We Are Sailing

In 2024, we took a complete week off to enjoy the summer in Downtown Manhattan. However, this year, we unfortunately had no vacation days to spare. Nevertheless, we did something like a semi-vacation: we both worked from home and packed the week with special events.

One of them was sailing the Pioneer through New York Harbour at sunset. There are plenty of options to experience New York City from the seaside, but the Pioneer historic schooner of the Seaport Museum has been our favorite for many years. It is small, has an engaged and friendly crew, and you sit close to the water when the vessel glides over the glittering bay. And they encourage you to bring your own picnic basket instead of selling food and drinks on board.

Just the right music is missing - a PA would probably not fit on a historic ship. (You can book sunset cruises on the Clipper City with a live jazz band.)

As a soundtrack for sailing, naturally, yacht rock comes to mind. A couple of weeks ago, the tribute band Yacht Rock Review packed the 3,500-capacity venue on the rooftop of Pier 17. Many concertgoers wore white captain's hats, and many were not born yet when the music was new. To be honest, we also thought for a New York minute to buy tickets for that show, because a pier in the East River is not quite a yacht, but it comes close. The show was sold out long before its actual date, so our musing was a moot point.

But what is yacht rock exactly? If you select a yacht rock playlist on any of the DSPs, you typically get a hodgepodge of late 70s and early 80s songs with relaxed, jazzy vibes and sleek productions. The original definition is far narrower. It refers to a relatively small group of Los Angeles musicians who played in bands like Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, or Toto. Their music was not called yacht rock at that time, either; it was just mainstream rock. The term came to life much later with a series of comedic videos, which parodied that scene.

Going by this, many frequent yacht rock playlist staples are out of scope. George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” fulfills all the criteria, including a video that features an actual yacht, but he is from England and not LA. “Baker Street” by Gerry Rafferty has that yearning saxophone riff and ultra-professional production, but he is Scottish.

On the other hand, the term “yacht rock” so easily invokes an idea of a certain quality of music, so why restrict it to the original circle of musicians? Hence, scroll down for five NEW songs that would fit a summer sailboat ride, even though the artists might not want to be associated with yacht rock.

Five Songs

Listen to all five songs on Spotify, Apple Music, or below on YouTube.

The music labeled as yacht rock is a product of its era, but the laid-back feeling of a Sunday afternoon on or near the water can be adapted into many genres. Our five songs today are the glamglare take on this theme.

• Brothertiger - Dancer on the Water
• Hachiku - Keep on Swimming
• Swimming Bell - 95 At Night
• Wyldest - Seastroke
• Work Drugs - Age of Innocence

Song Pick of the Day

Listen to/watch all seven songs on YouTube. Follow our daily updated playlists on YouTube, Apple Music, or Spotify for the 50 latest Song Pick of the Day features, or subscribe here to receive them in your mailbox in real-time. Thank you for following us and sharing the excitement.

• “it’s summer (& I hate you)” - Silyla's new track is breezy and upbeat, so the ‘hate’ part apparently does not go too deep.
• New music from Lily Hain! "You're just Mad!" is "an anthem about taking back your power and paying no mind to people who only want to bring you down."
• The remaining summer weekends are numbered, but with bangers like "Right Now" by Austin Millz and Caroline Byrne the party keeps going.
• "The Call" is a bit mysterious for Berlin singer, songwriter, and producer Aniqo, but "it’s definitely meant to give courage – to open the heart and follow it."
• "Windbreaker,” the new song by London singer/songwriter Symbol Soup, is about a long-term relationship, about "wanting to protect the person you share your life with."
• “Agnostic” is the third single of Daya’s new album, out in October. “Vocally, it was one of my favorites to write,” she says, and you can hear that.
• “It is crazy to have been a band for this long without contributing a primal-teenage-bedroom-rock riff," says Ben Grey, singer of Dear Boy. Now they've nailed it with "After All."

Nine Photos Sailing (and Ferrying) New York Harbor

Last Thursday, we soaked up summer — literally — aboard the 1885 schooner Pioneer, thanks to the South Street Seaport Museum’s sunset sail offer. Two hours on the harbor, favorite snacks and drinks in hand, and nothing but skyline and sea breeze — pure magic.

A few days later, we kept the waterfront streak going with a ferry trip to Governors Island, where we wandered, took in the views, and just enjoyed the day.

Here are nine photos from both outings.

(1-6) On board the Pioneer.
(7-9) On the ferry and Governors Island.