Monthly Archives: August 2015

The Dumbest And Most Reckless Thing I’ve Seen On The Water Yet

2015 Cruising, Sabre 42

By Rich

On these pages I’ve had occasion to speak of certain power boat operators I’ve come across in derogatory terms.  I hate to generalize – I really do. I have every confidence that there are plenty of skilled and responsible power boaters (I know some of them, and some read this blog!!) and plenty of lousy sailboaters as well. But for whatever reason – maybe there are more powerboaters, maybe the sport attracts a different mentality, or maybe power boats’ relative ease of operation lulls their skippers into over confidence – I seem to see much more foolish or irresponsible behavior on the part of power boaters than I do sail boaters. Continue reading The Dumbest And Most Reckless Thing I’ve Seen On The Water Yet →

Single-Handed Passage: Newport To Port Jefferson

2015 Cruising, Sabre 42, Single Handing

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By Rich

It’s late August, and with our scheduled Newport-area cruises complete, we decided to start the trip home to Annapolis via a slow September cruise of Long Island Sound. As the first leg in the journey, I decided to work on building some new skills by making my first single-handed passage. Although I’ve done a fair amount of single-handed day sailing since we bought Le Saberage late last summer, single handed passage making would stretch a whole new set of muscles. Continue reading Single-Handed Passage: Newport To Port Jefferson →

3 1/2 Hours Of After-Work Bliss

2015 Cruising, Sabre 42, Single Handing

IMG_7780By Rich

Last Friday after work the conditions were perfect for a little after work single handling. There’s nothing quite like dropping the mooring on a whim, rolling out the jib, and banging around the Bay with the main still under it’s cover. Before I knew it over three hours had passed and I still couldn’t resist one more bounce across the eastern passage of the Narragansett.

Pure bliss.

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Return To Block Island (And A Heavy Weather Sail Home)

2015 Cruising, Sabre 42

IMG_7631By Rich

This weekend we returned to Block Island with our good friends Erik and Shannon to see if we could broaden last week’s experiences with a bicycle tour of the interior of the island. We motored out Friday in a very weak breeze and enjoyed a leisurely afternoon and evening on the mooring followed by the obligatory drinks & dinner at The Oar. Continue reading Return To Block Island (And A Heavy Weather Sail Home) →

Cruising Block Island

2015 Cruising, Sabre 42

IMG_7491By Rich

If you’ve had a chance to shop for NASCAR tickets lately, you’ve probably picked up on the fact that attending races is a lot more expensive than it was a decade or two ago. One could theorize that more affluent Americans took to the sport and drove prices up, but another theory is that – depressing macro-economic statistics notwithstanding – many salt-of-the-earth, working-class Americans are doing quite well financially and that NASCAR ticket prices have followed in the steps of their good fortune. Continue reading Cruising Block Island →