Doug Ryan

Nobody hands you a manual for this. You get a boat, a vague sense of confidence borrowed from a weekend course, and a whole ocean’s worth of ways to be humbled. The good news is that every mistake you’re about to make has already been made by somebody else — usually several thousand somebody elses, … Read more

Every marina has one guy who owns a trimaran, and every marina treats him the same way: half curiosity, half suspicion, like he showed up to the potluck with a dish nobody recognizes. Three hulls. No keel to speak of. A boat that looks like it’s trying to be a bug and a sailboat at … Read more

Picture a California beach in the summer of 1979: a wall of striped sails at the waterline, a dozen boats flying a hull at once, everybody on the trapeze laughing like idiots. That was a Hobie 16, and for a stretch of about fifteen years, that boat basically was the beach. Then, in 1988, the … Read more

Somebody invited you sailing. Congratulations, and also, condolences, because you are about to learn that “a nice relaxing day on the water” is one of the great lies of modern hospitality. It can absolutely be relaxing. It can also turn into a floating classroom where you are graded in real time on whether you understand … Read more

There’s a special kind of silence that falls over a group of old salts when somebody pulls into the anchorage on one of *these* boats. You know the silence. It’s not rude. It’s the silence of people choosing their words carefully. The silence of a man who once did a survey on one of those … Read more

When I was shopping for a chart plotter two years ago, I kept asking myself the same question: “Is this really the best we can do for something that costs $1,000 or more?” For the most part, chart plotters have been stuck at the level of a 2000s-era car GPS — sold at the price … Read more

Owning a sailboat is a dream for many people—but the reality behind the dream often surprises new owners. In a new book, The Four Seasons of Boat Maintenance, marine professional Christopher Birch, the article explores one of the most common questions boat owners ask: Where can I cut back on maintenance? After four decades working … Read more

Sailing has always attracted a certain kind of person. It requires patience, independence, and a willingness to face the unpredictable power of the sea. Over the years, some very famous people have fallen deeply in love with sailing—actors, musicians, billionaires, kings, and even presidents. For many of them, sailing wasn’t just a hobby. It was … Read more

You find a sailboat for sale. It’s 30 or 40 years old. The pictures look great, the teak is glowing, and the owner assures you, “She’s solid.” The asking price is only $10,000. You start imagining yourself sailing it. Then someone says, “You should get a survey before you buy it.” Suddenly you’re wondering why … Read more

For decades, boating in America had two very different faces. There was the polished yacht club version — manicured docks, six-figure boats, gated marinas, and waterfront condos with wine glasses clinking at sunset. And then there was the other side. The quiet anchorages. The older sailboats with faded gelcoat and mismatched sails. The couple living … Read more