A bit of light in our dim season By Patrick Twohy In these dark winter months, one must work a little harder to find the light we need to thrive. It’s a metaphor, but also perhaps a bit practical. We sailors often find winter somewhat of a trial — the wind isn’t great, if there’s […]
Dave G’s Recommended Sailing Books Whether the sailor in your life is new to sailing, dreaming of their next adventure, or already spending every spare moment on the bay, a well-chosen sailing book makes a thoughtful, lasting Christmas present. After years of teaching and talking with sailors of all levels, Instructor Dave G has found […]
How to Navigate Fall if you’re a Sailor Your Faithful author with his sextant Well, fall is officially here. For Bay Area sailors, that means a little less wind, a little less daylight to enjoy on the water. It’s also means perhaps some time to think about how a sailing-obsessed person might satisfy his or […]
Planets and mutinies in paradise By Patrick Twohy This is a tale of a three-hour tour. Well, actually it was a bit more than that. And no one was lost on a desert isle. But still… It includes mutineers, beautiful women, enchanting tropical venues, even enchanting Venus herself — the planet, not the goddess. The […]
Finesse and situational awareness — How to become truly comfortable under sail By Patrick Twohy Mastering finesse and cultivating situational awareness are key elements in becoming a proficient and composed sailor. Chapter 1: Situational awareness You know the saying about gravity, right? That it’s not just a good idea, it’s the law? The same […]
ASA 102, “Performance Sailing” by Dave Goeke Conditions in the San Francisco Bay as anyone reading this knows are unusually challenging. It is not like sailing in San Diego or the Chesapeake. ASA 102, or ‘Performance Sailing’, is a new course offering from American Sailing designed to help students learn technical details of sail trim […]
Why you need old-fashioned navigation skills By Patrick Twohy There’s been talk going around that navigation skills — the kind you’d learn in a Coastal Navigation class or a Celestial Navigation class — are no longer necessary. After all, each of us has a navigation device in our pockets, and most boats are packed […]
A few weeks ago, a friend and I were having a wide-ranging conversation via email about our lives. We’d been students together a million years ago and went off in our different directions and were catching up. At one point, she wrote, “Tell me why you love sailing so much.” I thought I’d share a […]
Let’s play a little sailing game. I don’t mean a board game, I mean a game involving actual sailing. We can call it a maritime scavenger hunt. Or a nautical treasure hunt. Or a sailing rally. Whatever. A rose is a rose, right? Who cares? Here’s how it works. We give you five tasks. You […]
In a corner of a village fishing museum in Spain a few weeks ago, I came across an item that got me thinking about hardy seafarers. As pilgrims walking The Way toward Santiago de Compostela ambled by outside, I pondered a somewhat more modern relic — a British Seagull outboard motor on display. It was […]
