Top 9 Sailing Blogs of 2011

Everyone does top ten lists, but here on Proper Course we have higher standards than most, and only nine blogs on the whole planet achieved the level of excellence required to be one of Tillerman's Top Sailing Blogs of 2011.

1. First up we have Windtraveler, undoubtedly the best blog on the planet about a couple of newlyweds sailing around the world on a 35ft Hallberg Rassy Rasmus.

There is Brittany who is NOT the Brittany with the same last name who blogs about "keeping the fire alive" in relationships, and whose blog is blocked by her company's firewall as being pornographic. And there is Scott who is NOT the Scott with the same last name who is a prolific software development consultant and who seems to be really smart. I love people who tell me who they are NOT in their blog profiles. That appeals to my sense of contrariness.

And then there is Baby Girl who apparently has a Caribbean soul having spent her most formative months in the Islands. With her momma she has swam with sea turtles, snorkeled tropical reefs, sailed through some gnarly squalls, visited over four countries, done a handful of Hash runs, and hiked to waterfalls. Oh, and she's not even born yet! I love sailing blogs that are about people who are not even born yet who go on hash runs.

2. Number 2 on my list of Top Sailing Blogs of 2011 is the deliciously named Doc Häagen-Dazs who writes Time on the Water. He's obviously a good guy because he and his family used to race Lasers back in the 1970's and 1980's. But now he's just another cranky old geezer blogger like me who writes posts about things like this that would never be tolerated on his boat.

I love sailing blogs about intolerance.

3. The third blog on this amazing list of Best Sailing Blogs on the Planet is the misleadingly titled Captain JP's log. It's not a log; it's a blog. And it's not written by Captain JP. The real author is the well-known Australian journalist and sailing personality Buff Staysail who does an excellent job of impersonating a suave, man-about-town from London who supposedly spends his time ice-skating, going to the theater and watching the wild beasts in Shepherd's Bush. But he doesn't fool me. I love sailing blogs that are about the wild beasts in Shepherd's Bush.

4. The fourth blog on my list of Best Sailing Blogs on the Planet of All Time is also somewhat misleading. FrogMa is not a mommy blog for tadpoles, and Bonnie the author is not the mother of a frog. Why would she choose such a ridiculous name for a sailing blog? Bonnie is in fact a hard core Sunfish sailor. She races her Sunfish. She runs Laser regattas. She makes her boyfriend go Sunfish sailing with her. And she even goes Sunfish sailing at the end of December in a typically brutal New York winter. It doesn't get any more hard core than that in the Sunfish world. I love sailing blogs about ladies who are hard core.

5. But the title of Best Sunfish Sailing Blog on the Planet must go to my2fish: a blog about sunfish sailing. Not that my2fish: a blog about sunfish sailing is actually a blog about Sunfish sailing. Of course not. It's actually about Norwegian Laser sailing and how to navigate past the goose. The secret of successful blogging is to choose a niche that nobody is else covering and my2fish has certainly done that for the "Norwegian Laser sailing and navigating past the goose" niche. I love Norwegian goose blogs.

6. Number six on this list of amazing sailing blogs that may or may not be the Best Sailing Blogs in the Solar System is Center of Effort by someone called Judith Krimski who says she is "a graphic designer, freelance sailing writer and blogger of all things one-design sailing" and also "three-time Boston Sailors Regatta Champion." Like me she suffers from a delusion; hers is that she believes that Boston Harbor is the BEST sailing venue in New England. Hmmm.

Anyway, in spite of her delusion, Judith writes a damn good sailing blog, covering such diverse topics as what Judith thinks about in the Laundromat and the sailing achievements of Steve Jobs. No wait. There really is lots of sailing on this blog. She recently scored an interview with elite Laser sailor Clay Johnson where she ventured where no other sailing journalist has dared to venture with her scoop about what really happened to the hair on the back of Clay's legs. No, seriously there are lots of great posts about sailing on this blog. But I do love sailing blogs where ladies talk about men's hairy legs.

7. Number seven - yes possum we nearly are at the end - on this list of the most amazing, fantastic, Bestest Sailing Blogs in the Galaxy is Apparent Wind which apparently is written by a blogging tag team of Annie, Eric and yarg - but it's mainly yarg. Annie, Eric and yarg are apparently "Laser dudes." Ahah. I like blogs by Laser dudes. Apparently yarg is a high school sailing coach and he writes very thoughtful posts on topics such as How Einstein taught sailing, why the America's Cup is like watching gelcoat dry, and how to pack Lasers in a cardboard box.

Apparently his job keeps yarg very busy because he doesn't post all that frequently to Apparent Wind. I wish he would write more often. This blog definitely focuses on quality rather than quantity. Apparent Wind is to Proper Course as Chateau Lafite Rothschild is to Bud Light. Apparently I love sailing blogs that taste like expensive wine with almond and violet aromas.

8. Number eight - almost there possum - on this list of the Bestest Sailing Blogs in the Universe with Almond and Violet Aromas is..... the one and only.... O Dock. What can I say? Unique. Quirky. Original. Amazing. Addictive. Almond and violet aromas. Try it. You'll like it.

9. And finally possum, the winner of the title of Best Sailing Blog on the Planet 2011 is.... Earwigoagin by Tweezerman.