Clark Mills envisioned a trailerable boat that was easy to rig, simple to sail, and would draw just enough water to make it suitable for breezing across skinny water or spending the night in a gunkhole.ScheduleSchedule

 The 1975 sales brochure described the Westsail 28 as a world cruiser and the boat lived up to that promise. Although only 78 hulls were built, far fewer than the impressively popular Westsail 32, most of the small cruisers are still sailing the far-flung corners of the globe. 

 For many sailors, the dream of boat ownership is always present. But making it a reality means overcoming the big fear: the terrifying possibility that you could plunk down a fair amount of mone

 Sailors who admire the Baba 35 are quick to point out that the bluewater cruiser possesses both beauty and brawn. The full-keel, double-ended cutter was designed by naval architect Robert H. Perry. When it first splashed in 1979, the boat was dubbed the Flying Dutchman.

 Frank Butler had a dream. In July 1969, he designed and built the first Catalina 22 in North Hollywood, California. This petite, family-friendly cruising sloop was his fledgling company’s inau

 The search for a vintage Bristol 32 sloop took us to six states by road trip and to three others via online research. We wanted the boat that has often been called the little sister to the class

 Charles “Charley” Morgan Jr. emerged as a top yacht designer and builder shortly after the 1960 launch of Paper Tiger, the 40-foot, fiberglass, centerboard yawl commissioned by New York yachtsman Jack Powell. 

The decision on whether to carry a life raft and what kind of life raft that should be can be a challenge for sailors. New six-person, non-commercial life rafts cost at least $1,700. Used life rafts can be a relative bargain, but all rafts need periodic maintenance. The decision on what is right for a boat can hinge on factors as varied as budget to the kind of sailing you do.

 We’ve been to plenty of concerts but never by sailboat, so when our friends in Florida called to ask if we wanted to join them to see the Dave Matthews Band via boat, we grabbed our bags and headed for the airport. 

 The J/24’s story reads like the script of a Disney movie. It’s 1975 and amateur boat designer Rod Johnstone is tinkering in the garage at the family’s Stonington, Connecticut, home. 

American yacht designer Doug Peterson gained the attention of the world’s most competitive sailors when he unveiled the one tonner Ganbare in 1973. The 35-foot sloop was innovative below the waterline, and it was praised for its looks and sailing capability. It went on to win the SORC. By 1976, Peterson had designed the Peterson 34, an offshore racer-cruiser.

Nathaniel Bowditch didn’t look like Hollywood’s version of a swashbuckling sailor, but his contributions to maritime navigation more than 200 years ago made it possible to traverse oceans with greater speed and accuracy. And the mathematician’s hard-earned accomplishments haven’t been forgotten. The National Sailing Hall of Fame in Annapolis, Maryland, included Bowditch in its 2014 class of eight inductees during a September ceremony at the Detroit Yacht Club in Detroit, Michigan.

 It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what drew me to a catboat, and specifically a Marshall 22. Perhaps it was some romantic notion conjured from gazing at an Edward Hopper or Winslow Homer painting,

If you’ve ever imagined steering a rocketship but had your dreams dampened because you’re not a NASA astronaut, I have good news for you. The new C&C 30 one-design race boat provides fast acceleration, light-air performance and so much exhilaration you’ll be convinced this is exactly how it feels to hurtle through space as the hull planes across the water. And it doesn’t take long to grow accustomed to leaving slower boats in your wake.

When Tony Castro designed the Jeanneau Sunshine 38 in the early 1980s, many other naval architects had not yet caught up with the notion that sailors might want a comfortable cruising yacht that was a

The Alden 44 was designed in 1977 and has been turning heads ever since. This capable offshore racer-cruiser has made countless passages and won its fair share of hardware on the race course in its da

Patricia Stadel sailed her fifth and self-proclaimed last Etchells World Championship in June where she had the distinction of being the most senior skipper competing in the 95-boat fleet. At 75, Stadel has by default become a goodwill ambassador for the International Etchells Class. She had plenty of wisdom to impart when asked why she and so many other competitive sailors, including legends like John Bertrand, 68, who won the America’s Cup for Australia in 1983, gravitate to this particular sloop.