Publisher's Log

When WindCheck was started, it was inspired by SpinSheet Magazine out of Annapolis. As such, it was primarily a racing mag for Long Island Sound. In the twenty-two years since, it has evolved to cover all manner of boating including cruising, some power boating, junior and college sailing, history and of course some entertaining “how to” (and some “how not to”) stories from our excellent columnists. We have expanded geographically to the point that our standard line…

We just wrapped up the 8th CT Spring Boat Show at Safe Harbor Essex Island in Essex, Connecticut April 26-28. At WindCheck, we tend to steer away from reviewing events. We prefer to preview events and let the rest of the media world fill you in on the Monday after. But even though this was our eighth go at this, it really was our third. While 2019 was nice with sixty-eight boats and twenty-two exhibitors, 2020 was…

I always like this time of year. It is a busy one for us for sure. The CT Spring Boat Show is at the end of the month. Folks start working on getting boats into the water. Down in Florida, baseball is done and moving north. By the time you read this, hopefully UConn will have repeated and maybe those Lady Huskies will have knocked off vaunted Iowa. (Have to mention that Yale was still alive at…

March has arrived and with it, a strange mixture of excitement and stress! And it is not just because we run a boat show at the end of April, (stand by for plug). The CT Spring Boat Show is April 26-28 at Safe Harbor Essex Island in Essex, CT and it is shaping up very nicely, thank you for asking. But this very mild winter so far has had a strange effect. Is that the cause of…

Probably executing the most Made for Instagram around the world passage ever, Long Island native Cole Brauer is lighting it up in the Global Solo Challenge. If you have not seen Cole’s excellent Instagram posts, I encourage you to follow her right now. By the time you read this, she will be about a month out from the finish line in Spain, completing her lap around the world and likely finishing second. I first heard of Cole…

I went to visit a friend in Annapolis the other day. His take on September and October was strikingly different than mine. We are both obviously pretty avid sailors and general boat people. So not surprisingly, weather is often a part of the conversation as we compare Long Island Sound and the Chesapeake Bay for which body of water has less wind. There’s a reason we both also own powerboats. But this time, the conversation that led…

The week before the autumnal equinox on September 23, our weather was hazy, warm and humid. Then, like a light switch, the smell of fall hit the senses and for a weekend, it felt like crystal clear, cool, marching band and football weather. Like Jonathan Richman, you have to love New England. There were ten days between sticky highs in the 90s and glorious dry highs around 70. Unfortunately, the endless stream of threatening tropical systems broke…

On page 40 of this issue, we have a fascinating recounting of one of the craziest celebrations to ever hit Newport, Rhode Island. It had to have rivaled any number of other occasions, including the end of wars. But of course, it was for a sporting event and one where the visiting team won. Forty years ago this September 26th, Australia II won the America’s Cup. The event would help elevate a New England-based TV sports network…

A number of cool things happened in July. First up, Charlie Enright and Co. made history as the first American flagged yacht to win The Ocean Race. Second, for the first time a woman, Cole Brauer, posted the fastest elapsed time in the singlehanded leg of the Bermuda One-Two. She and teammate Cat Chimney followed it up by taking line honors in the doublehanded leg. [That historic moment was actually in June. – Ed.] I often wonder…

I really like the glorious cover of this month’s WindCheck. The light, the composition and of course, the lines of the S Boats are really striking. Then you have the picture of the Star sailors from the 1920s in our running of an excerpt from Carol Cronin’s 100 Years of Gold Stars. They don’t look exactly like Captain Nat’s more important clients, but for some guys mixing it up in a brand new one-design they look pretty…