Please select your home edition
Edition
Hyde Sails 2024 - One Design

Clear but cold in Seattle—Sailing news from the U.S. and beyond

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 4 Mar 2013
St. Maarten Heineken Regatta 2013 - Day 1 Leighton O'Connor
When you live at almost 48 degrees north, it’s hard not to celebrate winter’s annual demise. Just two months ago it felt like a blessing to merely see a patch of blue sky during the seemingly scant window of daylight that presented itself each day, but fortunately that has all now changed with the approach of the vernal equinox (March 20, 2013). Now, days are getting noticeably longer, the smell of spring is in the air, and there have even been occasional sightings of some weird glowing orange ball in the sky that some sailors speculate could be a distant energy source. The best part? It’s only going to get better, starting next Saturday.


Should the start of this week find you in need of a shot of optimism, here it comes: Daylight savings begins with turn of midnight on March 10 (next Sunday), thus helping to 'sequester' the darkness into more usable hours for us humans. Sure, mornings will be inky dark again (at least for a short while), but I doubt anyone will complain about an extra hour of daylight in the evenings, especially with the full-on start to the 2013 sailing season just around the corner and plenty of work remaining to get done before boats are ready to be re-launched (lat/long depending).


Still, with all this talk and promise of spring in the air, it was a bit of a surprise to see frost on the roofs of nearby houses this morning. The stormy clouds that shrouded the city last night blew away, revealing an azure sky and a perfect half moon, which was last seen in the southwestern sky. Sure, yesterday’s Blakely Rock race might have been blustery (and partially wet), but today certainly looks promising for sorting out sails or re-tuning the rig.





Meanwhile, on sailing’s greater stage, Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa have been continuing to mix it up on New Zealand’s Hauraki Gulf aboard their AC72 wingsail-powered catamarans, which the teams will both use to challenge for the 34th America’s Cup. Inside, don’t miss photographer Chris Cameron’s great image gallery of the two massive cats flying on their foils.





And in Volvo Ocean Race news, Lisbon, Portugal, has been selected as a stopover for the 2014/2015 and 2017/2018 editions of the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR). Lisbon hosted the race during its 2011/2012 edition and proved popular with both racers and spectators.


'Lisbon is a great port city, and the people came out in [the] thousands to welcome the sailors as their own,' said Tom Touber, COO of the VOR. 'The race village was a hive of activity, with everyone coming together to give the stopover a distinct Portuguese feel. It was a truly great success, and we can't wait to come back.' Get the full scoop, inside.





Also inside, be sure to get the full briefing on the ongoing Manning Regatta, check out the reports from our team at London’s RYA Dinghy Show, and get the post-racing report from the J/22 Midwinters, which just wrapped up in Tampa, Florida.





And for anyone needing a more intensive injection of Vitamin D than what’s offered with the early season sunshine, be sure to check out photographer Leighton O’Connor’s great image gallery of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, as well as the racing reports. Enjoy!


May the four winds blow you safely home,

Zhik 2024 DecemberJeanneau Sun Odyssey 350Selden 2020 - FOOTER

Related Articles

Foiling Frenzy at Fraglia Vela Malcesine
The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! Regardless of where sailors are in their careers, or the reputation they have, everyone wants to be there and have a tilt at the title.
Posted on 7 Jul
The oldest video footage of Moth sailing
A look back into our video archive, to when the name of this class first settled down We delve into our video archive to find the oldest possible videos that show Moth racing. Are these International Moths, British Moths... or was the name still Olive, Inverloch 11ft, National Moth or Brent One-Design?!
Posted on 6 Jul
The power of tech
What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it?
Posted on 2 Jul
Some thoughts on provisioning for distance sailing
A new perspective on provisioning and time spent at sea One of the great joys of distance racing unfurls the moment that the dock lines are untied. Suddenly, the myriad packing lists that inevitably define most trip-planning efforts become about as relevant as a tax return from eight years ago.
Posted on 1 Jul
Jazz Turner completes Project FEAR
Drama right to the end in her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles Jazz Turner has completed Project FEAR, her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles in her Albin 27 yacht. A flotilla of supporters met her in Seaford Bay, which grew and grew the closer they came to Brighton Marina.
Posted on 1 Jul
A brief history of marine instrument networks
Hugh Agnew has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge One man who has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge, is Hugh Agnew, the Cambridge-educated mathematician who is one of the founders of A+T Instruments in Lymington, so I spoke to him to find out more...
Posted on 25 Jun
Sailing and the summer solstice
Celebrating sailing and the longest day of the year If you love long evenings and early mornings, this is one of the best times of the whole year, as the summer solstice (Friday, June 20) and the entire rich expanse of summer are about to burst into bloom.
Posted on 17 Jun
Video Review: The Amazing Cure 55
Composite Construction meets Cruising Convenience It was two years ago at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show that I talked to Dave Biggar about his ideas and plans for the Cure 55. At the 2025 show I got to step on board the yacht and see how his ideas became reality.
Posted on 17 Jun
The Big Bash
Every summer the tournament rolls into town. A short format of the game. Fun and excitement abound. Every summer the tournament rolls into town. Local and international players. A short format of the game, run over a relatively compact six-week season.
Posted on 15 Jun
The oldest video footage of Kiel Week
A look back into our video archive at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s In our series of articles looking back in time through our video archive, we visit Germany. Kiel Week is been a crucial event on the world circuit, and here we look back at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s.
Posted on 15 Jun