2015 April 30
 I just bought a new-to-me Baba 40. I love the boat and have spent lots of time cleaning it up and just making it mine. It came with a nice Bruce anchor, one of the original well-built ones. I really like the anchor but it could look better, it’s pretty rusty. Can I have it galvanized or can I paint it?
2015 April 30

This cruiser offers sleek looks with lots of options

 George Nissan designed the new Contest 42CS for Dutch builder Contest Yachts. I’m inclined to call this boat the Option 42. There are multiple interior options and multiple cockpit options. You are going to be hard pressed to find a reason not to like this boat.
2015 April 30

Semicustom design gives owners almost unlimited options

This design combines the efforts of the V. Ahlen design office with the Sirius Design Team. The overall design is highly unusual and I’m not sure I have ever seen so many features combined in a boat this size. Keep in mind that these boats are semicustom, so the layout and finish details are up to the owner working with the yard’s design team. I have drawings for six layouts, but the company built 14 different layouts on its previous 31-foot model. I think we can expect a lot more variations on the new 40.
2015 April 30

Beneteau's new flagship is all about comfort

The Oceanis 60 is the flagship of the Beneteau fleet, designed by Berret Racoupeau with help on the interior by Nauta Design. This is a very good-looking boat in the European modern style punctuated by a mainsheet arch over the cockpit.
2015 April 30

Encourage even hesitant sailors to jump on board by improving their sailing skills in the most beautiful places on Earth

 Keeping both partners happy when one finds a new passion is an age-old dilemma; even Penelope stayed home in Troy when Ulysses sailed off. So often, one partner gets hooked on sailing, but their companion doesn’t; one has a boating background, while the other’s water-based activities are limited to the bath.If you’re having a hard time getting your loved ones into sailing, now might be the time to sweeten the deal. Sailing schools exist in every beautiful corner of the world and who can turn down a learn-to-sail vacation in paradise?
2015 April 30

A pair of 23-year-old friends tackled the Great Loop on a boat a decade older than them with a dog and a cat as their crew. What they found was a profound personal journey filled with wonderful people and inspiring experiences

 On September 4, 2012, best friends Jessie Zevalkink and Katie Smith cast off the docklines in Northport, Michigan, aboard a capable pocket cruiser named Louise. The 23-year-olds had little sailing experience, yet they were determined to tackle one of the continent’s great adventures—the Great Loop.
2015 April 30

Owners of some of the country’s oldest sailing schools say teaching sailing has changed for the better

For half a century, sailing schools have taught people of all ages how to get out on the water. School fleets were often full of aging boats and instructors’ experience could vary dramatically. There was no certification and no universally set standards. We asked some of the owners of the oldest sailing schools in the country what things were like then and what they are like now.
2015 April 30
I’m pretty sure I sailed before I walked. I know I sailed before I talked. I don’t remember it, but it’s family lore. My parents’ idea of a nice family outing was to put their first-born, while still in the babe-in-arms stage, aboard their 18-foot Seagull sloop and go sailing on Lake Michigan. There is no record of whether I wore a life preserver. I’m guessing I didn’t. The kapok models in vogue at the time would have outweighed the child.
2015 April 21
The palm-sized B and G Pilot Controller wireless remote has a set of simple keys to allow for fast and accurate autopilot control. 
2015 April 21
 Logbook 3.6 is computer log software for Mac, Windows and iPad, but it is written from the perspective of a traditional logbook. 
2015 April 15
A little snow and ice can't keep sailors from doing what they love. More than 50 people strapped on skis, sleds and skates, grabbed hold of their favorite wind-harnessing device and braved frigid temperatures in a quest to satisfy their need for speed at the World Ice and Snow Sailing Championships in February on a frozen Lake Winnebago in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. 
2015 April 15

A Lake Michigan charter cruise visits the nooks and crannies of Grand Traverse Bay

When to reef? Honestly, I wasn't sure. The wind was now up to a solid 13 knots, tickling 15 with every indication of getting stronger. Yet the 35-foot boat with a full-batten, square-top main seemed to be handling everything fine. In fact, as we galloped past Old Mission Light in Grand Traverse Bay, my sister and her daughter, both nonsailors, were below in the galley, happily making grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup without a hint of seasickness. Not bad for a sailboat I was originally reluctant to take on a four-day cruise on Lake Michigan. 
2015 April 15

A flotilla charter to the Caribbean islands of the Grenadines is filled with camaraderie and playing pirate

Digging deep into a wooden chest filled with doublets, waistcoats, sashes and breeches I found a tri-cornered hat, complete with beaded dreadlocks dangling from its leather brim. Perfect! Along with my plastic cutlass and scabbard, I was a near-clone of Capt. Jack Sparrow. I sauntered out into the bright sunlight to join my crewmates, scrambling over cannons and up ratlines like scurrilous pirates. St. Vincent and the Grenadines served as the primary filming location for “Pirates of the Caribbean” and a dozen years later, we found ourselves romping through several of the remaining movie sets at the town of Wallilabou, aka “Port Royal” in the popular movie series. It was just one of the many treasures we unearthed on a Sunsail flotilla cruise through the Windward Islands.
2015 April 6
Flotilla sailing offers the benefit of a built-in group of friends, with many practical advantages as well. Daily weather reports, chart briefings and local knowledge, plus knowing a helping hand is not far away can set your mind at ease, whether you’re a novice charterer, or old hand.
2015 April 1
From the bird's eye view, the Dufour 350 looks like a race boat, with the beam carried far aft. That trickle-down feature from racers to cruisers has been a boon to sailboat designers because it increases the interior volume, allowing for more cruising gear and features inside the boat and more space in the cockpit. Dufour's designer, Felci Yacht Design, made full use of the extra space in the 350, a 34-foot, 9/10th fractionally rigged cruiser. This boat is loaded. 
2015 April 1

The latest midsized racer-cruiser from J/Boats offers exhilarating performance in a family-friendly package

I have been fortunate to sail most models in the J/Boat family and I confess, I like them all. The new J/88 is an ideal blend of what makes the J/Boat brand so enduring. 

Perry on Design

  • This high-powered, high-tech cruising trimaran has speed to burn

  • A daysailer with a vintage vibe will turn heads in every anchorage

  • This folding trimaran for fun cruising offers plenty of options

Advertisement
Advertisement