October 2022

We don’t always cover sailing events after they have happened. We tend to prefer to provide previews, to help organizers boost the number of boats on the line. There are many outlets that report on the results, and sometimes we do too if there is enough “color” that we think is important to you. But there is one event we cover every year with great pleasure. While much is being said about creating opportunities for women in…

Recent boating accidents on Narragansett Bay, both fatal and near fatal, have prompted local boating enthusiasts to sound the alarm for boating safety. The non-profit organization Better Bay Alliance was formed in January 2020 after racing sailor Sandra G. Tartaglino was struck and killed by a powerboat while helming a catamaran in the New England 100 Regatta. In August of this year, a 30-foot sailboat competing in the Aloha Cup was hit from behind by a larger powerboat and…

  Our friends at Safe Harbor Bruce & Johnsons Marina in Branford, CT, in partnership with Boatquest, are presenting the inaugural Connecticut Fall Boat Show the weekend of October 7 – 9. Attendees can expect a first-class, impressive in-water selection of new and brokerage powerboats and sailboats along with the latest in marine gear and services. “We are incredibly excited to partner with Active Interest Media Group and present the opportunity for New England boaters and soon-to-be…

Good Decisions Yield Winners in Four Classes Fully expecting light and variable breezes overnight, forty-three sailing teams started the 2022 Ida Lewis Distance Race presented by Bluenose Yacht Sales on Friday, August 19 and returned throughout the day Saturday, August 20 to complete the event’s 17th edition. The wind conditions wound up ranging from 8-10 knots at the start to high teens and 20s out near Block Island to nearly nothing at points near the finish, making…

By Diane Kropfl & Emily Smith, Ms. Race Co-chairs The Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club (AHYC) in Atlantic Highlands, NJ hosted the 18th Annual Ms. Race on Saturday, August 20 on Sandy Hook Bay under clear skies and a favorable breeze. A record showing of accomplished women racers from five New Jersey Bayshore yacht clubs raised their sails to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Eileen Campbell, a woman who had participated in every Ms. Race…

By Ted Decyk Photos by Fran Grenon, Spectrum Photo This August brought the 93rd Atlantic Nationals to Niantic Bay Yacht Club in Niantic, CT. The Atlantic, a 30-foot Starling Burgess design primarily built by Cape Cod Shipbuilding in Wareham, MA, loves the wind, but as we know, the dog days of summer in Connecticut can deny us a breeze and that’s exactly what happened on day one. The 23-boat fleet and crew sat at the dock telling…

By Greg Gilmartin I still remember one of the first sayings I learned when I tried out sailboat racing. “One hand for you, one hand for the boat!” Couple that with a legendary comedy bit where the punch line was God asking Noah, “How long can you tread water?” These sayings are still with me and through nearly fifty years of setting sails, running races, and watching some of the very best sailors, I still believe that…

Have you ever, in the dead of winter and a long way from sailing, looked back to a stretch in the prior racing season where it seemed you could do no wrong? This was midsummer 2022. The place was Nantucket, Harbor and Sound. The boat was a Nathanael Herreshoff design, the Nantucket Alerion, a boat we profiled in our second Conversations with Classic Boats podcast exactly two years ago. The story of the modern evolution of this…

When you get near the top of the first beat, think ahead about the mark you are just about to round. Is it a temporary, inflatable tetrahedron or a permanent, bulletproof government buoy? Each type of mark has its own particular characteristics that you must consider in order to have a fast, efficient rounding. Here are some things to think about for the two most common types of marks.   Inflatable marks • There is often a…

By Rachel Tagen and Austin Vance aboard Stingray Editor’s note: In this recent Coop’s Kaper, Rachel Tagen and Austin Vance, 17-year-old students at North Kingstown High School in North Kingstown, RI, joined skipper Rory Cumming, co-skipper Ian Ray and headsail trimmer Stephen Schwartz aboard the Corsair 37 Stingray (Norwalk, CT) for Stamford Yacht Club’s Vineyard Race last month. Rachel – The idea for doing the Vineyard Race first came up during the awards ceremony for the Ida…