.. precisley because there are usually so many useful or interesting articles, it takes hours to go through. It's like getting homework that I have to do

Seriously, you're correct, Tom, they are a different cut of periodical over here. The whole sailing culture seems to be more Corinthian, and geared towards helping folks improve their skills and knowledge. The Cruising Association is another popular organization that is geared towards helping folks. I'm not sure we really have anything comparable in the U.S.