Kali’s Law: Texas Requires Boat Operators to Be Physically Connected to Emergency Shutoff Switches On Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a new law requiring boat operators to be physically connected to a vessel’s emergency shutoff switch, commonly known as a kill switch. The legislation, widely referred to as “Kali’s Law,” is intended to reduce … Read more

Offshore Sailing: Why Self-Reliance Alone Is No Longer Enough There was a time when leaving sight of land meant serious risk. Before the marine chronometer made longitude practical, venturing beyond the horizon was a gamble. Even after accurate charts and reliable timekeeping became available, the sea remained unforgiving. So dangerous was offshore voyaging that New … Read more

Lessons from a Grounding: Distraction, Situational Awareness, and Seamanship In early December, Soundings contributor John Wooldridge passed along a news item about a large container ship that ran aground in the Chesapeake Bay. The stranded vessel became a local spectacle as residents gathered at a bayside park to watch efforts to refloat the ship. The … Read more

Kristen Neuschafer Wins Golden Globe Race After 235 Days at Sea After 235 days alone at sea, Kristen Neuschafer sailed into the French port of Les Sables-d’Olonne to claim first place in the Golden Globe Race. Her arrival marked the end of a long and demanding solo circumnavigation that tested seamanship, endurance and resolve. Neuschafer’s … Read more

Sail Newport’s Fourth-Grade Sailing Program Builds Life Skills and Local Connection At 9:45 a.m., the school bus disgorges a steady stream of fourth-graders at the Sail Newport Sailing Center. Some students head upstairs to a classroom led by teachers, while others don life jackets and walk down to the docks with sailing instructors. A fresh … Read more

“There’s the emotional side—moments of terror, tedium, anxiety,” says New York–based artist and casual sailor Zoë Sheehan-Saldaña, 49, describing her first Race to Alaska, a 750-mile dash from Port Townsend, Washington, to Ketchikan, Alaska. The event allows only wind and muscle power and forbids outside assistance. “Then there were moments so beautiful you couldn’t believe … Read more

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Expands Shipwright Apprentice Program with $30,000 Grant The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has received more than $30,000 in grant funding from the Rural Maryland Council to strengthen its Shipwright Apprentice Program. The award, announced in January, will help support stipends for formal apprentices and expand opportunities for public engagement with traditional … Read more

Voyage to Newfoundland’s Southern Shore: A Rosborough SeaHag Adventure It began as a daydream: take my boat, SeaHag, a 1996 Rosborough RF246 LSV, to the southern shore of Newfoundland. I had only three seasons of boating experience, mostly on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence near my home port of Cape Vincent, New York. Newfoundland’s … Read more

World Voyagers: Stories from Long-Distance Cruisers We tracked down a group of people who dared to dream, made plans and steered their boats toward distant horizons. Their experiences are inspiring because they’re practical, hard-won and relatable. Below are condensed, fluent accounts of how these cruisers got started, what they learned, the equipment that made their … Read more

Boating in a Pandemic: How Marinas and Boaters Are Adapting on Lake Hopatcong and Beyond Ray Fernandez manages Bridge Marina on Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey—a state that, after New York, was one of the hardest hit early in the Covid-19 pandemic. As the virus prompted shutdowns in March, just before the Northeast’s annual commissioning season, … Read more