You’ve got to hand it to the folks at Moody Yachts: it takes guts to build two 45-foot cruising boats that occupy opposite ends of the design spectrum. Yet it’s easy to see the logic behind such a strategy.
At first I couldn’t help asking myself whether the sailboat market really needs another high-strung IRC racer-cruiser like the Aquila RP45. But one look at this carefully engineered, well-built racer was all it took to answer that question with an emphatic yes.
I boarded the new Corsair Sprint 750 MK II with some trepidation. I’m far from the world’s most experienced multihull sailor and wondered if I’d be up to the task of putting a rocket like the 750 through its paces. I needn’t have worried, though; despite its horsepower, this is a boat that takes care of its crew and can make even a rank neophyte look good as it pours on the speed.
Hanse Yachts sure has come a long way since it made its American debut at the U.S. Sailboat show in Annapolis in the late 1990s. Back then I thought its boats were small and unremarkable, save for the fact they were built in what was once East Germany. Hanse’s founder and chief visionary, Michael Schmidt, had big plans, however, and since then Hanse Yachts has evolved into one of the highest-volume boatbuilders in the world
In its original incarnation Nautitech was a captive catamaran brand belonging to Dufour Yachts. For over a decade now, Nautitech has operated independently and has steadily shifted its production focus away from the bareboat charter market and toward private owners and active family cruisers.
On a crisp early-fall day, designer and builder Brian Bennett unfurled the self-tacking jib on the VX One Design prototype and we moved to the weather side, feet under the hiking straps, pulling the boat upright and effortlessly accelerating in the puffy northerly. Feedback from the mainsheet and the tiller told me to ease the main a bit. My first thought was, “Brian’s got it right with this design!”
In his famous novella Typhoon, sailor and author Joseph Conrad pokes fun at a character named Capt. MacWhirr who is obsessed with the quality of the door handles on the steamer Nan-Shan.
The Southerly range of beachable swing-keel cruisers from Britain’s Northshore Yachts has been consistently represented in the United States now for a number of years, which is a good thing, as there are many cruising grounds here where shoal-draft capability is a great advantage. Every time I sail a Southerly, I come away impressed by the utility offered by their ballasted swing keels and by the high quality of their design and construction
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
Weaving through the throngs of boats anchored off Annapolis, Maryland, on the 14ft Topaz CX14, I felt like a kid again—a really giddy kid who had just scored a ride on a the coolest boat in the harbor.
From first glance, you can tell that the Sun Odyssey 415 has the clean, easily recognizable lines of a Jeanneau, and there’s a reason for
An overnight gale stirs up trouble for one trailer sailer.
On this day in 1901, Sir Francis Chichester KBE was born. The British sailor held the record for the fastest circumnavigation at nine months and
This week, The Famous Project has announced the crew roster for their all-female around the world speed record attempt. They hope to set a new
Today we celebrate the birthday of America’s Cup legend Dennis Conner. Though famous for his comeback and three victories in the Auld Mug, Conner is
Paul Meilhat’s french-flagged IMOCA 60 has won Leg 5 of The Ocean Race Europe. They completed the 1,600 mile stretch from Genoa, Italy, to Boka
On September 15, 1835 HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin on board for a five-year voyage as the ship’s naturalist, reaches the Galápagos Islands. During this
The 2026 Best Boats nominees highlight innovation, diversity, and design—offering something for every sailor and every adventure.
A major powercat brand is turning towards new horizons with the announcement of three new sailing cats to join their lineup.
I have a confession to make: I recently read one of John Kretschmer’s books for the first time. You’d think someone who’s made a career
