In “Where Have All the Pirates Gone,” singer Eileen Quinn paints a picture of Boot Key Harbor in Marathon that evokes both fond memories and uncomfortable truths about a changing cruising community. The song’s tongue-in-cheek verses—about beaches, bikini-clad crowds and an endless supply of overproof rum—hint at a bygone era of rough-and-ready boaters who once … Read more

Old Saybrook and Essex: Boating the Lower Connecticut River The lower Connecticut River is widely regarded as one of the region’s last great natural estuaries, and for boaters it offers a rich combination of scenic cruising, historic towns and well-equipped marinas. At the river’s mouth sits Old Saybrook, and roughly six miles upstream lies Essex … Read more

Offshore cruising for the next generation The Handbook of Offshore Cruising, originally published in 1994 by Jim Howard, returns in a thoroughly revised second edition (April 2009, softcover, 468 pages). This updated edition, revised and modernized by Charles J. Doane, brings the classic trans-oceanic passagemaking manual into the 21st century with refreshed content and an … Read more

Queen Bee: The 26-Foot Center Console That Drifted Over 3,000 Miles Shackleton, Bligh, Slocum … Queen Bee. It may sound like a stretch to compare them, but among the improbable small-boat voyages recorded in maritime lore, the story of Queen Bee deserves an asterisk. This little 26-foot Regulator center-console wandered far from home and returned … Read more

USS Recruit: The Wooden Battleship That Recruited in Union Square In 1917, as the United States entered the First World War, a surge of patriotic fervor swept the nation and the demand for new recruits rose sharply. To meet that need and capture public attention, the Navy tried an unconventional recruitment tool: a full-scale wooden … Read more

Marlin Damages Deck of Atlantic Rowboat Carrying Shropshire Crew in Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge Four men from Shropshire, England, competing in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge suffered an unexpected setback when a marlin reportedly struck their ocean rowboat, puncturing the deck and damaging storage lockers that hold their food. The incident highlights both the hazards … Read more

On Board Fall River Line Steamer Priscilla — William Muller The glittering steam ferry Pilgrim brightens a tranquil evening on Long Island Sound in William Muller’s oil-on-canvas scene, On Board Fall River Line Steamer Priscilla. In the painting, the stately Priscilla, a 440-foot queen of the line, dominates the view. She was one of the … Read more

North America offers two iconic cruising adventures that capture the imagination of seasoned boaters and newcomers alike: the Inside Passage of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Loop that circles much of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. The Inside Passage stretches from Washington State through British Columbia and on to Alaska, offering nearly … Read more

Flags and pennants snapped in a steady southerly breeze as the whaleship Charles W. Morgan stood proudly dressed out at Chubb’s Wharf at the Mystic Seaport Museum in the 1950s. The photograph captures a moment of ceremonial display for a working whaler that had been transformed into a museum centerpiece, its rigging and spars trimmed … Read more

Jan Gougeon and the FLICKA Capsize: Survival in the North Atlantic On June 20, 1979, during a qualifying race for the Observer Single-Handed Transatlantic Race (OSTAR), Jan Gougeon’s self-designed and built 31-foot trimaran, FLICKA, was overwhelmed by heavy seas and capsized in the North Atlantic. Jan survived for four days on the overturned plywood-and-epoxy multihull … Read more