Some of SpinSheet's Editor’s Favorite Stories for Sailors 2024
What makes a great SpinSheet story? From my perspective as editor, three qualities distinguish an exceptional story: fascinating sailors, intriguing adventures, and excellent writing. Flipping through the 12 SpinSheet issues from 2024, I recall many memorable features among the 1126 pages we printed this year...
January: “Une Aventure Extraordinaire: Annapolis Solo Sailor Crosses the Atlantic in a Classe Mini” (I wrote this one, so you be the judge of the writing, but wow, what a story Peter Gibbons-Neff had to tell). Also check out “Start Sailing Now: This Is Where I’m Meant To Be,” interview by Beth Crabtree.
February: Kim Couranz’s “Speed Through Kindness;” how often do you read sailboat racing stories promoting kindness?
March: Captain Cheryl Duvall’s “Finding a Home for Your Boat,” about the decision-making process of choosing a marina.
April: Pet owners will want to read Cindy Wallach’s “Pets Onboard.” Another good one: “Start Sailing Now: Where Are They Now?” about our past new-sailor interviewees and how their sailing careers had evolved (spoiler: they’re thriving on the water). One more: Captain Steven Toole’s “Preparation for Offshore: Skipper Tips Beyond the Race Requirements.”
May: Captain Duvall strikes again along with her hubby and sailing partner, Captain Dudley Whitney, with “Using Headsets To Optimize Communication” (and save your marriage).
June: In “Raft Up Like a Pro,” SpinSheet’s senior editor Crabtree interviewed seasoned club sailors on raftup techniques (even those of us who’ve rafted up quite a bit learned something).
July: Steve Gerard’s “Delivering Third Act.” This came in over the transom and checked all the boxes as a standout SpinSheet story about five seasoned sailors sharing skills and techniques on a memorable journey to New England.
August: Eric Miller’s “The ‘Bay in a Day’ in a Beach Catamaran.” A must-read whether you sail beach cats or not: five stars!
September: Couranz again: “Making Your Case in the Protest Room.” In 18 years at SpinSheet, this is the first time I’ve read a two-part story as comprehensive about protests (first part in August, “Help Them Help You”). Also, a hat tip to Maria Bellos Fisher for her “Five Sharks You Meet on the Chesapeake.”
October: So many stories to choose from in our biggest issue of the year… Wallach’s “The Coconut Telegraph” about changes in cruisers’ communications in 20 years stayed with me. I also heard more feedback on my own “Editor’s Note: Tagline Envy” than anything else I’d penned in 2024.
November: Lou Frank’s “See the Bay: Urbanna” made me want to sail up the Rappahannock. Don’t miss James Lane’s exciting and funny story, “Fair Winds… and What?!”
December: John Herlig’s “Mercenaries of the Sea” details the perks and learning opportunities of delivering other people’s boats. Find fodder for future charter vacations in Craig Ligibel’s “Chartering the Whitsunday Islands, Australia.”
I’m eternally grateful for all of our writers, whether they be monthly columnists, occasional feature freelancers, or those in the “claim they’re not writers” camp. I’d like to thank three columnists in particular: Tom Guay and Pamela Tenner Kellett (who pen our “Where We Sail” environmental column quarterly) and Gwen Mayes (whose “Inspired by the Chesapeake” column covers creators on the Chesapeake). Their well-written, lively contributions make SpinSheet better.
Did I miss your favorite 2024 article? Is there something we should cover in 2025? Send your feedback anytime to [email protected].
Happy holidays, sailors! You inspire me all year long. ~M.W.
