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Sailboat News

Boat Review: Dufour 445

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.

Flagships: Shipman 57

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.

Catalina 385

The Catalina 385 is third in a series of new boats that began in 2009 with the award-winning 445 model. The concept behind this “5” series of boats is fairly simple: marry the best aspects of modern mass-production cruising boat design and construction with a healthy streak of common sense and practicality.

Oyster 625

Sailing is about excitement, freedom and motion without machinery. What Americans would call “yachting” also includes security, comfort and luxury. Given this definition, the Oyster 625 truly provides the full yachting experience.

Flagships: Cheveyo

A collaboration between Sparkman & Stephens and England’s Spirit Yachts, this “Super J” is adapted from the plans for Ranger, which defended the America’s Cup in 1937.

Catana 47

The Catana yard in the Catalan region of southern France has been building 47-foot cruising catamarans for more than a dozen years. The newly redesigned Catana 47 incorporates more carbon fiber than its predecessors and springs from an entirely new hull and deck mold, but retains the same distinctive profile, tall twin daggerboards, open helm stations and performance-oriented rig.

RS Venture

The RS Venture—one of a growing line of dinghies and sportboats from UK-based RS Sailing—has a great deal of space, boasting a huge cockpit that can carry up to 1,400 pounds of crew.

Bavaria Cruiser 32

The Cruiser 32, smallest in Bavaria’s new line of family cruising boats, is one of the more ambitious boats I’ve come across recently. Like its larger sisters, it boasts a very modern hull form with a fine entry that carries lots of beam aft.

TomCat 970S

The debut of TomCat’s first 32-foot 970 catamaran, about eight years ago at the Annapolis Sailboat Show, was a pleasant surprise. Since then, the builders have continued to refine the boat, a process that has resulted in the new TomCat 970S.

SAIL Seeks New Associate Editor

SAIL is seeking a new Associate Editor. If you’re up for the job, read on to find out what we’re looking for, and how to join our staff.

Doane_eProp

Gear: ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus

Ever since the government started polluting our fuel with ethanol, I’ve agonized over how best to power the dinghies I use when cruising. I did

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Charter: Sailing by Instinct

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

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