Surviving a Tornado at Sea: A Motorsailer’s Firsthand Account The night erupted in lightning that tore the sky into white fissures. What began as big, tentative drops quickly became a sheet of water so dense it felt solid. “At least we can see the shore lights,” I shouted. “It’s not a whiteout.” I wish I … Read more

Chesapeake Bay Watermen and the Workboats That Sustain Them Braving wind, waves, and shifting tides, Chesapeake Bay watermen depend on rugged, purpose-built workboats to harvest and transport the region’s finfish and shellfish. These vessels — from buyboats to skipjacks, bugeyes to draketails — are more than tools; they are integral to a way of life … Read more

Mark Fuhrmann Completes Solo Kayak Greater Loop: A 6,800-Mile Solo Circumnavigation Mark Fuhrmann, 65, has become the first person known to have solo kayaked the Greater Loop, a continuous nautical route that spans approximately 6,800 miles across Canada and the United States. Fuhrmann set out to complete the route in a single-handed effort with a … Read more

Cruising to Vero Beach along the Intracoastal Waterway, you travel through North America’s most biologically diverse and second-largest estuary system: the 156-mile-long Indian River Lagoon. Stretching from Ponce de Leon Inlet south to Jupiter Inlet, the lagoon sits at the transition between temperate and subtropical climate zones, creating a unique mix of habitats and species. … Read more

Icebreakers on the Great Lakes: How They Keep Winter Shipping Moving When winter settles over the Great Lakes, the landscape changes from open water to a frozen expanse that can dominate the region from December well into spring. Some seasons are especially severe: in 2015 more than 80 percent of the lakes’ surface water froze, … Read more

Boater Rescued After Drifting in Gulf Stream: 24-Year-Old Samuel Moss Found Alive In early January, 24-year-old Samuel Moss Jr. purchased a 21-foot Angler cuddy cabin in South Florida with plans to return to his home island of Bimini via Nassau. The first leg of his journey — crossing the Gulf Stream to Nassau — went … Read more

Jay Fleming: Chesapeake Bay Photographer Capturing Watermen, Boats and Wild Places On any given day, Chesapeake Bay photographer Jay Fleming can be found slogging through mosquito-rich marshes, paddling among workboats or plunging into a net full of fish to get the images he needs. Always willing to go the extra mile, Fleming’s photography opens a … Read more

On a seemingly ordinary August day in 2015, John Waldman stood at the edge of Hempstead Harbor on Long Island’s north shore and noticed something unusual in the water. Instead of the familiar blue of Long Island Sound, the surface was broken by a silver flash: menhaden, commonly called bunker, packed in dense schools. “There … Read more

Essential Navigation and Cruising Apps Every Boater Should Know After 30 years of cruising, I’ve found that well-designed apps make navigation safer, more efficient and often more enjoyable. From route planning and chart overlays to tide tables and customs clearance, modern apps reduce uncertainty and let you focus on the voyage. Below I summarize the … Read more

Benjamin Mendlowitz — Photo Details and Technical Notes Photo by Benjamin Mendlowitz This photograph by Benjamin Mendlowitz was published in the May 2015 issue. Below are the full technical details and a concise explanation of what the camera settings indicate, along with practical notes on how similar results can be achieved. The following information is … Read more