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.
Shot from the largest and latest in Jeanneau’s Sun Odyssey line, the 509, we bring you a stem-to-stern look at how the editors of SAIL complete a boat review. Follow Charles Doane on the 509 as you learn how we measure and make sense of a brand new sailboat.
It’s funny how quickly things that once seemed revolutionary can become the norm. Created by Farr Yacht Design and BMW Group DesignworksUSA, the Bavaria Cruiser 36 comes standard with an in-mast furling main, fixed hull ports to help light the interior and a sturdy drop-down swim transom.
Nacra is a transatlantic brand, combining the design expertise of Morelli & Melvin in the United States with the cat racing expertise of Gunnar Larsen and Peter Vink at Nacra Europe and Performance Sails in Holland.
The last iteration of the Hunter 33, introduced in 2005, was a big hit for the Alachua, Florida company. Its balance of value, volume and performance struck a chord with sailors
This hearty 40-foot cruising boat from Germany is one in a family of boats recently introduced into the North American market by a revitalized Bavaria Yachts. It sits on a dividing line of sorts: its larger sisters, the Cruiser 45, 50 and 55, all carry twin rudders to help control their beamy hulls when well heeled in a breeze, while the 40 and the smaller 32 and 36 do not. Unlike its smaller sisters, the Cruiser 40 does boast twin steering stations in its cockpit.
Often it’s an evenhanded blend of design attributes rather than extreme features that make for a good sailboat. The Dufour 445 Grand Large offers just such a combination of moderate draft, displacement, sail area and freeboard.
This carbon-fiber/epoxy performance cruiser is the result of yet another collaboration—this time between noted cruising boat designers J&J Design and performance specialists Doug Peterson and Guillaume Verdier.
The latest from Nautitech is what getting it right looks like.
We had stopped to snorkel at Cayo Sal in Cuba, and I grabbed my mask and fins to check on the anchor. This weather-beaten, low-lying
I could feel the boat find her groove and settle in at 7.2 knots on a beam reach with the code zero flying. It was
Would a brief passage to no particular place soothe this landbound sailor’s pelagic soul?
It was half past midnight and the wind had been building for the last few hours. We had left the west coast of Puerto Rico
A Clean Bottom and No Burglars Nighttime dinghy theft is a major issue in the Caribbean. Even in parts of the United States it is
Editor’s Note: In 1956, Alan Nicol—nicknamed “Stormy” for the weather he seemed to attract—was Francis Chichester’s main crew on Gipsy Moth II, sailing with Chichester
When they think about the Society Islands, most sailors likely conjure the most famous of this French Polynesian group—Tahiti, Bora Bora, perhaps Moorea—the stuff that
Peter Harken needs little introduction in the world of sailing. With his brother, Olaf, he started a shoestring business building collegiate and Olympic class dinghies
The new Windelo 50, which made its U.S. debut in February at the Miami International Boat Show, is an updated version of an earlier launch
