SisterShip Magazine is “an Australian and international magazine written by women for women on the water and their families.” They cover sailing, kayaking, water sports, ocean based activities, and more. Writers can submit a story that they have already written, but it’s best to drop them a line. Their longest articles are technical and destination pieces, which are less than 2,000 words. Pay is $35 per page. To learn more, read their contributor guidelines.
Improve Sailing is a website that helps people sail better, faster, and smarter. They cover sailing techniques, tips, gear, destinations, and more. They are looking for writers for their blog. They want writers who can commit to contributing 2 to 4 articles per month. Initially they will come up with a headline for the articles that they want written and will give the writers the freedom to research and write them. They target the word count of about 2,000 words for most of their articles. They pay 3 cents per word which comes out to about $60 per article. Details here.
The Nautical Research Journal is the quarterly journal of the Nautical Research Guild. The journal contains “feature articles on ship model building, merchant and naval shipbuilding, naval architecture, maritime trade, nautical history, and maritime arts.” They publish about 24 in-depth features each year. They pay $250 per modeling article ($500 for a multi-part article), and $50 per ship note article. To learn more, read their editorial guidelines.
Southwinds Magazine is a print and online magazine for racers and cruisers in the southeastern United States. They generally publish articles that are 1,500 to 2,000 words long. If requested, they always pay their authors for good articles. The payment is $0.10 per word. The authors should indicate in their initial inquiry that they are seeking payment. To find out more, read their editorial guidelines.
Caribbean Compass is a boating publication that publishes articles of interest to the Caribbean’s boating community. Their feature articles are of 2,000 words or less and their news items are of 400 words or less. They pay US $50 per feature article. They pay a reduced rate for short, non-promotional items. To learn more, refer to this page.
Professional BoatBuilder is a magazine for boatbuilders, repairers, designers, and surveyors. It is published six times a year and has a circulation of 24,000. They focus on design, construction and repair techniques used by marine professionals. They publish features that are 3,000 to 6,000 words long. They also publish shorter pieces of 750 to 2,000 words. They pay a base rate of $0.30 per word. To learn more, read their guidelines for submission.
Northern Breezes. This sailing magazine focuses on the Great Lakes and Midwest sailing community. Topics of interest include sailing destinations, local sailors, racing, boat maintenance, cruising, day sailing, boat buying, vacation trips and reviews of boats, books and products. Articles relating to the region have a better chance of getting accepted. Length: Up to 2,000 words. Pay: $50-150; $25 for book reviews. Details here.
Cruising Outpost Magazine is a quarterly magazine available in print and electronic versions. It has been “designed from the waterline up to provide people who love the cruising lifestyle with entertainment, information and most of all, a look into what it is really like once you cut your dock lines.” Editors look for article and photo submissions from boaters worldwide. Note: Be sure to specify if you are submitting for internet issue (no payment, one-time use), print issue, or both. Payment for a print edition is $250 for a 500-1,500-word feature story and for a 500-1,000-word feature boat (with 10-12 good photos of a boat under sail). Payment is $50-$100 for departments: “Latitudes & Attitudes” (true stories from Cruisers around the world) and “Minor Features” (anecdotes about experiences while at sea or at anchor). To learn more, read writers’ guidelines: http://www.cruisingoutpost.com/submissions/.
Cruising World publishes articles about live-aboard sailing, sailboat chartering, cruising destinations, and gear. They pay $25 to $1,000 per article. Their guidelines are not freelancer friendly. For example, they ask
that you submit an article exclusively to them, but do not state a time frame to expect a response. To learn more, read their submission
guidelines.
Boating Magazine is focused more on the recreational and athletic side of boating, Boating covers everything from sport-fishing boats to luxury watercraft. Topics include reviews of the latest models, how-to articles, and maintenance tips. You can find their editorial contacts here.