A few months ago, SAIL ran a story in which we considered exactly what it is that makes for a great small boat. And as fate would have it, the Topaz Argo from the UK’s Topper International meets an awful lot of the standards we came up with.
The Mini Class has long served as a feeder into the wild world of singlehanded offshore racing, offering huge adventure in a 21-foot package that emphasizes performance over all else. However, while this works well for the hard-core, 20- and 30-something crowd, Minis are cramped, highly strung raceboats that oftentimes stretch the definition of the term “enjoyable sailing.”
We don’t often have ties in our Best Boats competition, but with two very different and equally exciting boats in the 30ft-and-under performance category, we just couldn’t go with a single winner.
Quorning Boats of Denmark has been absent from American boat shows for several years, and it’s good to have them back, especially with something as special as the new Dragonfly 32.
Adapted from a successful youth match-racing design, every feature of the Andrews 21 is keyed toward teaching and training. I sailed the boat in a mild breeze in Newport Harbor, California, its native waters, and it delivered what I expected. The boat was lively, but tractable, and comfortable in every way, whether it be from an emotional perspective—she looks contemporary and aggressive—to physically finding my place in the cockpit.
Although the torrent of new models from the big European builders has slowed to a trickle now that old product lines have mostly been replaced, there is still plenty going on: including the fact that the Italian yard Cantiere del Pardo, which was briefly owned by German giant Bavaria Yachts, has announced its first new Grand Soleil model in a couple of years.
Experience shows in this big performance cruiser Following in the footsteps of the Sun Odyssey 509, the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 469 incorporates much of what
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.
The concept of seakindliness has largely been lost to modern sailors—with the possible exception of the bluewater cruising community. The basic idea is that a boat’s motion through the water—its “feel,” so to speak—should be as comfortable as it is seaworthy.
It’s not easy to reintroduce a classic. The re-design has to live up to the best of the previous boat’s advantages, but also must demonstrate that modern technological advances have made it even better.
Let’s start with a reality check. You’re headed for a bareboat charter someplace wonderful, you’ll have a luxurious yacht at your disposal and a multitude
The Cruising Club of America (CCA) is a collection of 1,400 ocean sailors with extensive offshore seamanship, command experience, and a shared passion for making
Sailing’s answer to Formula 1 racing is a multihull spectacle. Even those of us who are smitten with the classic racing yachts of yesteryear can’t
Designed by Lombard Yacht Design and Piaton Yacht Design, the Sun Odyssey 350 is a successor to 2013’s Sun Odyssey 349 and aims to bring
It was a spring afternoon and my sister Laura and I were chatting on the telephone, she in Michigan and I in Los Angeles. Days
Dan: Hey Wendy, what are your thoughts on doing a press trip down in the BVI next year? Could be a great opportunity, but we
In the water or on the hard, winter storage is a matter of choices. Here’s a rundown of the pros and cons of each.
The Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup came to a dramatic conclusion on Saturday off Barcelona, Spain, when Defender Emirates Team New Zealand notched match point
Relieving the Load In an ideal world, any boat that needs to move her genoa fairleads forward when reefing would have dedicated purchases for the
