adding to that tale is another of Tom Darling’s “Conversations,” recapping the Frostbiting history of the InterClub dinghy, in which the Ulmer name is woven throughout.

Our columns and regular articles outdo themselves, including a bit of a tear-jerker by Coop. And it is our pleasure to have CT’s own, author Greg Gilmartin as our On Watch character (and I use that word accurately), and we also have an excerpt from his latest novel, Can’t Sail In Jail! which we reviewed last month…all I can say is what a hoot!