Cruising World April 2023

As an only child and a self-diagnosed introvert, I’ve always found comfort in the power of one. Dealing in multiples was my kryptonite growing up. Multitasking never came particularly easy. I had a nasty habit of overthinking answers on multiple-choice exams. And to this day, I still prefer to work alone than in a group. I basically shrivel up and die inside anytime I hear: “OK, everyone pair up with a partner for this next activity.” So, yeah, it makes total sense that in my sailing life I’d largely been drawn to monohulls, which can be a singlehander’s dream. That was, of course, until the day I finally set foot on a real cruising catamaran, years ago at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. I can recall studying every square…

As the sun drops below the horizon on a tranquil evening in Puerto Rico, a catamaran rests on the hook while another world begins to come alive. Watching the sky squeeze the last few drops out of the juicy Caribbean sunset, lucky guests aboard find themselves with front-row seats to the best show in town emanating from ashore—the hypnotic symphony of the coquí, a tiny tree frog native to Puerto Rico that gets its common name from the chirpy sound it makes. Beneath the boat’s waterline, an entirely different scene is unfolding: survival of the fittest, the height of natural modern warfare. If not for the frenzied swirls and climactic pops echoing along the water’s surface from every direction, one might harbor an innocent but false sense that they are…

cruisingworld.com/offwind-sails-for-cats Bonus Features The Noob Files: Zen and the Art of Teak Toe-Rail Maintenance Our resident “noob” cruiser, David Blake Fischer, is at it again, this time conducting a postmortem of a recent maintenance job gone horribly right. cruisingworld.com/thenoobfiles Sailing Totem: Is Starlink Ready for Bluewater Cruising? Starlink’s Dishy McFlatface is popping up in a lot of anchorages in the cruising community. While Starlink isn’t everywhere, the speed of growth is impressive. If there is coverage in your planned route, it’s an easy answer for onboard internet for most budgets. So what are the pros and cons? Find out here. cruisingworld.com/sailing-totem-starlink Video: 5 Easy Lighting Upgrades for Your Sailboat In this free webinar, you’ll learn from an Imtra expert about simple lighting upgrades that make a big impact on your…

After 45 years of running into each other at boat shows but uttering no more than a brief hello, Doris Colgate and Lin Pardey sit side by side in Newport, Rhode Island. They’re talking, laughing, giggling, smiling. And reminiscing about sailing and their lives. They’re about to join an exclusive club of nautical notables that’s 114 members strong, all inductees into the National Sailing Hall of Fame, an honor that Doris’ husband, Steve, received in 2015. The Colgates are responsible for teaching 160,000 people how to sail and explore the world. Doris also founded an organization dedicated to furthering women’s participation in the sport and lifestyle: the National Women’s Sailing Association. Lin and her husband, Larry, who died in 2020, are known for two leisurely circumnavigations aboard engineless, self-built wooden…

Geese were flying low overhead when I first met the pair on a Malletts Bay dock in Vermont. It was raw, spitting cold rain, and everyone was heading south. The geese were practicing V formations. The two humans were packing more stuff into something that resembled less a sailboat than a shipping container for a dream. “Send me a picture from the beach at Christmas,” I said to the young men as I waved goodbye. Three months later, when they did, they were no longer farm boys. They were bluewater sailors. Finbar Curtin and Rob Root met in high school, went off to colleges in Montana and Virginia, returned as engineers, found good jobs, and, two years later, wondered where they were going. While their friends held on to security…

Had I not fallen in love with a sailor from the other side of the world, I could’ve happily stayed in Mexico aboard Circe, my family’s Catalina 400, for the rest of my life. Starting from a young age, I’d spent my life sailing the California coast with my family aboard Tango, our Catalina 30. Later, on the larger Circe, we spent every spring cruising the Sea of Cortez, smitten by the region’s warm water, stunning wildlife and pristine anchorages. I never grew tired of sailing, exploring, snorkeling, spearfishing and enjoying delicious meals aboard. (I was a family cook.) Then, I met Tristan, a Welshman who shared my love of boats and the sea. He joined us aboard Circe for a few seasons, exploring Mexico before we married. We moved…