New Boats: Multihulls on the Horizon
From a trainer cat with attitude to a crop of all-carbon, high-performance cruisers, the diversity and quality of the latest new designs from the world’s builders illustrates the strength of the multihull scene
From a trainer cat with attitude to a crop of all-carbon, high-performance cruisers, the diversity and quality of the latest new designs from the world’s builders illustrates the strength of the multihull scene
Put your shoes on, Captain. And button your shirt.” These were the first words I heard when we stepped ashore at the dinghy dock in Washington, D.C., on the Fourth of July, 2012. It was 104 degrees…
My eyes open after only one deep droning buzz from my alarm clock. I’m already half awake, my mind focused on a strange noise outside the shabby two-story Myrtle Beach hotel. As I stare at the cracked popcorn ceiling, I realize what it is: the sound of a northwesterly whipping through the small complex of buildings.
“Why don’t we find out?” I volunteered. Having a little chat with strangers while sailing can be entertaining, so I picked up the VHF and in my best French asked who was trying to call us.

There’s no holding back these multihull designers and builders. New designs are proliferating. Here are just a few of the latest.
By their nature, larger catamarans are exceptionally safe offshore. It is not unusual to sail through mildly uncomfortable conditions, such as a gale, only to arrive in port and hear sailors on keelboats talk of “surviving” horrendous weather. A large modern catamaran has plenty of buoyancy and exceptional roll inertia.
If you catch these cruisers on the other side, while memories of the Atlantic are still fresh in their minds, that’s when their sea stories are best, which is why we joined the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia one week before Christmas.
In the Florida Panhandle, Robert Burgess and his friend Doug decided to try a tricky weekend sail into a part of St. Andrew Bay, near Panama City, where sailboats never go.
You’re trying to decide the best way to rig your new multihull, or you want to replace the original rigging with something more up-to-date. There are a lot of rigging technologies available these days, but are they affordable and cost-effective? We spoke with two pro riggers in New England to get a handle on the latest and most sensible standing-rigging options
Multi-stage beach cat racing in the Worrell 1000, one of the most grueling sailing events in the world and remains the ultimate rush. A touch of madness is required.

15 years after the original First 30 debuted, this re-imagined update proves a winner.

When several members of our Florida sailing club, the West Coast Trailer Sailors Squadron, decided to get together for a group daysail on a recent

The morning our diesel engine experienced a runaway started like any other. We were headed out of Monterey Harbor on our 1979 Cheoy Lee 41,

Six sailors have been selected as 2026 inductees to the National Sailing Hall of Fame for their achievements, leadership, and enduring impact on the sport

Editor’s note—This is the second installment of a story that began in the March 2026 issue.Click here for part one. I’m dimly aware of the

In tomorrow’s e-newsletter, we conclude the story of my transatlantic crossing with the Women Wave Project. For part one, click here. In retrospect, the whole crossing

You’ve probably seen the clips online. During the first day of racing in SailGP’s New Zealand series, the worst crash in the league’s six seasons

Log the Glass These days with weather forecasts available wherever there is WiFi, it doesn’t do to forget the old ways. Last season I was

This weekend saw the fourth annual Northeast Ocean Racing Symposium (NORS), held at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. The day of technical lectures and networking

Contributing Editor Christopher Birch’s much anticipated book The Four Seasons of Boat Maintenance is out now. Billed as “the maintenance manual that should have come