LEARN TO SAIL IN PARADISE

As seen in the May 2015 issue of SAILING MAGAZINE

Paradise Bound

PHOTO: Bob Grieser

Even Penelope stayed home in Troy when Ulysses sailed off ...
So often, one partner gets hooked on sailing, but their companion doesn’t; one has a boating background, while the other’s water-based activities are limited to the bath.

If you’re having a hard time getting your loved ones into sailing, now might be the time to sweeten the deal. Sailing schools exist in every beautiful corner of the world; who can turn down a learn-to-sail vacation in paradise?

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POSTCARDS FROM THE KEYS

AS SEEN IN THE FEB 12 2015 ISSUE OF SOUNDINGS MAGAZINE

Postcards from the Keys 

Posted on 12 February 2015 Written by Betsy Crowfoot Photos by Bob Grieser 

Our mission was as shallow as the water in Biscayne Bay. After the winter of 2014 — arguably the harshest in memory, with higher-than-average snowfall and lower-than-average temperatures — we were impatient for summer. A posse of friends since college, on the hunt for sun and fun, we set our sights on a springtime, island-hopping tour of the iconic watering holes of the Florida Keys.

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CRUISING WITH A CROWD

As seen in the April 2015 issue of Sailing magazine

CRUISING WITH A CROWD

Digging deep into a wooden chest filled with doublets, waistcoats, sashes and breeches I found a tri-cornered hat, complete with beaded dreadlocks dangling from its leather brim. Perfect! Along with my plastic cutlass and scabbard, I was a near-clone of Capt. Jack Sparrow. I sauntered out into the bright sunlight to join my crewmates, scrambling over cannons and up ratlines like scurrilous pirates. St. Vincent and the Grenadines served as the primary filming location for "Pirates of the Caribbean" and a dozen years later, we found ourselves romping through several of the remaining movie sets at the town of Wallilabou, aka "Port Royal" in the popular movie series. It was just one of the many treasures we unearthed on a Sunsail flotilla cruise through the Windward Islands.

more here

Bucket Bums

As seen in the October 2014 issue of SAILING magazine

Bucket Bums

A charter cruise goes upscale when this crew crashes the St. Barths Bucket superyacht regatta

The St. Barths Bucket Regatta is a true “bucket list” item for many sailors—a glitzy gathering of superyachts on the trendy Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy. But with our quivers just shy of a 100-foot luxury sailboat suitable for entry, we decided to do the next best thing: charter a cruising catamaran and crash the Bucket.

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Crossing the Harrowed Gulf of Tehuantepec

AS SEEN IN THE JULY 2014 ISSUE OF SAIL MAGAZINE

To superstitious sailors, the ocean holds many perils—some more legendary than others. There’s the Kraken, that fearsome tentacled beast that drags ships into the ocean’s depths, the ghost ship Flying Dutchman, the cursed Bermuda Triangle and, of course, the Gulf of Tehuantepec. In the case of the Gulf of Tehuantepec, where “T-Pecker” winds ravage the southernmost fringe of Mexico’s Pacific shore, the challenges are more fact than fiction.   Continued ...

Trading Places

AS SEEN IN MARCH ISSUE OF SAILING MAGAZINE

When Suzy Leech appeared at Key West Race Week (KWRW) in her new J/70 Junkanoo, it was a classic case of ‘trading places.’ Leech, whose sailing resume lists her as “Bowchick” on the America³ all-female campaign for America’s Cup in 1995, determined at 47 she was finally ready to retire from ‘the foredeck union.

“I was not interested in getting that wet and cold and beaten up anymore, and decided this was my chance to transition.” But for Leech, a web and database programmer from Jamestown, RI; it was a humbling switch, to the back of the boat. “I never did any junior sailing or dinghies. I have only ever sailed on the bow of big boats: so this was really my first experience driving.”

And on this steep learning curve, not only did Leech trade places from foredeck to helm, but on the leaderboard as well  ...


Full article here.

GIRLS GONE FISHING

As seen in HARBORS inflight magazine March/April 2014

Girls Gone Fishing

Everyone is familiar with the axiom, ‘Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach him to catch fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”

But what happens when you teach a woman to fish ... ?

Fishing is thrilling and fun in an indelible way. Most people can tell you the specifics of the first fish they caught: even if it was decades ago.

But today women make up only about one-quarter of all anglers in North America. 

What keeps women from fishing more often? Having the right skills and equipment. Getting to the right place. The perceived ickiness of it.

Our mission was to bust this myth (if you’ll pardon the pun!) so Harbors Editor Susan Colby and I set out for the famed Campbell River, BC fishing grounds.

Read the complete article here