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By Anne Kolker, Cruising Club of America New York Station     I was lucky to grow up in a family of strong, motivated women. My grandmother was the force behind my grandfather’s successful business. My mother went to medical school and became a pediatrician in the early 1930s when women in medicine were unusual. One of my aunts became the alternate delegate to the United Nations. I was always told that I could become whatever I…

By Marion Bartholomew August 18, 2024 dawned in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey looking like it would be a fine day for sailing in Sandy Hook Bay, a body of water with a spectacular view of New York City to the north. While Sandy Hook Bay remains somewhat obscure to most, it does have an imprimatur as the site of thirteen America’s Cup matches from 1870 to 1920.   When the 20th Ms. Race, a pursuit race for…

By R.J. Rubadeau, Cruising Club of America Boston Station My formative sailing years were spent on a short list of state-of-the-art sailboats in major ocean races along the Eastern Seaboard when Nixon was president. My journey to becoming a professional offshore sailor began with an 8,000-mile Pacific Ocean crossing from Sydney to San Diego as captain of the Maxi Ondine. This life-forming event crystalized my core belief that those scalawags you are lucky enough by design or…

By Dorothy Wadlow, Cruising Club of America Essex Station As an enthusiastic birdwatcher, I’ve gained a reputation as the “Bird Lady.” Friends often share stories of birds they’ve seen or pictures of birds they want to identify. My sailing friends tell me about birds that landed on their boat. I can see why. It’s very exciting to be alone at sea on your little “floating island” when an avian fellow traveler pays a visit far from its…

By Dennis Lesh Editor’s note: With the author and his wife celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary this month, we share a story originally published by our friends at Points East in their July 2022 edition. The night of July 19, 2014 was magical. It was the night I met my wife, Kristel, at a bonfire at our seaside neighborhood beach. The annual July 4th party had been canceled because of rain and re-scheduled for the 19th –…

By Scott Lajoie, Director of Marketing The Sailing Museum and National Sailing Hall of Fame in Newport, RI has revealed the names of twelve individuals who will be inducted into its fellowship of hall of famers this year. This diverse list includes Jan C. O’Malley, a three-time US Sailing Yachtswoman of the Year, two-time Adams Cup winner, and the first ever winner of the IYRU Women’s World Sailing Championship; Peter Melvin, a multiple-class world and national champion, as…

By Kasey Commander, NESS Director of Marketing & Communications New England Science & Sailing (NESS), based in Stonington, CT, has brought hundreds of ocean lovers together through competitive surfing and beach cleanups for the past twelve years. The 13th Annual Catch a Curl Youth Surf Classic & Beach Cleanup is scheduled for 9am – 3pm on Saturday, September 21 at Westerly Town Beach, in Westerly, RI. Registration opens July 22.   In 2022, 70 surfers entered the classic…

By Dave Hemenway   Do you like to casually race, but are tired of scrubbing your boat’s bottom or finding crew? Do you like to fiddle with boats, but don’t want yard bills or worrying about boats stored at a marina? Well, if the answer is yes, you might want to consider a classic Finn sailboat. Finns are 14’ 8” long, weigh about 300 pounds, and are easily stored and transported on a light trailer. They were…

By Bill Lynn, Herreshoff Marine Museum President & Executive Director The Herreshoff Marine Museum and America’s Cup Hall of Fame in Bristol, RI celebrates the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company and its founders Nat and JB Herreshoff. For over sixty years, HMCo. worked at the cutting edge of ground-breaking design, world-class engineering, and disruptive innovation while building over 2,000 boats, both power and sail. During that time, HMCo. played a role in winning eight straight America’s Cups, two world…

Technically, it’s the first two but certainly it also fits some definitions of a museum. It is a repository of historical, artistic and cultural objects on display – simply, there are no guards and there’s no admission fee!   We’re referring to The Griswold Inn, the oldest continuously operated inn in America, located on Main Street in Essex, Connecticut, where it has been comfortably situated for over two centuries. The ‘Gris’, as it is affectionately known by…