Cruising World

Cruising World is your passport for exploring the world’s coastlines and oceans while voyaging under sail. Its contributors inspire and entertain through stories, pictures and videos that underscore the beauty and adventure of sailing, while providing instruction on the disciplines of seamanship, navigation and boat handling. The Cruising World community is made up of experienced, committed sailors and boat owners. No matter their long-range sailing plans, Cruising World’s mission is to nurture their dreams with practical how-to information and stirring real-life adventure features.

40 KNOTS and 5 WINNERS • Cruising World’s Boat of the Year sea trials are the best week of my editorial year, but day one last fall tried hard to convince me otherwise.

Cruising World

UNDERWAY • STORIES, SAILORS and the BLUEWATER LIFE—the PASSAGE STARTS HERE

On Watch • A midnight foredeck moment in the Hebrides reminded me that the best gift of having guests aboard is seeing your own sailing life through fresh eyes.

RIGHT PLACES, RIGHT TIME • A marine biologist couple turned a cruising frustration into a global citizen science program that puts sailors on the front lines of coral reef conservation.

Between TWO WORLDS • Returning to the United States after months in French Polynesia, this cruising sailor found that culture shock works both ways.

REINVENTED AND READY: 2026-27 NEW BOAT PREVIEW • Your guide to the models reshaping performance, comfort and sustainability standards for cruisers heading into 2027.

BOAT OF THE YEAR 2027 PREVIEW: NOMINEES AT A GLANCE • Several of this year’s New Boat Showcase entries are also in the running for Cruising World’s Boat of the Year 2027 awards. Here’s where each stands as of press time.

CLOSING THE ELECTRONIC BLIND SPOTS • AIS, radar and GPS each have critical weaknesses that can put sailors in danger. Here’s how to see the full picture.

WINTER PREP, SPRING PAYOFF • Layup day feels like a goodbye. Handled right, it’s actually a promise, one your boat cashes in the moment you turn the key next spring.

5 LAYUP MISTAKES THAT COST A SPRING WEEKEND

SIGNAL BOOST • When cell service disappears and the coast is out of sight, knowing how to communicate at sea is the skill that keeps everyone safe.

DON’T LET A SEACOCK SINK YOU • A late-night bilge pump alarm led this sailor to a hard-won lesson about the one cheap fix every boat should already have aboard.

THE REWARD • After 18 months, 40 islands and a steep learning curve, we realized that Japan’s many rules aren’t an obstacle. They’re the point.

BOAT of the YEAR 2026: ALL ABOUT the SAILING • For the 2026 Boat of the Year contest, an eclectic and versatile fleet of 15 nominees—split almost evenly between monohulls and multihulls—came together on Chesapeake Bay to vie for top honors in our annual competition. When all was said and done, there was an important common denominator among the five winners: They all performed magnificently under sail.

THE LAKE THAT WON A REVOLUTION • Lake Champlain is 120 miles of stunning freshwater sailing, and one of the most consequential bodies of water in American history.

Off Watch • The Portuguese phrase for “slow ahead” can be a careful reminder to a ship’s captain, but it’s also an axiom that any cruising sailor might do well to keep in mind.