Picturing the Pacific: Art, Exploration, and the Making of a New World Image Between the 1760s and the early 1800s, voyages from Europe to the Pacific brought not only maps and specimens but also a visual record of distant landscapes, peoples, flora and fauna. These records—oil paintings, watercolors and drawings—provided many Europeans with their first … Read more

Sabre 48 Salon Express: Down East Cruiser with Zeus Pods and Joystick Control With the Great Recession well behind the marine industry, boat builders are once again bringing new designs to market rather than only updating existing models. The Sabre 48 Salon Express is a strong example: a Down East-style cruiser designed from the keel … Read more

Jacob Pike: Preserving a Maine Sardine Carrier and a Vanishing Commercial Fishery If a single surviving vessel could stand as a symbol of Maine’s once-thriving commercial fishery, that honor would belong to the Jacob Pike. Built in 1949 at the Newbert and Wallace Shipyard in Thomaston, Maine, the 83-foot Jacob Pike was constructed of oak … Read more

Center console boats have steadily grown in size and popularity since Boston Whaler introduced what is widely regarded as the first production model. The 16-foot Nauset, launched in 1960 and designed by company founder Dick Fisher and chief designer Bob Dougherty, was essentially an oversized dinghy fitted with a hand-built mahogany console and center bench. … Read more

Tragedy Spurs Push for Mandatory Boater Education Across New York The August 2005 collision off Bay Shore, New York, still haunts the families involved and has prompted renewed calls for stronger boater education. Frank and Gina Lieneck were aboard a 24-foot Bayliner with three children when a 25-foot Grady-White, reportedly traveling at full throttle, plowed … Read more

Effort Underway to Protect Tangier Island and Its Navigation Channel The National Park Service describes Tangier Island as “little more than a sandbar, barely rising above the raging waters of the Chesapeake Bay.” Despite that stark image, a multimillion-dollar effort is currently moving forward to stabilize part of the island and protect the navigation channel … Read more

It’s basic physics: a moving boat displaces water and creates waves behind it — that wake is the operator’s responsibility. Good wake etiquette is part of safe seamanship. Most boaters aren’t wakeboarders or surfers, so inconsiderate wakes are more than an annoyance: they can be dangerous to people, damaging to vessels and docks, and harmful … Read more

BG-One: Solid-State Bilge Pump Switch and Oil/Fuel Detector The BG-One from Blue Guard Innovations is a compact, solid-state bilge pump switch and oil and fuel detector designed to improve onboard safety and environmental protection. Built to work with common marine electrical systems, the BG-One senses when oil or fuel is present in the bilge and … Read more

When a Registered Boat Becomes a Legal Nightmare: A St. Johns River Story Tracy Lynn Tedesco learned, too late, how costly a single decision can be. As the family’s primary earner and bill payer, she registered a boat in her name that was effectively her husband’s. What could go wrong? For a time the family … Read more

Schooner Sultana Visits Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels On May 7, the replica schooner Sultana will arrive at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland. The vessel will spend the week both at the museum and sailing the Chesapeake Bay with student groups, serving as a hands-on classroom for maritime history … Read more