Doug Ryan Sailing YouTube has quietly become the modern waterfront bar where we all hang out. Some channels are pure bluewater adventure. Some are boatyard sweat and fiberglass dust. Some feel like sunset cockpit conversations after a long reach offshore. And whether you’re dreaming from your couch, restoring an old fiberglass classic in your driveway, or already … Read more
I keep hearing this story over and over again, especially from boat owners in Florida the southern east coast. “I got a letter in the mail last October. My boat insurance renewal. And I want you to look at this with me for a second. Same boat. Same marina. Same coverage. My premium jumped 47% … Read more
Picture this. It’s 1995. You’ve just bought your first sailboat, a 28-footer. You’re living the dream. Your marina slip costs you $180 a month. You go home, crack a beer, and think: this is the life. Fast forward to today. That same slip, in that same marina, if it’s even still independent, will run you … Read more
When I asked what you learned to sail on, I figured we’d hear the usual names — Sunfish, Hobie Cats, Optimists — and we did. But what I didn’t expect was more than 1,500 stories rolling in from every kind of shoreline imaginable. Alongside the classics were forgotten fiberglass relics, quirky one-designs, and plenty of … Read more
A Friendly, Real-World Guide for Sailors Who Actually Use Their Boats Choosing a sailboat is emotional. Choosing a marina should be logical — but let’s be honest, it’s emotional too. Your marina isn’t just a parking space for fiberglass and dreams. It’s your gateway to the water. It’s your weekend ritual. It’s where friendships form, … Read more
Let’s talk about the question a lot of sailors have been quietly (or loudly) asking at yacht clubs, marinas, and comment sections around the world: Is SailGP replacing the America’s Cup? That’s not a small question. It’s like asking if Formula E is replacing Formula 1. Or if the X Games replaced the Olympics. The … Read more
If you’ve been sailing long enough, you’ve seen it.The pale face. The thousand-yard stare. The sudden obsession with the rail. Motion sickness is one of the great equalizers of sailing. It doesn’t care how smart you are, how tough you are, or how badly you want to love boating. It can hit seasoned sailors, first-timers, … Read more
Sailing has always been underrepresented on television. Boats are expensive to film, weather is unpredictable, and seamanship doesn’t always fit neatly into modern storytelling. Still, a handful of shows have managed to put sailing — real sailing — at the heart of their stories. These series don’t just use ships as props; they make the … Read more
(From Guilty Pleasure to Absolute Perfection) Some sailing scenes exist just to move the plot along. Others exist because someone behind the camera truly understood boats, wind, and what it feels like to trust your life to canvas and rigging. These ten scenes fall into the second category — ranked from fun-but-flawed to flat-out legendary. … Read more
When people argue about the “best” sailboat, they usually mean their sailboat.But popularity is different. Popularity is measurable. The boats on this list earned their place not through marketing or prestige, but through sheer adoption. They were bought by regular people. They were sailed hard, sailed badly, sailed everywhere—and then sold to the next generation … Read more