Tom Dove

Finding the Right Cruising Multihull for You

March 19, 2015

Within the past decade, there has been a momentous shift among cruising sailors from monohulls to multis, for the simple reason that catamarans and trimarans offer a number of very real advantages: speed, space and shallow draft among them. However, it’s important to remember, as with monohulls, that there is a difference between the best boats for coastal cruising and ocean sailing. Of course, nobody stays at sea indefinitely,

Boat Review: Passport Vista 615

February 4, 2015

Passport Yachts has been building semi-custom voyaging sailboats for three decades. For the last 20 years these boats have been produced in a modern facility

Boat Review: Fountaine Pajot Victoria 67

October 20, 2014

Our choice for Best Multihull Flagship in SAIL’s 2014 Best Boats program, the Fountaine Pajot Victoria 67 is a big catamaran from an established builder that puts some significant technological advances into a time-proven hull and interior.

Boat Review: Lagoon 52

June 9, 2014

Looks can be deceiving aboard this innovative cat

Boat Review: Lagoon 39

January 29, 2014

It looks like a Lagoon. It’s built like a Lagoon. But this 39-footer is a new breed of catamaran.

Flagship: Best Boat 2012 Passport Vista 545 CC

January 6, 2013

I have always admired Passport Yachts for their beauty, performance and detailing, but stepping aboard the new Passport Vista 545 CC, SAIL’s 2012 Best Boat in the Flagship Monohull category, I felt an especially strong sense of déja vu.

Boat Review: Passport Vista 545 CC

June 24, 2012

I have always admired Passport yachts for their beauty, performance and detailing, but stepping aboard the new Passport Vista 545 CC, SAIL’s 2012 Best Boat in the Flagship Monohull category, I felt an especially strong sense of déja vu. The boat not only shares a family resemblance to other Passports, but has the same hull and rig as the Passport 515 I sailed in 2008

Oyster 625

June 12, 2012

Sailing is about excitement, freedom and motion without machinery. What Americans would call “yachting” also includes security, comfort and luxury. Given this definition, the Oyster 625 truly provides the full yachting experience.

Catana 47

June 4, 2012

The Catana yard in the Catalan region of southern France has been building 47-foot cruising catamarans for more than a dozen years. The newly redesigned Catana 47 incorporates more carbon fiber than its predecessors and springs from an entirely new hull and deck mold, but retains the same distinctive profile, tall twin daggerboards, open helm stations and performance-oriented rig.

TomCat 970S

June 2, 2012

The debut of TomCat’s first 32-foot 970 catamaran, about eight years ago at the Annapolis Sailboat Show, was a pleasant surprise. Since then, the builders have continued to refine the boat, a process that has resulted in the new TomCat 970S.

Out Now: The Four Seasons of Boat Maintenance

Contributing Editor Christopher Birch’s much anticipated “maintenance manual that should have come with your boat, but didn’t,” is available now.

Millions of spectators lined the waterfront and took to the harbor for a previous tall ship parade. Photo courtesy of Sail 4th 250

Happy 250th Birthday, America

To celebrate the 250th signing of the Declaration of Independence, the international tall ship fleet is headed stateside.

Despite it’s surfboard-like looks, the Maverick sails like a real dinghy. Photo: Walter Cooper

The Best Small Boats of 2026: Maverick

A marine transformer with fun at its core.

The Results Are In: 54th Newport Bermuda Race

The Cal 40 Nicole wins the St. David’s Lighthouse overall title, while Black Jack 100 takes line honors just shy of a course record. On the course: stunning scenery and a range of conditions. Off it: a scoring drama.