Whether racing along the coast or bobbing in harbors, sailboats add to the allure of any water view. These 2012 Sailboat (Forever®) stamped cards highlight the scenic beauty of America's waterways by featuring an oil painting of a moored sailboat.

The first ocean-going boats designed for recreational sailing were built by the Dutch in the 1600s. Dutch immigrants brought pleasure sailing with them to New York in the same century, helping to launch the sport in the United States. With the founding of the influential New York Yacht Club in 1844, sailing was on its way to becoming the popular pursuit it remains today.

For the crews of the estimated 1.5 million sailboats in the United States, sailing is about much more than just scenery. The sport is now embraced by a wide range of sailors-from families spending a day on the water, to athletes competing in races, to cruisers sailing from port to port and adventurers crossing entire oceans. People of all ages and abilities can learn to sail: America's oldest Olympic athlete in half a century, 58-year-old John Dane, competed with the U.S. sailing team in 2008. Sailing is also accessible to people with disabilities. In 1998, Geoffrey Hilton-Barber became the first blind sailor to cross an ocean sailing solo.

The stamp art features an impressionistic oil painting of a moored sailboat. The sailboat, a one-masted sloop, rests with its sails furled while a single sailor stands on deck. Artist Burton Silverman based the oil painting on a photograph he took during a summer sailing trip to Long Island Sound. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamped card.

The 35-cent Sailboat Stamped Card is being issued at the Forever® postcard rate. It will always be equal to the value of the postcard rate in effect at the time of use.

Made in the USA.

Issue Date: January 20, 2012

Issue City: Oyster Bay, NY 11771 (No Ceremony)

SKUs featured on this page: 224155, 224158