September 2024

I cannot help myself. I am writing yet another ode to weather in New England. If you ask some folks, they say it has been a great summer…June was fantastic. If you ask others, this summer has been hot, sticky and wet! Just look at record-setting July and the first week of August. These opinions vary greatly depending on where you live. If you are near the water, the big sea breezes in “The Bays” have been…

The Annapolis Sailboat Show (October 10-14) is an easy sell. Simply put, it’s the largest sailboat show in the world with over 200 sailboats and more than 550 exhibitors. If you’re looking to see the best of what the sailing industry has to offer, rendezvous with likeminded sailors, or brush up on your seamanship skills – come October – Annapolis is the place to be. This year’s show will showcase an impressive array of premiering boats, with the…

Having grown up sailing on Long Island Sound, Tricia Leicht has always felt sailors should work to protect “their local playground.” A former board chair with the Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Sound (JSA) and now working for Save the Sound, she reached out to the JSA to see if they were interested. Current board chair Tim Clark was eager to partner the organizations and bring environmental programming to young sailors. The program became known as “Sound Advocates.”     Save the Sound…

New Harbor Boats has announced a strategic partnership with Brewer Yacht Sales, a leading East Coast yacht brokerage firm. This collaboration aims to enhance the marketing and sales of New Harbor Boats’ distinguished vessels, leveraging Brewer Yacht Sales’ extensive network and expertise.   New Harbor Boats, known for their exceptional craftsmanship and innovative design, builds their vessels at Front Street Shipyard in Belfast, ME. The New Harbor 28, a modern take on the classic Wasque 26, features…

Your next boat looks forward to meeting you soon, whether in Newport, Norwalk, or Annapolis.   Newport International Boat Show presented by BankNewport September 12 – 15, Newport, RI One of the largest and most prestigious boat shows in the country, “NIBS” spans over fifteen acres with six connecting show sites within historic downtown Newport. Walk the docks and view a spectacular display of new sailboats and powerboats, some making their first-ever debut in the United States….

How an underdog team became a national sailing powerhouse By Jill Pais and Mel Thibeault     In a spectacular showcase of skill, strategy and determination, the Sailing team at Roger Williams University (RWU) in Bristol, RI, clinched the 2024 Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Open Team Race National Championship, hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University on April 25-27. This victory, achieved over three intense days of competition on the Charles River, marks RWU’s…

July 20, 2024 Southold Yacht Club, NY By Beth Fleisher Saturday, July 20 dawned with clear sky and light, fair winds for the 53rd World’s Longest Sunfish Race, Around Shelter Island, NY. This is a unique event: a distance race in small boats, the 14-foot Sunfish. The Sunfish is perhaps best known as a recreational boat, its colorful triangular sail a familiar image sailing off the beach and at resorts. But don’t underestimate the Sunfish: Yes, it…

24-Hour Test of Fortitude   Light air prevailed for the 19th Ida Lewis Distance Race presented by Bluenose Yacht Sales.  © Stephen R Cloutier The 19th sailing of the Ida Lewis Distance Race presented by Bluenose Yacht Sales hosted 45 teams, with almost as many of those new to the event as returning and including both world-class and recreational racers. The competition’s 24-hour format saw seven classes leave Newport Harbor at 11 am Friday, August 16 and return on Saturday to a…

The middle of the racecourse is one of those “love it or hate it” places. Some sailors are always trying to make the middle work, while others seldom go there. In a big fleet, the central part of the beat has unique advantages and disadvantages. No matter how you feel about the middle in smaller fleets, you might want to reconsider your opinion in bigger fleets, for the following reasons. The case for the middle In a…

By Betsy Painter Soaring along the water, one of the wonders sailors are privy to is how the coastline alters with each habitat, like a gradient of landscapes shifting from sandy beaches to rocky shores, then grassy meadows. These coastal meadows are wetlands—habitats where land and water mix and merge, fluctuating with the rain and tides. Coastal wetlands help keep the very water we sail through healthy by filtering out pollutants and trash, and acting as a…