Star Sailing

Seven bottlenose dolphins came to play, skipping across the waves toward the bow of our boat. Within seconds they were hopscotching through the sea ahead of the towering schooner, playing a masterful game of catch-me-if-you-can. We leaned over the rails...

The rainy season, we had been assured, was over. But that hadn't stopped the torrential rain from pounding the roof of the Hotel Villa Isabella as I tried to fall asleep. My husband, Duane, and I, plus some of the other hotel guests, had planned to...

Craving a vacation at sea but unwilling to fly to a port, Jay and Shelly Schwartz hopped a taxi from their home in Maryland and within an hour were boarding the Galaxy in Baltimore, Celebrity Cruises' new departure point for 10- and 11-night Caribbean...

In the summer of 1977, my father came home to our landlocked Hartford house and announced that we were going to take a different kind of vacation that year. Instead of heading to the beach as we had done in previous summers, we were going to load...

Interviewed on the Today show by Katie Couric in February. Named to the honor roll at Rockville's Magruder High School in March. And the subject of her own Sports Illustrated for Kids sports card this month. So, what do you do for an encore, Courtney...

If the U.S. women's gymnastics team is looking for a mascot, they might consider the Six Million Dollar Man. Two key athletes were lost to injury and another was left hurting during the World Championships in Anaheim, Calif., last August. A makeshift...

Here is a listing of cruise lines and their vessels. One caveat: Many cruise companies prefer to sell through travel agents. It's best to book through an agent who specializes in cruises. Listings marked with O designate open or restaurant-style seating....

Our flight into Fort Lauderdale was late. So late that my wife, Laurel, and I began to doubt we'd make it to our cruise ship before its announced 5 p.m. sailing time. I'd been in touch with the line's air-sea department throughout the day and was told...

The sound of Jimmy Buffett singing the Parrot Heads' `national anthem' is coming from the speakers on the outdoor deck of Mission West restaurant on the beach. At one table, a twentyish woman sits with a group of friends, quietly strumming a guitar.At...

In the violet hour of dusk, the Norwegian Dawn slipped its lines and backed into the Hudson River. It was last Dec. 7, one year to the day after the ship had begun its maiden voyage. The Manhattan skyline dazzled and twinkled against a darkening sky. The...

As a confidence builder, the first European regatta for Carol Cronin and Anne Arundel County residents Liz Filter and Nancy Haberland was just what the doctor ordered. The three sailors finished eighth out of 30 entries in the Yngling class during the...

Forgive the local sailors who just made the U.S. Olympic team for not standing in the spotlight. After three years of hard work and with a full schedule of European competition ahead of them, Liz Filter of Stevensville and Nancy Haberland of Annapolis,...