Since he formed Outbound Yachts just over 10 years ago, Phil Lamberta former merchant mariner, racing sailor, and wanna-be yacht designerhas demonstrated a deft appreciation of what it takes to successfully blend performance and comfort in an offshore cruising boat. His Outbound 44 and 46 performance cruisers, both designed by the late Carl Shumacher, are much admired among
When Nautor Swan built its first boat the venerable Swan 36, Tarantella in 1968, the Finnish builder used a revolutionary new hull material called fiberglass. Forty-some years later Swan is again pushing the envelope, this time with DSK, an all-carbon, flush-deck, 90-foot German Frers-designed rocketship.Compare the two boats and you quickly
This handsome racer-cruiser from the board of Mark Mills is designed to the IRC rule. It promises sizzling performance with family-friendly accommodations. A retracting pole for an A-sail is optional, or you can fly symmetrical spinnakers from the tall double-spread aluminum mast. Down below, there are three double berths, standing headroom, and a functional galley. LOA 35ft
Originally a British company, Prout catamarans are now built in China. The 45S is a good-looking boat, opulently fitted out and with some customizable interior options. Theres more wood than weve become accustomed to seeing in catamarans and the factory has done its best to keep weight down with extensive use of cored moldings. There are four staterooms, and a heads compartment in each hull.
You cant talk about dream yachts without someone dropping the Oyster name in the first few minutes. Designer Rob Humphreyss brief for the new 655 was for a boat that combined luxurious amenities with first-class performance. The latter was achieved not only by clever hull design, but by the extensive use of carbon fiber and Kevlar throughout the boat. If you didnt think
The Mini 6.5 solo racing class is well established in Europe, and is now slowly gaining a toehold in the U.S.A. The EKO 6.5 is built by Third Coast Composites in Texas and the first example has already completed the Bermuda One-Two race. There are plans to break into series production if the class catches on. LOA 21ft 4in, beam 9ft 10in, draft 6ft 6in, displacement 2,040 lbs,
The new mid-range cat from Lagoon looks like a useful cruiser. From stem to stern, it reeks of practicality, from the trademark pillbox-style windows (let in light without heat when the suns high) to the hardtop cockpit canopy (everyone always fits a bimini, so why not make it permanent?). The sails can be controlled from the elevated helm station and between the open-plan
Every sailors perfect boat would be big enough to accommodate the whole family in luxury, perhaps 80 feet or so, and would have a draft of one or two feet for easy gunkholing, an efficient sail plan, good stability and speed, and mechanical aids for handling lines. The mast would lower easily to get under bridges. Oh, yes. It would not cost too much, would be beautiful to
If proof were needed of the high standard of modern production boatbuilding, Jeanneaus new flagship would be high on the list of exhibits. It features a bunch of nice detail touches that not too long ago would have been the preserve of much more expensive yachts. Philippe Briand drew the lines for this express cruiser, which combines a powerful triple-spreader rig, refined
Its great to see boatbuilders investing in smaller boats again, and this new baby of Jeanneaus North American range looks like just the thing for a young family. Shes a simple boat, with double cabins fore and aft and the possibility of sleeping two people amidships on the settees. The heads/shower looks to be a good size and theres a decent galley and a small nav table.
When Marvin Creamer, a retired geography professor and lifelong sailor, set out from Cape May, New Jersey, on Dec. 21, 1982, aboard the Ted Brewer-designed
“Vous parlez Français?” An elderly man was addressing me over breakfast at an inn in the French seaside village of La Trinite-Sur-Mer. “No, désolé, just
The 2023 Marion to Bermuda Race, which departed Marion, Massachusetts, on June 16, will be remembered for a new course speed record and as one
Leg 7 Leg 7 started off with a bang—literally—when Guyot-Environment hit 11th Hour Racing Team. Visibility is limited on IMOCA 60s, and a simple port-starboard
For certain sailors, boats from Swedish builder Hallberg-Rassy are the stuff of dreams, synonymous with stout, go-anywhere yachts delivered in a gorgeous, thoughtful package that
In 1942, Ray Greene and Company changed the face of boatbuilding when they built the first viable polyester-fiberglass composite boat. These materials meant that boats
In Cape Horn: The Logical Route, Bernard Moitessier wrote about the joy of sailing into a harbor at night. Not just entering a harbor, but
You know you’ve nailed the start of a race when, after just one tack, you’re crossing the rest of the fleet’s bows. That’s a familiar
In an alternative universe, I might be writing about how I test sailed the new X4.3 performance cruiser in a super-scary thunder squall, and the
It’s not uncommon to spot a rainbow after a squall when the sunshine breaks through the clouds—a marker of hope and fairer weather ahead for
