Captain's Log
Captain's Log July 2006Sailing Outside the Box
Most of us spend the majority of our sailing time aboard our own boats. And summer is the season we love best with the early dawns, late sunsets and the generally settled weather patterns over North America and the nearby cruising grounds. This is the season for offshore events like the Newport Bermuda Race, the Bermuda Cup, the Pacific Cup and many others so a lot of us are getting ready for a blue-water adventure and some sailing fun with friends and family.
And this is the season, when we are gathered around the cockpit table at the end of a pleasant day sailing, that we begin to think about other places to sail and the adventures we might like to have in those far-flung places that we may never get to in our own boats. And we dream about one day setting off for an extended cruise. To help fulfill those dreams we are happy this month to bring you our Annual Guide to World Sailing Adventures, beginning on page 41. Our aim is to help you sail outside the box so you can discover new sailing areas and develop new sailing and cruising skills.
If you are interested in exploring new cruising grounds and enjoying a week of sun during the months when your own boat is laid up, then taking a bareboat or crewed charter is the way to go. There are charter bases in just about every great cruising ground on the planet, from the Caribbean to Europe to Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean. There is even a new charter operation in Vietnam. Chartering a well-found boat in some exotic locale is usually less expensive than staying in a resort or hotel and you get the benefit of being able to change your view every day while enjoying the simple peace of sailing. And for those in the market for a new boat, chartering often allows you to try out new models and really discover what your preferences are.
For those who want to build sailing skills there are more than 300 sailing schools around the country that can teach you the basics or add to the knowledge you already have. Learning how to sail better and how to handle a boat in a wide range of conditions will build confidence and will make your time on the water safer and more fun. Many BWS readers are destined one day to head offshore in their own boats to explore the world and discover the wonders of new landfalls. To gain the skills needed to head offshore, there are sailing schools and expedition companies that will take you out to the blue water and teach you advanced seamanship, navigation and the technical skills you need to run an ocean sailing boat.
And then there are the extreme sailing adventures. Whether you want to explore Antarctica or the Arctic, or sail around the world against the prevailing winds, or join a round-the-world race in the trade winds, you will find that there is an organized adventure out there to fulfill your ambitions.
We all relish our summer sailing seasons, but the sailing life doesn't have to end when the cold winds start to blow. Outside the box you will find a world of sailing vacations that can really expand your sailing horizons.
Fair winds,
