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 second model in Jeanneau’s new Yacht range to reach these shores–the 57 made its debut last fall–this 53-footer is a spacious, well-appointed cruiser. A choice of four interior layouts with up to five cabins should suit just about any sailing preference, and a large rig and easily-driven hull form promise good performance.
Discovery Yachts’s first boat, the Discovery 55, was originally conceived as a one-off dreamboat for Sunsail Charters founder and single-handed transatlantic sailor John Charnley and his wife, Caroline. In creating the design, naval architect Ron Holland distilled all of the Charnleys’ experience and requirements into a world cruiser that could be easily handled by a couple.
Hanse’s new flagship ushers in a new look for the company’s big boats. A large, uncluttered foredeck and low-profile cabintop give it a purposeful air; the self-tacking job, big mainsail, roomy cockpit and bold interior styling are all Hanse trademarks.
The first thing you notice about this new 50-footer is its sleek styling, like a scaled-down version of the 58. The second is the fixed arch upon which the mainsheet is secured, thus keeping it out of the cockpit. The third is the open, inviting interior. A choice of layouts makes this boat equally at home cruising along a coastline or making long ocean
Beneteau’s flagship is an excellent example of the new generation of boats in the 50-60 foot range that are coming out of France. It looks great on the water, sails very well, is well built and nicely detailed, and has all the space above and below decks that you could reasonably want.
SAIL’s picks for the best performance boats of 2011_____________________________________________________________________________________ Alerion Sport 33
Beneteau’s new 37-footer is the latest in the seventh generation of the French builder’s Oceanis line, which began in 1986. It updates the popular 38.1,
I had been at the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis for a couple of days when I took a brief break from the 50-footers and
Steve Earley doesn’t sail like you and me. Example: One night, he and his 17-foot open boat, Spartina, were anchored in a cove near Crab
It’s not ordinary for a sailor to be captivated by the sight of boulders the size of pianos slipping beneath the keel. In my experience
I was but a shiftless wharf rat, recently shipwrecked, working the docks at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in search of a ride across the
The first question to ask about a boat should be, “What is its purpose?” The new Elan 50.1 answers that clearly. It is a long-range
“Grenada.” The woman, a passenger on a seven-day charter I was captaining in the British Virgin Islands, looked expectantly at me. “I’ve heard there’s a
Technology and disposable income are changing sailing and making luxurious boats available to more people than ever. The Hanse 460 is a perfect example. Not
On September 24, 90 singlehanded sailors will take off from Les Sables-d’Olonne, France, racing 21-foot (6.5-meter) Classe Mini boats alone for 4,050 nautical miles to
Windward PassageA Maxi Yacht in Her Sixth DecadeBy Randall Peffer, Steve Jost, Ronald GeismanWoodenBoat, $75.00 Few world class racing boats have had such improbable beginnings
