Stories about being becalmed are legendary in literature of the sea. Wars have been lost because flotillas of warships were unable to advance.  

For modern-day sailors, a lack of wind is usually only frustrating. Schedules are ruined, the engine is used more than it should be, and morale sinks when sails flap. Recently, during a 37-mile passage on Chesapeake Bay, we were about halfway to our destination when the wind died—and then my electric motor came to a stop after 30 minutes. The only option was to keep sailing. The next six hours required patience, not only for me, but also for my two new-to-sailing crew, who feared the prospect of drifting at night.

Drawing on many years of racing in very light or nonexistent wind, I approached our situation methodically. The first step is to adjust your attitude and accept the fact that it is going to be slow-going. 

I set short-term milestones. For example, I asked one crew to set his stopwatch to see if we could reach a channel buoy in 30 minutes. Happily, we arrived at the targeted mark with two minutes to spare. Progress. I repeated the pattern by setting new goals, and everyone was happy as we made each target. 

In light wind, sails need to be adjusted by easing everything out to create more shape in the sail. I eased the outhaul a generous amount, let up the downhaul, and slacked the halyard a few inches. I adjusted the headsail halyard so that the luff had some slack. (It is OK to have wrinkles in the sails.) I also eased off the backstay to allow the headstay to sag about 6 inches. The idea is to create draft, or curvature, in the sails.  

To help keep the sails set properly, heel the boat over by asking the crew to sit on the leeward side. The sails keep their shape better when ­heeling to leeward. This ­strategy also helps to keep the crew sitting in the widest part of the boat. Pushing down either the bow or the stern slows the boat.  

A helpful test is to sail with an angle of heel that allows you to let go of the tiller or wheel. If the boat is balanced, it will sail itself. If the boat heels too far to leeward, then you will create windward helm where the boat wants to round up toward the wind. Conversely, if you heel to windward, the boat will create leeward helm and will bear away from the wind. If you hear water slatting under the transom, then your weight is likely too far aft. The goal is to keep crew weight centered to reduce the wetted surface of the hull, thereby reducing friction.

Steer as little as possible. Every time you move the rudder, you slow the boat. And sit in a comfortable position so that you can see the wind on the water and the approaching waves. I ask my crew to hold the boom in waves to keep the sail from flopping around. This helps maintain a boat’s momentum.  

If there are other boats in your vicinity, try to sail faster than they do. Experiment by changing course, adjusting your sails, or moving your crew to heel more. Make one adjustment at a time, to tell what works and what doesn’t. I find weight on the bow to be particularly slow. Small adjustments can make a big difference. 

When sailing to windward, sail a slightly low course to almost a close reach, to get the boat moving. Once you have some speed, you can sail a higher course. 

If you are sailing on a ­downwind course, reach up to create apparent wind in your sails. Once a boat starts moving, it creates its own (apparent) wind, and speed increases. 

To help build momentum and steer straight, head toward an object on land or an anchored vessel. References on land and a compass are useful tools. 

Stand up in your boat to study the wind patterns on the water. If you see a dark patch, this indicates more wind. You can feel the slightest zephyr on your neck or the back of your hand. Look around at other boats to see if any have some wind and are moving. Steer for a set of clouds—often, there is wind under a cloud. 

Avoid maneuvering when the boat is stopped. The best moment to tack or jibe is when the boat is sailing at full speed and you are in a relatively strong puff of wind. And turn the boat slowly. The faster you turn a boat, the slower it’ll go.  

Keep everyone comfortable, and try to protect the crew from the sun. Dehydration saps energy. Make sure everyone is drinking water, is wearing a hat and sunglasses, and has applied sunscreen. Periodically ask crew to switch jobs or positions. Ask each person to tell a story. I’m always amazed by the stories people share when they are on the water. One leads to the next, helping time to pass and spirits to improve.

During our sail to my dock in Annapolis, Maryland, we were able to make 16 miles in five hours. The final mile seemed to be the slowest. We tied up the boat just as the late-afternoon sun dipped the horizon.  

We all slept well that night. And I bought a new engine the following week.

The post When the Wind Goes Light appeared first on Cruising World.

Organizing a plan for a good day of sailing or a longer cruise is an important first step in ­optimizing the experience. 

I start by penciling several dates on my calendar and then watching the weather forecast as the dates come closer. Perfect weather might not arrive as frequently as desired, but a little rain, light wind or even a good blow is never a reason to avoid heading out for a sail. Make sure the entire crew has the proper clothing on hand for the anticipated weather.  

The next item is to declare, in advance, how long you plan to spend on the water. If the crew expects a three-hour sail, don’t change the plan and stay out for six hours. Think through a plan of the day before you leave the dock.  

Crews are happiest when you sail with the correct number of people on board. For example, a 40-footer might need six people to handle the boat efficiently. If there are 15 people on board, the boat is overcrowded, and most sailors will be unable to participate in any crew work. People like to participate. When everyone has a designated job, the crew will be happier.

Study a chart before leaving your berth. I set a place to head for, depending on the direction and strength of the wind. On the Chesapeake Bay where I live, there are endless destinations. A typical day might be to sail around a few lighthouses, anchor off a beach for lunch, or explore a remote creek. Show the proposed course on the chart to the full crew so that they understand where you are sailing. Note any danger spots such as ­shallow water or a riptide. People don’t like surprises.  

What sailors do like is adventure. They enjoy seeing things from the water, where the view is always different than from land. It seems as if the environment changes as the day passes. The wind shifts, currents change the color of the water, new sights appear, and there are other boats to salute. How often do people wave to each other while driving an automobile? On the water, there is always a friendly wave. Clearly, people are happy.

Run through a checklist of safety items before sailing. Your gear should be properly stowed, and the sails should be ready to hoist. Make sure the crew have applied sunscreen, have their foul-weather gear on the boat, and are wearing a hat and sunglasses. It is better for someone to run back to the car to get their gear than to spend a day on the water missing important items. Also, make sure there are life jackets for everyone. Pointing out the location of safety gear is essential.

I find that sailors alternate between being chatty and being reflective. It is easy to become ­mesmerized by the water and the wind.

Once everyone is on board, before heading out, conduct a crew meeting so that everyone understands the day’s plan. Ask if anyone has a special request. Crews appreciate the opportunity to provide input. (Your mission plan can be modified later if the weather changes.) The crew meeting is also the time to assign specific duties. Let people know that there will be a rotation on the helm, so everyone will have a chance to steer. 

Once the boat is ­underway and the sails are set, run through a few practice maneuvers so that the crew are comfortable with their duties. Be disciplined regarding crew rotations. It is easy to forget to give everyone a chance to steer, trim or have some quiet time. I’ve been on boats where someone seems to yell more and more about less and less. The top sailors are quiet and measured, with their comments coming during tense moments in a strong gust of wind, or a close encounter with another boat. A calm leader instills confidence in a crew.

I find that sailors alternate between being chatty and being reflective. It is easy to become mesmerized by the water and the wind. Sailors tend to be as one with the motion of the boat.

At the same time, the best conversations take place on the water. People tend to be open and enthusiastic. If one crewmember seems quiet, take a moment to ask a question. This will get the person engaged. And remember: What is said on the boat stays on the boat. This is a good policy.

After sailing, I write down the experience details in a logbook. It’s fun to review your days on the water, and my logbooks give me good ideas for what else I can do on the water. Also, encourage photography throughout the sail. It’s fun to pass around pictures later.

Before disbanding, conclude the day with a second crew meeting to review the day’s sail. If you are a crewmember, always offer to lend a hand for cleanup. As the saying goes: Many hands make light work.  

You never know exactly what is going to happen during a daysail or a multiple-day cruise, but the goal should be to make sure everyone on the boat has fun and wants to come back for more.

The post Preparing to Head Out appeared first on Cruising World.

Gary Jobson motioned for me to step aboard his pretty, impeccable C.W. Hood 32, Whirlwind. Before anything else happened—and plenty was about to—he offered a thought. 

“I’m a lot different than a lot of professional sailors,” he said, referring to his peers in the America’s Cup and the upper strata of inshore and offshore sailboat racing. “I really like to sail.”

Boy, does he. Jobson is a winning member of the 1977 America’s Cup and historic 1979 Fastnet Race crews; an author, filmmaker, television producer, award-winning TV commentator and fellow Cruising World editor-at-large; and a member of the National Sailing Hall of Fame who still regularly competes in major regattas. He annually gives more than 100 lectures for yacht clubs and other venues. On top of all that, he also takes several dozen lucky folks for daysails on the Chesapeake Bay each year from his home in downtown Annapolis, Maryland.

And now, it was my turn.  

Given the sporty forecast for that Sunday afternoon this past October—a cold northerly gusting over 25 knots was already raking the bay—I was prepared for a cancellation, but Jobson waved me off. “It’s supposed to ease off later,” he said. 

And with that hopeful ­sentiment, Whirlwind was eased from her lift into the drink—and we were off. It was a short motor under the boat’s silent electric auxiliary from its Spa Creek berth to the ­nearby drawbridge for the 12:30 opening. Jobson mentioned that he maintains fine relations with its tenders. “Good guys,” he said. “I drop off a case of Heineken every year to show my appreciation.” 

With the bridge negotiated, up went the mainsail, and—as we fairly sizzled past the seawall fronting the US Naval Academy—Jobson laid out the day’s itinerary. It would be a tight reach up and under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to the Sandy Point Lighthouse, a spinnaker run to the Thomas Point Lighthouse, and then a beat back to the city. 

Given the conditions, this seemed quite ambitious to me, but I was sailing with Gary Jobson. What the hell did I know?

We never did make it to the first lighthouse (did I mention the weather?), but Jobson wanted me to have a spell on the tiller under the kite, and expertly set it from the cockpit, which was cool. “I do foredeck, but not on the foredeck,” he said. 

And man, did Whirlwind ever haul the mail, slicing downwind in double-digit fashion as I steered for dear life. I enjoyed a lot of great sails in the past year, but none better.

It was all going swell until we rounded Thomas Point Lighthouse and turned back upwind. The breeze had not eased off. We took a couple of waves aboard that pretty much filled the cockpit. The motor’s battery was swamped and fried, along with the bilge pump. There was much bailing. 

A crew of midshipmen on an Academy race boat idled alongside for a bit to make sure we were OK. They of course had no idea who I was, but I’m sure they realized: “Whoa. That’s Gary freaking Jobson.” Amid the chaos, it was pretty amusing. 

There was just one last bit of drama. Under sail on the last wisps of the fading northerly (at last!), we eked through the drawbridge at the 4:30 opening. Gary had been counting down the minutes from a quarter-mile out, and I was sure we’d be late, but I’m certainly not in any Hall of Fame. The bridge’s rails were of course lined with stranded refugees from the Annapolis Sailboat Show waiting to move, and I have no doubt that at least a few made the same “Is that who I think it is?” connection as the middies. 

Had the tender left the bridge open for a few extra ­moments as a favor as we passed through? Perhaps. “I’ll bring up another case of Heineken tomorrow,” Jobson said. 

As a sailor, I’ve been a lucky lad to knock off more than a few of my bucket-list voyages. And now I have another. I’ll always be able to say that I sailed through the Spa Creek Bridge on a windy day with a legend. 

The post A Legendary Sail appeared first on Cruising World.

Buddy Melges is one of the all-time best sailors that the United States has produced in the past 70 years. His resume includes an Olympic gold medal, helming an America’s Cup yacht to victory, being named Rolex Yachtsman of the Year three times, and winning dozens of world and national championships in Stars, Solings, E Scows and many other classes. Melges is a hero to generations of sailors based on his tireless mission of helping other aspiring sailors to improve their sailing skills. A new feature-length film being produced by Mark Honer aims to tell the Melges story, which he describes as “a biography about the life and sailing career of the legendary Buddy Melges.”

Over the past year, Honer interviewed sailors from across the United States and throughout the world who have raced with and against Melges. The list of interviewees includes America’s Cup-winning skippers Dennis Conner, John Bertrand and Bill Koch, Olympic gold medalist Bill Allen, equipment manufacturer Peter Harken, Scow champions John and Brian Porter, and filmmaker Dick Enersen. I was also lucky to be interviewed for the production. Buddy is easy to talk about because he has done so much on the water, and helped so many sailors over the course of his long career.

Mark Honer’s production company, Destination Hope, goes by the name of DHTV Digital. He has produced many award-winning documentaries and television series. His film Combined recently won Best Story at the Sunset Film Festival in Los Angeles. He started his career as a reporter for CBS News and producing live sports for events that include college basketball’s Final Four and the Winter Olympics. He has also produced reports on presidential campaigns.

Melges: The Wizard of Zenda is his first production on a sailor. He says, “Creating powerful, inspiring stories is our goal,” and he picked a big name in sailing. The film is scheduled for release in early 2022.

The post Documentary Tells the Buddy Melges Story appeared first on Cruising World.

Sable Island, a remote stretch of sand and grass, is located about 200 miles southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia. This crescent shaped island is home to a herd of 500 wild horses, 10,000 gray seals, and birds and insects indigenous only to the island. Undeniably beautiful, it is also the site of 400 shipwrecks over the past 500 years as the low sand dunes and persistent fog make the island difficult to see.

Intrigued by the idea of the effect of the ocean on land movement in the absence of development, Jobson spent two years obtaining the clearance necessary to explore the island. In August 2015 he organized a cruise to Sable with the goal of producing a documentary. His yacht, with a crew of six, was the only sailing vessel given permission to land on Sable Island that year.

Jobson said “I got a high-end camera operator and the two of us, along with two archaeologists and three additional sailors, were fortunate enough to spend three unusually clear days on Sable Island. For our efforts, we now have a 47-minute film about this mysterious place.”

The Sable Island film will be shown with another Jobson effort, Ted Turner’s Greatest Race: 1979 Fastnet, about the sailing competition that became a life or death struggle that eventually claimed 18 lives. A member of Turner’s crew, Jobson tells the tragic tale that began when hurricane force winds and massive swells surprised the 202-boat fleet competing in the 605-mile race. He directed the film last year for ESPN’s “30 For 30” short film series.

Jobson is editor-at-large for Sailing World and Cruising World magazines and has written numerous sailing books. He also has produced more than 1,000 award-winning films and television programs. President of the National Sailing Hall of Fame, Jobson is a recipient of Nathanael G. Herreshoff Trophy, US Sailing’s most prestigious award. In 2003, Jobson was inducted the America’s Cup Hall of Fame by the Herreshoff Marine Museum.

Jobson’s video work also has earned him accolades including an Award for Cable Excellence (ACE) for the 1987 America’s Cup on ESPN. In 1988, he won Emmys for his production of sailing at the Olympic Games in South Korea, and for the 2006 Volvo Ocean Race on PBS. In 2013, Jobson was presented a Telly Award for Unfurling the World: The Voyages of Irving and Electa Johnson.

Residents of Annapolis, Jobson and his wife, Janice, have three grown daughters, Kristi, Ashleigh and Brooke and two grandsons, Declan and Franklin.

The post The Mystery of Sable Island appeared first on Cruising World.