Sail Away

A game of yacht racing, and an interesting precursor to 3M's Regatta. Sail Away was possibly designed by Howard J. Mullin as he is listed as the copyright holder on the game board.

Sail Away is played on a board resembling a nautical chart overlaid by a square grid. The game includes six metal yachts numbered 1 through 6. The yachts lean to one side or the other according to their tack. The yachts are moved across the map using the intersections of the grid lines.

Movement is governed by a spinner which has an inner and outer circle of results - one circle for the upwind leg, and the other circle for the downwind and crosswind legs. In addition to the bit of luck injected by the spinner (reflecting the vagaries of the wind), there is also a slight chance for misfortune - two small spaces on the spinner allow for a player to lose a turn for having a man overboard and two turns for capsizing. The rules also cover blanketing effects by windward yachts toward leeward yachts, tacking, and jibing.

The course is somewhat fixed in that the wind direction is always the same (southeast) and there are three course markers designated on the map. However, there are four different courses that may be run: counterclockwise around the triangular course described by the three markers, clockwise around the triangular course, around course marker 2 and back, or around course marker 3 and back. In addition, players may choose to race one lap or multiple laps.