Sail Far Live Free

"I believe designing a fast, good looking sailboat does not require any design compromise." -Ron Holland Here's number 4 i n my series of mini-interviews with prominent sailboat designers. Today I'm welcoming Ron Holland , the premier large yacht designer.  Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Ron's love for sailing began at an early age. Ron's father, wanting the best for him, bought Ron a sailing dinghy for his 7th birthday. Ron recalls feeling upset because he really wanted a rowing dinghy, not a sailing dinghy. He was afraid the dinghy would tip over and sure enough, it capsized on their first trip out on the water. By the age of 15, Ron was a well-known crew member of several successful yachts. One of which was the 36-foot ketch Aloha on which he sailed from Auckland to Sydney, a journey of over 1,000 miles. His experiences lead to an apprenticeship with boat builder Keith Atkinson through the Auckland Technical Institute. While there, two teachers recogn

"No matter how hard I work on the aesthetics, I never arrive at a place where I feel the boat is "perfect". It may look perfect on Monday, but by Tuesday I will know I can improve it." -Bob Perry This is the third entry in a series of my mini-interviews with prominent sailboat designers. My guest this time is SailFarLiveFree guest blog veteran and one of my personal favorite designers - Bob Perry . You probably already know many of Bob's designs, but some of my personal favorites are the Babas (30, 35, 40), the Nordic/Valiant Esprit 37, and the Lafitte 44. It's hard to sum up Bob's sailboat design work in just a paragraph, so instead of trying I'll just give you a few more examples of his production designs: Islander Freeport 36/38, Norseman 447, several Passports (456, 470, 485, 515), Tashiba 31/36/40, Tayana 37, and many Valiants (32, 40, 42, 47, 50). And did you know Bob also designed the Westsail 38, the big CTs (48-72), and the very unique D

"Wherever you go, no matter the weather, always bring your own sunshine." - Anthony J. D'Angelo ...or at least bring a good all-weather jacket.  Zhik's Kiama jacket is just the ticket for most of the sailing that I do here on the Great Lakes. It's design is simple, and I mean that in a very good way. There aren't a ton of panels sewn together or several colors competing for you attention. Instead, the Kiama offers a clean look and a fit that's comfortable. Even in simplicity, this jacket is more than just a shell to fend off the wind and repel rain and spray. It's got a certain heft to it that adds just the right amount of warmth and insulation. Zhik says it's designed for inshore sailing in mild to moderate cool conditions, but I'm inclined to think it can handle more and will even make a really functional winter ski coat so long as you add a medium weight base layer. Regardless of how it's used, movement isn't restricted

This is the second entry in a series of my mini-interviews with prominent sailboat designers. My guest this time is Bill Dixon. Bill leads Dixon Yacht Design and has done so ever since he took over Angus Primrose Design more than 27 years ago. To cruising sailors, perhaps Bill's best known designs include sailboats from Moody Yachts  since 1981. Of particular note are the unique and innovative Moody deck saloons. As Moody Yachts puts it, "Bill Dixon is more than a designer. Each one of his developments is filled with life." Dixon Yacht Design has also been involved with the Passport Vista 615 , Passport 58TC , the Discovery 50 catamaran , the Tayana 54 and many others including  several superyacht sailboats  and powerboats. A very big THANK YOU to Bill for participating! And now on to my questions and Bill's responses: 1) Sum up your sailboat design philosophy in a few sentences. I enjoy designing sailing yachts, based on the lifestyles of owners. This, I believ

"A designer must study the essentials of what is beautiful in yachts, and work these ideals into any design he draws whether blonde or brunette, transom stern or pointed, power or sail." - Chuck Paine This post is the first in a series I'm putting together to help give myself some new perspectives on cruising sailboats from the design pros. In the series, I'll be asking well-known yacht designers to answer 4 questions. Follow along with the series and learn a bit about what makes these designers tick and the intricacies of such things as the tradeoffs for sailboats between form and function. Here are my questions for the designers: 1) Sum up your sailboat design philosophy in a few sentences. 2) What's one of your personal favorite sailboats that you designed and why? 3) Is there a sailboat design and/or designer that inspired your own work or career? 4) Is it more difficult to design a sailboat that looks good or sails good? For this particular post,

Autumn Rolling In (Muskegon, MI)

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." - Mark Twain I'm mostly a t-shirt sailor, which is to say I'm not picky about what attire I wear when I'm sailing (and I have little influence on society). But I find that the older I get the more sensitive my skin seems to be to UV and wind rash, which is exactly why I was excited to try out a shirt from Snikwah that offers sun protection (UPF 50+) and an extendable/convertible collar to keep my neck, ears and even face protected on the water if I so choose. No, I'm not robbing a bank - I'm outfitted for sun/wind/bug/spray protection on the water! Snikwah's claim to fame is their proprietary blend of Dri-Release fabric that adds excellent moisture wicking ability to the UV protection. I don't know exactly what the material is made of, but it's been comfortable and airy during the last two weekends of sailing.  I'm also happy to report that Lake Michiga

"The half minute which we daily devote to the winding up of our watches is an exertion of labour almost insensible; yet, by the aid of a few wheels, its effect is spread over the whole of twenty-four hours." - Charles Babbage Sailing is sometimes that way too. The raising and trimming of sails is like the half minute exertion of watch winding labor whose effects can carry us hundreds or even thousands of miles through the wind and waves. If the wind is right, you get a lot for a little. With today's battery powered smart watches and quartz movement self-winding watches, the exertion of labor that Babbage describes is not only insensible, but in many cases actually non-existent. Take for example the subject of this review, the wooden Dover watch from Jord . The Dover requires an initial winding, but then daily activity keeps it ticking if it's worn for 8 hours a day or so. What I really like is that the wood feels light and comfortable on my wrist and adds a

"It was a poetic recreation to watch those distant sails steering for half-fabulous ports, whose very names are a mysterious music to our ears. It is remarkable that men do not sail the sea with more expectation. Nothing was ever accomplished in a prosaic mood." -Henry David Thoreau I know, I know. Citing a Thoreau quote to open a simple sailor's blog post is going to alienate some of you. But still, I think he sets the stage well for my kind of summer cruise. There's nothing unimagined or lacking poetry when I leave the dock in the summer, even if only for 9 days. When I cast off the lines headed for the other end of Muskegon Lake or the northern basin of Lake Michigan I might as well be sailing to the far side of the world. My mind and spirit run free like a child's on the first day of summer break. I'm James Cook and Bernard Moitessier in a common skin. And oh how those half-fabulous ports of Leland, Northport, Suttons Bay and Traverse City were indee

"Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else." -Margaret Mead A good shoe for sailing has a few unique ingredients - good grip, toe protection and waterproofing or quick drainage. Add to that some degree of comfort, durability and style for gracing the marina and you've got a winner. Keen has taken two cords and a sole and turned them into a really fantastic sandal that's versatile enough for the deck or the trail.  Aptly named the Keen Uneek , these new sandals check all the boxes by providing wet deck grip from the non-marking rubber outsole's razor siping, a degree of toe protection courtesy of the hand braided cord and fast draining and drying due to the microfiber footbed. What was unexpected was just how comfortable the Uneeks are on my feet. The polyester braided cord is form fitting and flexible enough that there are no pressure points anywhere yet the fit is still secure and stable. Now that I've had a chance to w