A sailboat enters the magnificent Bay of Bonifacio on Corsica’s south coast.  Photo: Michaela Urban You may know Corsica as the island just north of Sardinia in the Mediterranean where, in August 2022, a violent derecho swept through with 140-mile-per-hour winds, tossing boats onto beaches like so much kindling and wreaking havoc across the island. The weather was unprecedented, but you could argue that it somehow fit the nature of this place, whose wild edges—both geographic and historic—make it one of the most mesmerizing islands in the Med. Fortunately, when I visited last ye ..read more

Big Weather Gear and SAIL Magazine have partnered to offer a chance to win a $250 gift card to redeemed at bigweathergear.com or in store at Helly Hansen Newport | BigWeatherGear, the largest and only privately owned Helly Hansen retailer in the country. Courtesy of Big Weather Gear Helly Hansen Newport | BigWeatherGear offers a wide-range of Helly Hansen outdoor sailing clothing, including race and regatta jackets, quick-dry pants, dock and board shorts, insulated vests, fleece, quick-dry polos, offshore sailing bibs and so much more! Enter today for a chance to win a $250 gift card in ..read more

The Rustler 42 Carrick barrels to the finish under a stunning sunset. Photo by Tim Wright/photoaction.com, courtesy of WWC You could argue that best thing about the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) isn’t really the camaraderie, the energy, or even the excitement of taking on the big challenge of a transatlantic passage. It’s possible that next to the sailing itself, the best thing is the stories. It’s the way that hundreds of sailors young and old, veterans and newbies, embark on this shared experience yet have entirely singular adventures. And every time one of t ..read more

Anchored Med-style, Belamies lies in a protected arm of Croker Island.   Photo: Charles Scott We were anchored at the end of a narrow bay under glittering pink granite cliffs. A whiff of pine scented the air. From Belamies, our PDQ 36 catamaran, I swam ashore in the clear water. Lying on a rocky slab warmed by the sun, I closed my eyes and listened to ripples slap at my feet. Was I in Greece? The Pacific Northwest? Perhaps Croatia? Nope, much closer to home. This was Canada’s North Channel at the northern end of Lake Huron, a freshwater gem situated between the north shore ..read more

The leading edge of a cold front looms in the Bahamas.  Photo: Wendy Mitman Clarke Most sailors are well attuned to keeping an eye out for cold fronts, which can bring nasty, squally weather with strong winds and large seas. But there are times when the worst weather actually comes ahead of the cold front, and that’s when a pre-frontal trough is present. Sometimes, a pre-frontal trough can precede a cold front by up to 12 hours—translating to a couple hundred miles—so it’s well worth it learning how to identify them to better prepare yourself and your boat for what’s coming. To ..read more

Maybe you’ll remember back in 2014 when the Volvo 65 Team Vestas Wind, racing in the Volvo Ocean Race, slammed into the Cargados Carajos Shoals in the Indian Ocean in the middle of the night. Miraculously no one was killed or injured, but the boat was a total wreck, and the reef didn’t fare much better. The team of highly qualified, professional sailors had already sailed together from Alicante, Spain, to Cape Town, in leg 1 of the round-the-world race when the accident happened about 10 days into leg 2. “What the hell?” I remember thinking at the time. “How on earth did they do that?” A repo ..read more

Adam cruises in the Marshall 18 with his brother, Ryan (left), and dad, Paul (right). Photo: Ryan Cove Grizzly bears? Check. Tidal currents at up to 15 knots? Check. Wild weather? Check. This is the Race to Alaska (R2AK), 750 nautical miles of unsupported racing through Canadian wilderness from Port Townsend, Washington, to Ketchikan, Alaska. Oh, and you can’t have an engine…at all, even if it’s disabled. Instead of studying the Gulf Stream for another Bermuda race, I’m preparing for a different challenge this summer. Offshore racing is a blast, and there is nothing like seeing land ..read more

New sailboats can make statements in many ways—sharp-edged performance, glamorous styling, cutting-edge systems—but sometimes a boat stands out because its form follows its function so well, and its purpose is so clearly manifested in its design. Such is the HopYacht 30, an all-electric 30-foot catamaran that is offering a new take on small-boat voyaging. HopYacht collaborated with Du Toit Yacht Design—the naval architects who drew the Balance 442, 482, and 526 performance bluewater sailing cats—to create this boat that’s intended for primarily protected waters, despite its roots in the storm ..read more

Photo: Richard Mardens Inside Cole Brauer’s Race Around the World Twenty-nine-year-old Cole Brauer skyrocketed to fame after becoming the first female winner of the Bermuda 1-2 last year, then turning around, crossing the Atlantic, and setting off alone around the world in the Global Solo Challenge. In March, she finished second of 16 competitors and amassed half a million followers on social media in the process. SAIL Managing Editor Lydia Mullan worked on her historic campaign and offers an inside look. Photo courtesy of Robin Lee Graham and by Emma Garschagen Home is the Sailor ..read more

Charlie Langworthy lounges aboard White Seal.  Photo: Emily Greenberg The year is 1966, in the heart of Orange County, California, when White Seal is laid up in fiberglass, by hand, at the Jansen Marine Yacht Yard. Fresh off the production line at the height of a booming marine industry, the boat’s gelcoat and varnish shine under the Costa Mesa sun. The company is performance sailboat builder’s Cal Yachts. The boat is Cal 36 hull No. 27, designed by Bill Lapworth—the slightly smaller sister ship to the venerable Cal 40, the cutting-edge ocean race boat of the era. With its spade ..read more