Regattas, ports, trials and must-see sea stories: it’s SAIL of June!

Why get on board with us for the June issue of the Sailing Journal? For many good reasons. Read on, we already reveal ten of them for you to preview: beginning with the “serving” on all the regattas in the Mediterranean, through Pierpaolo and Anna’s beautiful story of love and the sea, two round-the-world trips aboard their Hallberg-Rassy, that of Fred Rebell, the Pacific pioneer, and for practical advice on how to avoid straorza. This and much, much more.

1. TO EACH HIS OWN (REGATTA)
Did you know that the Mediterranean is teeming with rallies, long races, coastal and between the buoys? We have selected 50 of them to “enliven” your vacations, from mid-June until late October, differing in length, type, and target audience, and we have divided them into four broad categories. Regattas in magical places, worth participating in because of the beauty of the sailing area or destination, which can constitute the vacation itself; those for fun, whose strength lies in the originality of the formula (such as combined sailing and cooking, nights and competitions reserved for “his and her” couples); the not-to-be-missed ones, which in addition to being competitions constitute real sailing festivals, beautiful even if only to watch; and those for those who love to race, focused on the competitive side.

2. THE WIND HAS CHANGED – PORTS SPECIAL 2014
The time of “escapes” to French and Greek marinas is over, current events tell us: keeping a boat in Italy has become affordable again. We explain why in this our analysis and also reveal some of the best landings along our coasts and beyond. Since it is World Cup time, we did not shy away from the challenge: this year we decided to create our ideal team composed of “players” capable of challenging any team. Eleven ports that can meet the needs of a wide variety of boaters.

3. MAGIC AZZAM
We sailed a preview of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s new Volvo 65, one of six teams that will take part in the 2014/15 VOR (departing next October 11 from Alicante, Spain and arriving in Gothenburg, Sweden, after nearly 39 thousand miles and 11 legs). The great race around the world this time chose a one-design: more safety, lower costs, equal boats. How are you doing? Enthusiastic!

4. OUR TESTINGS: ELAN 360 AND JEANNEAU 349
We tested two boats that differed from each other in philosophy: the new Elan 360 and the Jeanneau 349. For the Slovenian shipyard, the challenge was significant: to replace a successful boat like the Elan 350. To do so, Rob Humphreys opted for a high-performance hull inspired by ocean hulls. Instead, Jeanneau launches the “fast and easy” concept, where performance takes nothing away from comfortable cruising amenities.

5. FRED REBELL, THE MAN WHO CROSSED THE PACIFIC WITHOUT KNOWING HOW TONAVIGATE
Hubman, farmer, inventor able to build himself a sextant out of saw teeth and a Boy Scout’s telescope: this is the incredible life of a man who crossed the ocean from Australia to the United States–with a fake passport, of course. His name was Fred Rebell, pseudonym of Paul Sproge, and he was born in Latvia in 1886. An adventurous life always on the run, first by land, then by sea, inspired by another great pioneer of the oceans, Bernard Gilboy.

6. TWO HEARTS AND A HALLBERG-RASSY
Pier Paolo and Anna Appiani, both 71, are the owners of the Hallberg-Rassy 48 Talisman, aboard which they completed their second six-year round-the-world voyage. Cousins, engaged and then husband and wife, their affair is a great story of love before sailing. The two have plenty to tell about: from storms encountered in the Atlantic, through shipboard snakes and adventures on the Amazon, to pirates encountered at the 2011 Blue Water Rally…

7. BISSARO-SICOURI, THE FLYING ENGINEERS

ISAF rankings in hand, they are the strongest in the world today: Vittorio Bissaro and Silvia Sicouri, aboard the Nacra 17, represent Italy’s concrete medal hopes ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics. We interviewed the two “Flying Engineers,” and found that their main weapon is great humility. And sympathy.

8. THE BEST OF THE SHAKES
The only Italian archipelago positioned in the Adriatic Sea, it has always been an isolated and wild place. In fact, visiting it by boat allows you to discover its most beautiful and spectacular corners in solitude and tranquility. Let’s explore the “must-see” places in the Tremiti Islands together with our “gastronautic” Davide Deponti.

9. VOICE OF THE VERB…STRAORZARE

In the hands of every helmsman the feeling of the boat starting in straorza is well present. It is only a few seconds that separate this impression from the thought of “now it is done.” Bringing the boat into gusty winds can be challenging: the risk of an oversteer is always lurking. Not only racing under spi, but also cruising under white sails. We explain how to recover from a strake or how to prevent it both at the leads and upwind.

10. NAVIGATING BY THE RULES
With this issue of the Sailing Newspaper on newsstands you can find enclosed (at the price of 15.90 euros including the magazine) the handbook “Sailing by the Rules of the Boating Code.” to learn how to extricate yourself in the quagmire of Italian laws and regulations governing boating.

Remember, there are also many other good reasons not to miss the new June issue of the Sailing Journal. On newsstands,

on iPads, iPhones

and on all

Android tablets and smartphones

.