Brad Van Liew’s Solo Odyssey: Racing the Velux 5 Oceans on an Eco 60 Sailing roughly 30,000 miles around the globe alone on a 60-foot yacht is a formidable undertaking, yet Charleston native Brad Van Liew — the United States’ sole entry in the Velux 5 Oceans Race — embraces it with steady resolve. Van … Read more

About a dozen years ago, a friend and I took a 16-foot Zodiac Medline RIB on a roughly 60-mile trip from Essex to Norwalk, Connecticut. Until then my experience with inflatables had been limited to small, soft-bottom tenders used to ferry people through mooring fields or to reach shore for lunch. The comfort, stability and … Read more

NOAA Tests Saildrones to Supplement Ocean Fish Surveys Estimating how many fish inhabit the ocean and determining sustainable catch limits is a complex and often contentious task. Commercial fishing interests, conservation groups, and regulatory agencies all have a stake in the outcome. In the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is responsible … Read more

Tulsa, Okla. – Simrad Yachting, a recognized leader in marine navigation, autopilot, radar, communications and fishfinding systems, has introduced two compact radome radars designed for smaller sportfishing and cruising craft: the HALO20+ and the HALO20. These two models bring the advantages of HALO radar technology—exceptional short-range performance, clear target separation and modern safety features—to boats … Read more

For a marine artist, painting what lies before the eye is one task; composing a convincing scene drawn from history and imagination is another. Translating the atmosphere, labor and authenticity of a bygone maritime life into a single canvas is a demanding assignment. That was the brief Russ Kramer accepted when he agreed to create … Read more

A new spin on an old tale Theodore Dreiser (1871–1945) stands among the major figures of early 20th-century American literature. Best known for landmark novels such as Sister Carrie and An American Tragedy—works that shaped realist fiction and influenced later film adaptations—Dreiser’s name remains synonymous with uncompromising portrayals of ambition, social pressure, and the darker … Read more

“Sir, I hasten to inform you that War was this day declared against Great Britain.” — Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin to U.S. Customs Collectors, 1812 When the United States entered the War of 1812, its naval forces were small and stretched thin. The nation had roughly 16 naval vessels and about a dozen revenue cutters … Read more

The sun had driven the fog out to sea. Under the Golden Gate’s red towers, a schooner heeled into the breeze, her plumb stem cutting through the boiling ebb as she spread her canvas. On that bright day in San Francisco Bay, the pilot schooner Wander Bird combined effortless grace with raw power, delighting the … Read more

Cape Dory 28 — A Classic Down East Semidisplacement Cruiser The Cape Dory 28 made its debut in 1984 as a straightforward, seaworthy powerboat that married traditional styling with practical cruising accommodations. Built with a trunk cabin, a single engine and an interior designed for comfort underway, the design quickly became a standard-bearer for the … Read more

Soundings: Sixty Years of a Boating Institution In the early 1960s, Jack Turner and two friends sat around a kitchen table with a bottle of gin and an idea: start a newspaper for boaters. That timing proved decisive. Soundings was born just as the marine industry shifted from wooden boats to fiberglass, setting the stage … Read more