Author: Chris Szepessy

“There has never been a time in my life where boats were not part of it,” says Joy Sherman, the owner of Joyride Charters in Westbrook, CT. “I lived in Gales Ferry, CT until I was 8 years old. My father had a boat in the Bahamas, and we lived on her when I was 6 and 7. I did some schooling in the Bahamas, and with lessons sent by mail from my teacher at home there…

By Garrett Russ, Clean Ocean Access Development Coordinator If there’s something that all paddleboarders can agree on, it’s the first few moments of calm that come with being on the water: from the way the air moves around them, to the glassy water quietly shifting beneath them. Whether in Newport Harbor, or just off Third Beach in Middletown, RI, the reactions are the same, the love for the sport similar. And it is out of love for…

By Anthony Pozun, RN Photos by the author Over the summer of 2019, I decided to travel from my home in Northport, NY south to Florida and the Bahamas on my Catalina 400 Mark II Mystical Paradise. She’s rigged for long term cruising, with two headsails including her 150% genoa and a small cutter-type staysail for light air sailing, as well as a full cockpit enclosure. I stocked her with enough foodstuffs and water for six months…

By Jan-Willem Polman Published by Adlard Coles Nautical, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc 176 pages hardcover $30 The ability to splice rope has been an essential seafaring skill for centuries. But with traditional 3-strand rope becoming a thing of the past (for the majority of sailboats, anyway), few sailors know how to splice today’s braided ropes. If we want an eye splice in a braided rope, or perhaps a tapered sheet, most of us call a…

By Priscilla Travis Published by Cornell Maritime Press, a division of Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. 544 pages, hardcover $35 If you’re thinking about getting started in sailing – or are already on the water and dreaming about sailing to far-off destinations – the Mariner’s Guide to Nautical Information belongs in your library. Author and professional mariner Priscilla Travis has compiled more than 2,000 nautical terms and topics in this alphabetically-arranged and comprehensive resource, along with a wealth of practical…

By Martin Hain Communications Specialist Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound The First Annual Black Rock Harbor Water Quality Summit, organized by former Black Rock City Councilman Peter Spain, the Ash Creek Conservation Association (ACCA) and Save the Sound, was held with a packed house at the Bridgeport Regional Aquaculture School in Bridgeport, CT on February 26, 2020. The summit gathered area residents, local officials and water quality experts to discuss the current conditions and future improvements…

A specialist in the construction of composite boats, structures and components since 1990, Brandon Linton has worked with many of the world’s foremost yacht designers and engineers. His CV includes the management and construction of two Volvo Open 70s (the Juan Kouyoumdjian-designed Mar Mostro and the Botin/Carkeek-designed Il Mostro for PUMA Ocean Racing); the Verdier/VPLP-designed Comanche, Jim Clarke’s record-smashing 100-footer; the AC50 Magic Blue for Artemis Racing in the 35th edition of the America’s Cup; eleven America’s…

By Gust Stringos From Joshua Slocum to Jeanne Socrates to Jessica Watson, from the first Golden Globe Race to the last Vendée Globe, single-handed sailing is a long-established tradition among cruising and racing sailors. The Bermuda 1-2, organized by the Newport Yacht Club and the St. George’s Dinghy & Sports Club, is the premier East Coast race for single-handed sailors. It has been sailed biennially since 1977 and combines a single- handed leg with a double-handed return,…

The recent passing of world-class sailor and boatbuilder Harry Sindle (1929 – 2020) brought to mind the article below, written by Harry about the Buccaneer, an 18-foot daysailer/racer designed in 1966 by Rod Macalpine-Downie and Dick Gibbs. Buccaneers are currently built by Nickels Boat Works in Flint, MI, a company perhaps best known for their excellent Lightnings. Born in Little Falls, NJ, Harry Sindle won major titles in the Lightning, Thistle and Comet classes, and a gold…

Monday, May 11 marked the date for the rollout of “Conversations with Classic Boats,” the website and podcast created by Tom Darling, a longtime WindCheck friend and contributor, featuring a unique look at what Tom calls “classic” boats. “A classic boat doesn’t have to be wood, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be a yacht,” Darling explained. “It could be fiberglass – think of a Dyer Dhow – but everyone agrees that Bolero and Dorade are classics.”…