News
WINTER SAILING FROM PANAMA TO FLORIDA
Wherever I’m sailing, I always look for advice from folks who have made the crossing I am about to embark on. This could be as short as an overnight passage from one harbor to the next or a 30-day passage…
SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE SAILCLOTH
Sailmakers working at UK Sailmaker’s network of over 50 lofts and service centers around the world may speak many different languages, but they share one common thread in their approach to making and servicing sails. Simply put, UK Sailmakers is…
NEW SOLO SPEED RECORD FOR THE R2AK
Eric Pesty became a fan-favorite in the 2023 Race to Alaska (R2AK), embarking on the incredible 750-nautical-mile race singlehanded, for the second time as Team Pestou. The R2AK is a two stage event, with a 40-mile qualifying race from Port…
COLD FRONT SAILING TIPS FROM PAUL EXNER
PROFESSIONAL TIPS AND TACTICS TO LEVERAGE SYNOPTIC WEATHER Every sailor, without exception, will experience a shift in the wind’s direction as they sail near or through a Cold Front — the scale of the wind shift can span a thousand…
ANOTHER GREAT ROBIE PIERCE REGATTA FOR SAILORS WITH DISABILITIES
The first weekend of June, I sailed in the Robie Pierce One-Design Regatta for sailors with disabilities. New York’s Larchmont and American Yacht Clubs have jointly run this event that draws sailors from all over the East Coast of the…
LESSONS LEARNED: LEG 1 OF THE 2023 BERMUDA 1-2
Buttons Padin interviewed singlehanded racer Nathalie Criou (@nathaliecriouracing) after her second-place finish in Class 1 on leg 1 of the 2023 Bermuda 1-2. Having sailed the 635 miles from Newport, RI, to Bermuda solo in just over 96 hours starting on June…
LESSONS LEARNED DOUBLE HANDED RACING
UK Sailmakers continues to produce new episodes of its Lesson’s Learned video and podcast series, sharing sailor stories and tips that everyone can learn from. Tune in to Episode Seven of the Lessons Learned Podcast series by UK Sailmakers with…
HEAVY WEATHER CREW TRAINING
PROFESSIONAL HEAVY WEATHER SAILING TIPS FROM PAUL EXNER When you’re deep within heavy weather, your crew is either ready, or not — a crew unprepared will suffer human injury and break gear at a considerably higher rate than experienced sailors…
CHRISTOPHER DRAGON WINS BLOCK ISLAND RACE
For the second year in a row, Andrew and Linda Weiss’s Italia 11.98 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON has won the Block Island Race overall under ORC. This year’s race was a tough, light air challenge that demanded constant crew work with scores…
OVERCOMING WAVE RESISTANCE
PROFESSIONAL HEAVY WEATHER SAILING TIPS FROM PAUL EXNER When the breeze fills-in, waves build-up to create a lumpy sea-surface that often impedes a boat’s upwind progress, especially when true wind blows 25-40 knots across open water. To sail efficiently in…
KING 40 CHECKMATE MOVES TO SYDNEY
That’s a wrap! They say the second happiest day for boat owners is when they buy a boat. The happiest, conversely, is when they sell it. While this saying points to the work, time, and expense that go into owing…
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS: 5 TIPS FOR REVERSE PHRF RACING
Every dog has its day, and pursuit racing is an excellent way to make all competitors feel like they have skin in the game. Pursuit racing, commonly called reverse handicap racing, is a variant of PHRF racing where boats start…
SIREN WINS DOUBLEHANDED LIGHTSHIP RACE
This June, I am starting my second Singlehanded Transpac Race. As a lead-up event, a friend and I entered my Santa Cruz 33, SIREN, in the Doublehanded Lightship Race, a 25 mile course mostly outside of San Francisco Bay. We…
HISTORY AND HUMOR – BUTCH’S FIRST BERMUDA RACE
In this short clip, Charles “Butch” Ulmer talks about his first Newport to Bermuda Race. He took part in this race as a second-year student at the US Naval Academy in 1958 onboard a wooden Navy yawl. At the start…
WHISKEY JACK FIRST OVERALL AT THE 2023 ROLEX CHINA SEA RACE
Congratulations to Nick Southward for finishing first overall in IRC in the 565-mile 2023 China Sea Race sailing his J/109 WHISKEY JACK. This was the first time in five years the biennial race has been run. 16 boats finished the…