This 80-foot aluminum ketch is the third yacht to be built by Van Dam Nordia for the same owner. His first yacht was a 57-footer; his second was a 62-footer. With the earlier yachts he had the final word on all design details, but this one includes his family’s contributions to the design effort. General features include a V-shaped hull forward that minimizes pounding in rough seas and a sailing
This new 54-foot long-distance cruiser from the board of German Frers has received considerable interest since its introduction in Sweden last fall. An all-inclusive hydraulics package makes sail control easy, and the large engine room makes it easy to walk around and inspect the yacht’s systems. The engine space is made quieter by perforated aluminum linings that cover the soundproofing for
Ted Hood combines the best of power and sailThree years ago Ted Hood and I had a long discussion about what would make a yacht move comfortably and confidently under both sail and power. It was the middle of February, and we were returning from a morning sail in the lumpy Gulf Stream off Miami aboard a new Hooddesigned 48-footer with many of the qualities we were
The Salona 45 is a modern racer/cruiser. Its a new design from a new companythe first of this Croatian builders line to enter the U.S. market. On deckIts obvious that this plumb-bowed craft is firmly situated at the performance end of the design spectrum, especially when the deck-box stern seat is removed to expose an open transom and make space for a racing crew. My
The Hunter 45DS is a handsome vessel with an “I can take you there” look. The DS stands for deck saloon, a concept that’s become popular in Europe and is gaining ground in the U.S. Deck saloons are popular because they work well. As well as providing panoramic views through the large portlights, they encourage good use of interior space and allow heavy masses like engine and tankage to be
Catana is back, and with a vengeance. This builder of performance-oriented cruising catamarans foundered when the fin-de-sicle dot.com crash decimated its customer list. But the company reorganized and is again building these swift, dramatically styled yachts in its Catalonian factory. This new 50-footer is very different from the 52-footer Catana was building under the old regime. Hull and
The Island Packet 465 is evidence that the company sees the benefits of the center-cockpit configuration, as do the owners of the boat I test-sailed off New London, Connecticut, last fall. Mark and Janet Gorrell invited me to join them on their boats maiden cruise to see how the first 465 to be launched here in the States (hull #1 went to Europe) performs.ConstructionThe
Since even cruising sailors see the benefit of a little extra speed, the people at Elan have taken a logical step with their restyled Performance series. The Elan 410 is touted to be quick (especially in light wind) and comfortable. To do that, a tall rig allows for maximum sail area when the wind is light, but is easily reefed when the wind gets into the high 20s. As with
The new J/122, a 40-foot cruiser/racer, was designed by Alan Johnstone of the legendary J/Boats family and is being built in France by J/Europe. Its sporty credentials include light-to-moderate displacement (14,900 pounds), minimal overhangs, and a slippery, flat-bottomed hull form. A swept-back double-spreader Hall Spars carbon-fiber rig and a retractable carbon-fiber bowsprit are standard; the
Jeanneau helped to revolutionize the deck-saloon aesthetic when it launched the curvy and distinctive 54 DS about five years ago. The orders rolled in, the company soon realized it was on to something, and 49- and 42-foot models followed. The most recent deck-saloon launch, the 39 DS, is probably about the minimum length for this popular layout and is designed to provide, in a smaller package,
Which modern synonym for “complain” originally was used to describe a ship that tended to round up into the wind due to a bad design
As the second fleet of starters get under way, a quick look at the tracker and the prep that goes into a race of over 2,000 open ocean miles.
Doubting his choices one chilly day, a sailor wonders whether he’ll have to make changes.
Catching and prepping your own dinner while underway is one of those one of a kind cruiser experiences. The process gets a whole lot better with the right gear.
In her first Marion-Bermuda Race as skipper of a Navy 44, Nancy Rhodes and her team of U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen aboard Integrity stuck to their strategy—even when things looked grim—and walked away with bragging rights and an armful of silver.
In addition to having the trophy for fastest circumnavigation named after him, what other Junes Verne reference might be found in the modern sailor’s vocabulary?A)
Managing Editor Lydia Mullan sits down with the winningest navigator in Transpac history for a breakdown of what this year’s fleet can expect.
By Tim Queeney (304pp, St. Martin’s Press, $27.00) In ancient times man responded to the urgent need for food, transportation, and trade by building all
The Marion-Bermuda Race wrapped up yesterday after a slow approach to the finish, but it certainly wasn’t a drifter for the whole way. The first
48 years after the first Marion-Bermuda race, 20 boats competed in this summer’s event, including the J42 Dianthus, on which SAIL Editor in Chief Wendy Mitman Clarke and crew won the Class A division.
