When I think back on how we acquired our first cruising sailboat, I realize I must have been out of  my mind. I had fallen in love with a classic 24-foot wood yawl I had seen in WoodenBoat Magazine.  It was designed by Fenwick Williams in the 1930s. We purchased the plans and sent out ...

Between Venezuela and Trinidad there is a narrow strait called The Dragon’s Mouth. Named by  Columbus on his third voyage to the New World, it is a ten-mile wide stretch of racing currents and  unpredictable winds separating the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Paria. In his log, Columbus  ...

Among my most memorable sailing experiences was thetime a friend and I were asked to help an acquaintance move his sailboat from Long Island Sound south to Florida. We were both in our 60s and our Captain was even older. But not to worry. Francis Chichester was 65 when he sailed alone, non-stop,...