Are you a young match racer looking to hone your skills? Apply for the U.S. Match Racing Championship for the Rose Cup, June 26-30 at Corinthian Yacht Club in Marblehead, Mass.

The Rose Cup is an invitational event open to sailors who have reached their 16th birthday but not their 21st birthday during the calendar year in which the event is held (i.e., must be born between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2008). The Championship features world-class coaching and serves as an outstanding training ground for young sailors who are passionate about match racing and focused on competing at the next level…

There are many hidden parts to an America’s Cup campaign where innovation, performance and talent remain unseen.

Hydraulics is one such area, so much so, that when Emirates Team New Zealand’s new race boat is launched next month, there will be very little of the department’s work on display to the public or reconnaissance cameras.

However, without an optimal hydraulics team running the complex AC75 hydraulics system, winning the America’s Cup would be a lot harder than it already is for the teams.

Where does the fabled Northwest Passage—that ­tenuous, long-sought sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans—­properly begin?  

For the keepers of official records, jealously counting how many of each sort of boat makes the transit each year, the answer is the Arctic Circle, at 66°30′ N. It begins when you cross into the Arctic going northward, and it ends when you cross out of it again southbound, 100 degrees of longitude away…

Dutch yard Saffier has a reputation for stylish, quick daysailers. While their origins lie in their smaller 6.5m and 8m cabin boats, the yard has seen real growth in its SE range, standing for Saffier Elegance.

These boats are highly refined daysailers that merely nod to the possibility of staying on board overnight if required.

This spaciousness is achieved by pushing the helm forward into the boat’s centre for fun sailing…

Faced with a load of corrosion or rust stains, it’s such an appealing thought that they could magically be made to vanish, lifted away by the application of a bit of acid.

No frenetic sanding, scrubbing or scraping. Just soak it, have a cup of tea and come back to find grubby bits gleaming, and seized parts gliding effortlessly…

Most propulsion engines (and gensets) on sailboats are located at or below the waterline, making them ripe for seawater flooding, which can occur for one of three reasons. First, the engine is not installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. This can allow a siphon to develop, fill the exhaust, and then flood the engine’s cylinders. When the engine is idle, a bad installation also can push in water through the exhaust discharge in a following sea, and from there through open exhaust valves and into the cylinders. Second, an anti-siphon valve malfunctions. Or third, the engine is cranked excessively while bleeding the fuel system. With each revolution, the raw-water pump moves a small amount of seawater into the exhaust system, which eventually overflows back into the engine and through an open exhaust valve…