When Garry Hoyt began thinking about a new 28-footer, he wanted to avoid the two things he felt were keeping sailors from spending more time on the water. The first was an overly complex sailplan.
Catalina’s 445, introduced in 2009, won multiple awards and attracted much interest from buyers. According to Catalina VP and design maven Gerry Douglas, the only complaint some potential buyers had was that the boat was a bit bigger than what they needed or could afford. Hence the straightforward design brief for Douglas’s new boat, the 355, introduced at the 2010 Annapolis boat show: scale down
The words sleek and fast arent normally associated with the Prout name. Words like sturdy and well-finished more typically come to mind. Nonetheless, the new Prout 50SW is very different from thehow to say this diplomaticallypeculiarly English Prouts of the 1980s and 1990s. The signature mast-aft rig of those earlier boats, with their tiny mainsails and huge jibs, is long gone, as is the
It was one of those days a boat reviewer lives for: a solid 20 knots of wind, occasionally gusting toward 30; a cloudless blue sky; and a sharp performance cruiser with a couple of pro sailors aboard, all dialed up and ready to go. This example of Dufours new 40E had not been in the water long, and I happily seized the chance to put it through its paces during a visit last March to the factory
Once, in the interests of research, I spent an afternoon bobbing around in a liferaft. Ever since, Ive had an obsession with bilge pumps, because what I learned was this: I dont ever want to spend time in a liferaft again. The discomfort was one thing, and should not be downplayed, but what really got to me was the sense of helplessness. A liferaft is a passive device, at the mercy of wind and
The Farr-designed First 40 is the follow-up to Beneteaus highly successful First 40.7, a boat that won a series of key international races and quickly established itself as a performer. Over the boats 11-year lifespan, Beneteau has sold more than 800 First 40.7s to customers around the globe. Launched in Europe a year ago, about 100 of these new 40-footers have already been sold, and the design
According to designer Alan Johnstone, the brief for the new 36ft 6in J/111 one-design was for a boat that he and the rest of the J/Boats crew would want to sail—and it shows. During a recent daysail off Newport, Rhode Island, hull #1 reveled in picture perfect sailing conditions, with winds out of the east in the mid to high teens. Sailing to windward, the boat was balanced and easy to
Swedish builder Najad is known for combining sweet-sailing hulls with meticulously fitted-out interiors, and its new flagship continues that tradition. It is a powerful world cruiser that can easily be handled by a crew of two. <object
Established in 1993 on the Baltic coast of the former East Germany, Hanse Yachts has gone from strength to strength by building performance-oriented yachts at affordable prices. Having recently extended its production facilities, Hanse is now Germanys second largest boat builder after Bavaria. All its boats are designed by Judel and Vrolijk, a renowned team of naval architects that has had input
This design from Beneteau marks a new approach to accommodations and deck layout in a boat that’ll make an excellent coastal cruiser with offshore capability. Among the innovative features is a catamaran-like cockpit layout with a dinette opposite a conventional bench seat. SPECS: LOA: 49ft 15in BEAM: 15ft 9in DRAFT: 5ft 5in (std) 6ft 9in (shoal)
The early arrival of a backdoor cold front provides for some spicy sailing on Lake Erie.
Rule 30.4 in the Racing Rules of Sailing may be called the ”Black Flag Rule,” but it doesn’t have anything to do with pirates. What
By Lesley O’BrienIllustrated by Emmett DonovanOrange Kitty Kreative, $18.95 This is a fun new story about Marco, “a rough-around-the-edges former street cat turned sailboat captain.”
Pictou, Nova Scotia’s replica historic tall ship Hector relaunched this week after a lengthy refit.
An artfully unconventional build from Slovenia is designed for true bluewater sailors.
Alli Bell and her crew will receive the King Kalakaua trophy.
Bryon Ehrhart’s Juan K-designed 88-footer, Lucky, has won the Barn Door Trophy.
Without challenges we wither, and sailing serves them up regularly, making it the supreme teacher.
Another fuel pump failure leads to an engine rebuild, this time on the hook.
The fleet couldn’t have wished for better conditions at the start of the 363-mile ocean race.
