February 2021

It has taken a long time to get here, or so it seems. In just one year we’ve gone from making big plans to lockdown, to grumpy adaptation. But along the way, parts of our sport flourished. Go figure. Of course our predecessors would scoff at the idea of grumbling over just one year of hardship. Perhaps it’s the era of non-stop cacophony, the loudness of the “news,” generating forced opinions and divisiveness that made it seem…

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,…

Our friends at Warrior Sailing, an official program of the USMMA Sailing Foundation that provides maritime education and outreach for wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans, have launched the BOLD Campaign, a five-year plan to change the lives of 750 Armed Forces veterans through sailing…and this amazing organization needs the support of the WindCheck Community!     “Since 2013, Warrior Sailing has learned how to effectively change the lives of veterans through sailing,” said Ben Poucher, Warrior…

By SallyAnne Santos Following the resounding success of the 2019 12mR World Championship held in Newport, RI, the International Twelve Metre Association (ITMA) has again selected America’s City by the Sea as the venue for the 2022 12mR World Championship. “We expect an enthusiastic response and a strong turnout by our dedicated 12mR fleet members who always relish sailing out of Newport,” said ITMA President Paul Buttrose. Scheduled for September 19-24, 2022, the regatta will be held during the traditional 12…

By Todd Vorenkamp, NESS Communications & Public Relations Director When you think of the ultra-high performance 75-foot foiling monohulls of this year’s America’s Cup, does it bring to mind physics education for underserved inner-city middle school students? A new partnership between the New York Yacht Club American Magic Team, Quantum Racing, and the New England Science & Sailing Foundation (NESS) in Stonington, CT is working to make that connection a reality.     Even when compared to…

On January 1, 2021, 42-year-old Ryan Finn departed New York City to set sail for San Francisco as he attempts to establish the first world record for a non-stop singlehanded sail. Finn’s 60-day journey will cover 14,000 nautical miles heading south through Bermuda, onto Brazil, and around Cape Horn, some of the most treacherous waters in the world, before passing the Galapagos Islands on his way up to San Francisco. Montreal-based Sailor Productions is capturing footage of Ryan’s incredible…

By Matthieu Riou, Grain de Sail US Wines & Spirits Director The world’s only commercial exporter of fine wines by modern cargo sailboat, Grain de Sail, delivered its first load of wines on December 16 to the New York Market after crossing the Atlantic from France for 28 days. After a three-week resting period, the wines are officially available in selected wine bars, wine shops and restaurants that you will be able to find on graindesailwines.com.  …

This drawing of New York Yacht Club American Magic’s AC75 Patriot, by 13-year-old Colin Shearley of Centerville, MA, graces the lunchroom at the team’s base in Aukland, NZ. “Colin, one of the Padawans I know and with whom I have sailed and done some other mentoring type activities, sent me this handmade drawing of American Magic for Christmas,” explained Joe Cooper, WindCheck’s Contributing Editor and the Sailing Coach at The Prout School. “He is a great young…

State Street Marathon Sailing Team’s Francesca Clapcich and Jesse Fielding are Chasing Olympic Gold Editor’s note: This “Double Up!” story, the second in a series on all aspects of doublehanded big boat racing, is compiled from the State Street Marathon Sailing Team blog.     As the sailing world anticipates the debut of the Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat Event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, State Street Marathon Sailing Team’s Francesca Clapcich and Jesse Fielding are focused…

For Doug DeVos, sailing has always been a family affair. It has also been a never-ending quest to expand the sport through various “big boat” one-design concepts. A founder, stakeholder and leading light of the 52 Super Series, Doug has led Quantum Racing to four championships. Now, he has joined Roger Penske and Hap Fauth as Principals of New York Yacht Club American Magic in a quest to bring back the ultimate, unifying “tool” to American sailing….