He sailed from Woods Hole MA to Mystic CT solo with an overnight stop at Fort Adams (Newport RI) after taking ownership of the Bristol. The overnight stop wasn’t planned; the batteries died, nav lights were out and his phone was dying. A friend helped map his coordinates and phoned it in. Coast Guard escorted him to Ft Adams where he spent the night and he set off the next morning. I was lucky enough to have breakfast on board with him before he set off. He was home by 8 pm and exhausted but thrilled.

The Coast Guard was exceptional, they helped change a stressful situation into a positive experience. I’m very grateful my boy got help when he needed it and made it come safe. He just added a heater to the cabin so I probably won’t see him for a month but it’s all good.

On my first flotilla holiday and first time flying solo as a skipper since getting my day skipper ticket. Taking my wife and kid around the northern ionian. What a phenomenal experience and really making it real that "I can do this" while fully appreciating my limitations.

And what a blessing to be somewhere non-tidal having learnt the hard way in very tidal UK!

Last month I bought my first sailboat and got a slip at the Berkeley Marina. This is one of my neighbors. Keep an eye on those thru-hulls!

This is my first year as a boat owner and I live where it can get to minus 20 C during the winter months. I'm getting different answers from a lot of sailors on how to keep them safe until spring--leave them where they are, disconnect them, take them home and use a trickle charger, etc. Not sure what's the best bet to insure they start up next season.

Both are Motomaster Nautilus Group Size 24 Starting Battery that were purchased last year.

If anyone has advice for keeping them charged and in good working order I would appreciate it!

Just wanted to share last moments on the water in this season. I’m grateful that I managed to get my girlfriend interested in the hobby this season + assembled a great team to compete next year!

Like many, I attended the Annapolis boat show earlier this month. Overall we had a great time browsing and chatting with vendors and brokers, though most of the boats on display were out of our scope and budget.

I'd like to hear some other takeaways from the show - what boats did you like, which ones did you hate - what was the coolest tech you saw?

It has been over 20 years since I attended the show, so I can't speak to the overall trends over that span, but it was striking how many absolutely ENORMOUS catamarans were on display, and how many people were lined up to gawk on them. I suppose I'm relatively blind to how much the catamaran market has evolved over the last decade. Everybody complains that nobody can afford to sail, let alone buy new boats, but these guys are out here showing off $2-3mil supercats. I assume the market for these is charter fleets, but still - they've got to rent these at $20k+/week to make the financing payments!

We were also impressed with the Tartan display - I liked the new 34 and 37, they seem to be striking a good balance of comfort and sail performance - though the price tags are still pretty steep and I fear will make it a challenge for them to be truly successful competing with the Beneteau Firsts & such.

Surprisingly, my wife's favorite boat was the new J/40, and I did not protest this assessment. That seemed like one of the only boats that was designed with movement and usage of the cabins/salons while underway, and it had a simple, succinct arrangement that made the interior feel more usable and comfortable.

One yacht that caught my attention, for better and worse, was the Kufner 54 that wall towards the back of the docks. While it was generally a better looking boat from the dock than many of the other new "Med-style" production boats on display, once on board I was disappointed with the poor quality of the finishes. This is a show boat for sale for half of a million dollars(allegedly reduced from $1.5m), and the veneers were peeling, the padding on covers was ripped and falling off, etc. The build quality appeared to be more akin to a cheap camper than a top-dollar yacht.

I don't mean this as a complete write off of the builder, but it makes me wonder if this is the "flagship" that they brought to a major boat show to attempt an entry into the US/Caribbean market.

In the tech world, I thought the EZ sextant app was one of the most novel ideas of the show. The developer built an app that shoots a sight with your phone camera, then does all the calc's and provides you with your LOP pretty much instantly. The app has all the almanac and SRT data stored internally, so no cell reception is needed. If it works consistently, I think this would be a fantastic addition to a backup navigation suite. I'm going out on a delivery next week and am planning on testing out the app to see how good it is. For $25, its worth it if only to double check your sextant observations and calcs.

I just spent a couple of days binge watching his build videos. He's only getting a few thousand views but his learn-as-you-go build has really captured my imagination.

He's already extended his transom, and planning a keel stepped mast and bowsprit to extend his sail plan. Building a hard dodger right now and finishing the exterior. All done in a slip. Rebuilding the interior, already gutted, with proper filleted bulkheads, and a head with a proper shower and lots of berths for his young family.

They also have a '68 Morgan 45 that they've done a couple of Atlantic crossings in and cruised full time for several years before they had children, so his Alberg build has the features he wants based on experience. Herbie is working alone at night while also working as a fulltime dentist by day, and also teaching oral surgery classes at a university. "I'll sleep when I'm dead!" LOL gotta love the guy..

Has anyone done a catamaran trip with a 16-month-old? We’re planning to charter a Bali Catspace in Croatia next summer (our child will be 16 months old then). I'd love to hear any tips or experiences! A bit nervous, but mostly optimistic!"

Hello — a question for the 470 dinghy sailors out there and people who sail similal two-person boats like the 505, the FD etc.

Is it possible to single-hand these boats occasionally and still have fun — not necessarily with the spinnaker? I’m looking into a vintage purchase, but a crew won’t always be available. I’m relatively heavy, and I’ve heard of people single-handing with a trapeze and an extended tiller.

I’m a moderately experienced sailor: Optimist, years of windsurfing, light open-water racing, and amateur skipper on bigger boats.

The 1968 Adria - red western hull, white oak frames, mahogany cabin, teak deck and fir mast.

I am making a comic book about a story with an 1980 Hinckley in it. What is that white object that is on the rigging on the back of the boat, and what is it for? Thank you!
EDIT: SOLVED, thank you again.

Got the Potter 19 I just picked up out on the water and got through a short overnight trip. Decent breeze for a newb yesterday, and not much this morning, but it was still a good cold time.

Hi all,

So first thing first, i have never set foot on a sailing boat (although i would really really want to do it), and i have no idea what i am talking about or asking, so please, be gentle. 😂

So basically i am interested is there any race in Europe that goes lets say from venice to istanbul or something like that? Would it be realistic to have race from Venice with mandatory passes near Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, Split and ending in Dubrovnik? Or something similar to that? And if it is possible, why there isnt one race like that?

Would you walk away or are these acceptable surface cracking? The ones with the blue dye are below deck right under the mast. Are they just the surface, everything seems solid and passes the tap-sound test?

Just put the boat away for the winter :(. It’s only the end of our second season sailing, but I’m hooked and counting down the days until next spring!

1980 Observer Singlehanded Transatlantic Race

I started sailing this year, inshore only, on a 60-year-old P-Boat. She comes out of the water for winter next week, so today we squeezed in one last outing.

PredictWind promised 11-15 kn with gusts up to 30. It was just the right amount of challenge. The boat has never felt faster (with us aboard, anyway), and we hit 7 kn. It felt amazing.

Then a squall tore the clew clean off our jib. We carried on under main alone for a while before heading home.

Can't wait for next season. I just hope I remember the little I've learned by then...

She comes out on Thursday, chasing the wind as long as I can