What’s New

Auckland, New Zealand – New York Yacht Club American Magic, the U.S. Challenger for the 36th America’s Cup, completed its first sailing session onboard the newly launched AC75 PATRIOT in Auckland’s Waitematā Harbor. After a 9:00 AM christening event on Friday, October 16 at the team’s base in the Wynyard Quarter, the team engaged in an afternoon of dockside testing. At 4:30 PM in flat-calm conditions, the dark blue AC75 was pulled up onto its foils by a chase boat and towed at…

Martha’s Vineyard Nonprofit raising funds for much needed repairs. After fifty-seven years at the helm of his iconic schooner Shenandoah, Captain Robert S. Douglas and his family have announced their intention to pass down Captain Douglas’ beloved ship to the Foundation for Underway Experiential Learning (FUEL). Based in Vineyard Haven, MA, FUEL is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by two of Douglas’ protégés, Captain Ian Ridgeway and Captain Casey Blum, LCSW. “Sailing Shenandoah is what I wanted to do with my…

LARCHMONT, N.Y. – With so many colleges restricting organized sports and travel, the Organizing Committee of The Storm Trysail Club’s 2020 Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta (IOR) has reluctantly been forced to cancel the almost 50 year-old event.  Ann Myer, Co-Chair for the event, expressed her disappointment. “Originally 50 schools had signed up, with 56 crews  ready to sail this year. We did everything we could as a committee to hold the event and to make it safe for all the…

There’s a change of watch at one of the best companies in sailing, with longtime employees acquiring ownership of Harken. “Throughout the years, Olaf and I have been approached by lots of good people interested in acquiring our business,” said co-founder Peter Harken.  “The way we decided was simple. We turned down every offer that didn’t present a brighter future for our people than we could create on our own.  We started this company to build the…

Auckland, New Zealand – New York Yacht Club American Magic, a Challenger for the 36th America’s Cup, took delivery of its second AC75 racing yacht at its Auckland base on Friday, September 4, 2020. The yacht is named Patriot, and will succeed the team’s current AC75, Defiant.  American Magic is expected to use the new boat to compete in three upcoming regattas: America’s Cup World Series Auckland (December 17-20, 2020), the Prada Cup (the Challenger Finals, January…

September 3, 2020  – Newport, RI – A new outright record was set Tuesday, September 1 for the  Around Jamestown Record. Jason Carroll’s Mod70 trimaran Argo completed their attempt around Jamestown with an elapsed time of 52 minutes and 2 seconds. This bests the previous record of 00:53:37, held by Zach Marks on a foiling kiteboard, by 1 minute and 35 seconds. The crew on Argo chose to sail the course around the island to starboard, sailing south from the…

Our friend and longtime WindCheck contributor Tom Darling has released the third episode of his excellent Conversations with Classic Boats podcast. In “Model Classic Instant Classic,” Tom brings us something old and something brand new” with a look at “sailing gone small: the DragonFlite 95 radio controlled model yacht and the growing popularity of “radio-sailing.” “Model boats have captivated serious sailors for centuries,” says Tom. “From the 1920s to today, model yachting in vintage wooden craft has become…

Our friends at the New England Science & Sailing Foundation (NESS) in Stonington, Connecticut have announced this year’s winning artists for their statewide calendar drawing contest entitled “Long Island Sound and Its Watershed: What It Means to Me.” The annual drawing contest is open to all Connecticut students currently in Grades K-6. Aoi Furube, a student at the Greenwich Japanese School in Greenwich, Connecticut was named the overall winner. Aoi’s artwork will be featured on the cover…

Mystic, Conn. (August 26, 2020) — Mystic Seaport Museum will present its 2020 America and the Sea Award to Tom Whidden, one of the most applauded sailors of all time, member of both the America’s Cup Hall of Fame and the National Sailing Hall of Fame, and president and CEO of North Technology Group, parent company of North Sails. The prestigious award recognizes those individuals and organizations whose extraordinary achievements in the world of maritime exploration, competition, scholarship, and design best…

Wilmington, DE, August 27 – How do you plan for an ocean voyage on the Tall Ship of Delaware during a pandemic? This week Kalmar Nyckel is voyaging from Wilmington, Delaware for the first ocean voyage of 2020, with a small but mighty crew of 16 officers and volunteers who just completed a two-week quarantine to safely voyage to Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. The ship is going to “dry dock” which means it will be…