What’s New

Our friend and longtime WindCheck contributor Tom Darling has released the third episode of his excellent Conversations with Classic Boats podcast. In “Model Classic Instant Classic,” Tom brings us something old and something brand new” with a look at “sailing gone small: the DragonFlite 95 radio controlled model yacht and the growing popularity of “radio-sailing.” “Model boats have captivated serious sailors for centuries,” says Tom. “From the 1920s to today, model yachting in vintage wooden craft has become…

Our friends at the New England Science & Sailing Foundation (NESS) in Stonington, Connecticut have announced this year’s winning artists for their statewide calendar drawing contest entitled “Long Island Sound and Its Watershed: What It Means to Me.” The annual drawing contest is open to all Connecticut students currently in Grades K-6. Aoi Furube, a student at the Greenwich Japanese School in Greenwich, Connecticut was named the overall winner. Aoi’s artwork will be featured on the cover…

Mystic, Conn. (August 26, 2020) — Mystic Seaport Museum will present its 2020 America and the Sea Award to Tom Whidden, one of the most applauded sailors of all time, member of both the America’s Cup Hall of Fame and the National Sailing Hall of Fame, and president and CEO of North Technology Group, parent company of North Sails. The prestigious award recognizes those individuals and organizations whose extraordinary achievements in the world of maritime exploration, competition, scholarship, and design best…

Wilmington, DE, August 27 – How do you plan for an ocean voyage on the Tall Ship of Delaware during a pandemic? This week Kalmar Nyckel is voyaging from Wilmington, Delaware for the first ocean voyage of 2020, with a small but mighty crew of 16 officers and volunteers who just completed a two-week quarantine to safely voyage to Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. The ship is going to “dry dock” which means it will be…

Newport, Rhode Island, August 14 – After thirteen days at sea, 11th Hour Racing Team have arrived home to Newport after a successful delivery from Concarneau, France. Their refurbished 60-foot monohull, skippered by Charlie Enright (Bristol, RI), slipped into Fort Adams just after 0830 ET this morning. The Atlantic crossing has been a dual opportunity for the team to test the boat and new foil after an extended refit in France due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as…

Newport, RI  – All Hands Alliance, a nonprofit worldwide community that will inspire a grassroots effort among boaters and water-sports enthusiasts to clean up the oceans and waterways, has officially launched. The organization, founded by ardent boaters and marine-industry veterans, is built on the idea that the world’s oceans and waterways are an irreplaceable resource that must be valued and protected for future generations. All Hands Alliance brings that value home, and encourages and inspires the people…

Plimoth Plantation’s fully restored historic tall ship to make port stop at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy before homecoming to Plymouth on August 10; tickets to board ship on sale on August 8 On August 10, 2020, following a more than three-year, multi-million-dollar restoration, the 64-year-old Mayflower II will return home to Plymouth Harbor where it is a major exhibit of Plimoth Plantation, the living history museum of 17th century Massachusetts. “Mayflower II is a unique educational resource…

Free hurricane planning videos, guides from BoatUS SPRINGFIELD, Va., July 31, 2020 – Hurricane Isaias is forecast to run up the East Coast, likely bringing heavy rains, high winds and storm surge from South Florida to potentially as far north as New England through next week. With the storm having reached Category 1 status (sustained winds of 74 mph) Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is urging boaters to be prepared. “It doesn’t take a…

As we noted in an earlier Ship’s Log post, our friend Tom Darling, a lifelong sailor and sailing author who wanted to combine the history and the romance and the genealogy of great vintage boats, has launched Conversations with Classic Boats, a podcast about classic boat designs and the stories behind them. Premiering May 6 with Episode 1 on the Herreshoff Newport 29, Dolphin, “the winningest boat sailing our waters today,” the series of 30-minute podcasts invites…

Free Admission May 23-29 Our friends at Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut have announced that the Museum of America and the Sea will reopen to the public on Saturday, May 23. To celebrate the occasion and to thank the community for its support of the Museum during its closure, admission will be free May 23-29. Visitors will be welcome to explore the grounds, including the historic village and gardens, the shipyard, and the Mystic River waterfront….