Sometimes a boat catches your imagination immediately. Sometimes you have to sail the boat to appreciate it. I didnt find anything revolutionary during my dockside inspection of the new Elan 384. The open transom made it easy to board. The deck was user-friendly, with good walkways and cabintop access. The optional teak decks made a secure nonskid surface, and grabrails fell to hand easily when
Groupe Beneteau is the largest sailboat manufacturer in the world. It comprises four separate companiesBeneteau, Jeanneau, Lagoon, and CNBthat operate independently but share economies of scale. At first glance, Beneteau and Jeanneau may appear to be competing for the same buyers, but in reality each line is designed to fill wide (and separate) swaths in the marketplace. Jeanneau has had great
The idea behind the new 28-foot Esse 850 is what many sportboat builders strive for: Build a fast, easy-to-handle, trailerable, one-design racer/daysailer that can be sailed shorthanded. And make sure its drop-dead gorgeous.After a successful launch in Europe, where the Umberto Felci design was named one of the European Yachts of the Year, it appears the 850 turns the
Ever since Rod Johnstone built Ragtime, which ended up being the J/24 prototype in 1974, J Boats has produced boats that are fun to race as well as comfortable and manageable enough for family cruising. The new 30-foot J/92s fits that design brief perfectly. The J/92 has been very successful on racecourses in Europe and the U.S., and the J/92s is intended to be a more stable,
At first glance the Nautitech 40 seems to have solved the conundrum all large cruising-cat designers facehow to draw a boat thats spacious on the inside and sleek and sexy on the outside. Nautitechs answer is to unify the topsides by seamlessly blending the coachroof into the hard cockpit roof. As with all designs, a compromise was required. Instead of having a single helm station on the back
Its easy to see why the Optimist is the boat of choice for the youngest sailors, but whats not so clear is where those still-young sailors go when theyve outgrown the Opti. Designer Jim Taylor and Precision Boatworks have addressed the need for a transition boat between the Opti and larger, more powerful boats like the Laser or the 420 with the new Transit 380. Its a stable
If youre in the market for a new boat, this could be the year youve been waiting for. This years new-boat fleet is over 50 boats strong and includes all the usual suspectsoceangoing voyagers over 40 feet, voluminous catamarans, and a host of performance cruisers. Last years trend toward building big (35-to-45-foot) daysailers continues with several new models, and cruisers will benefit from
Santa Cruz 53CDesigned for serious passagemakers, the new Santa Cruz 53C is a bluewater-cruising version of the companys 52-foot racer/cruiser. While it maintains the originals lightweight design, new cruising-friendly features include hull windows, self-tacking jib, carbon-fiber boom, optional shoal-draft keel, and a fiberglass dodger for more comfortable foul-weather sailing. The 53C boasts
Built as a sturdy passagemaker capable of withstanding the harshest of Baltic Sea conditions, this 40-foot Polish import carries 841 square feet of sail area, has a displacement of 18,000 pounds, and is available with a shoal or deep keel (5 feet, 6 inches/7 feet, 1 inch). The interior features 6-foot, 8-inch headroom in the saloon, mahogany joinerwork, and a choice of three- or four-cabin
I made it a point to spend time below during my sail aboard the Catalina Morgan 440. With many brand-loyal Catalina owners getting beyond career age, the companys first deck-saloon offering was conceived as a vacation home for some and a retirement home for others. The house really matters.The main cabin, with a galley convenient to the cockpit, is astonishingly big
I was sailing down the inner channel of Marina del Rey under a beautiful red sunset when Nills, one of the crew members on my
New to spectating The Ocean Race? Managing Editor Lydia Mullan breaks down everything you need to know to get started.
SAIL Editor-in-Chief Wendy Mitman Clarke enjoys a sunny autumn cruise in her Peterson 34 on the Chesapeake Bay. It was late afternoon just after the
B&G has long been putting out top-of-the-line electronics, but the new Zeus S Chartplotter is a new take on the best way to give sailors
In the wake of the pandemic, many sailors are seeking adventure and grabbing onto a vision of their best lives. For some, that may mean
