As boat show season begins, a generally positive U.S. economy is creating strong demand for new sailboats, and many builders are positioning themselves to take advantage. European manufacturers in particular are targeting North America to offset slow home markets still affected by the Greek bailout, while the weaker euro makes imported boats more attractive for … Read more

How Inuit Knowledge Led to the Discovery of HMS Terror Listening to local knowledge and applying unconventional thinking is how diver and researcher Adrian Schimnowski and his team located HMS Terror, one of the two ships lost with all 129 crew members while searching for a Northwest Passage in 1848. The disappearance of both ships, … Read more

Adrienne Culpepper says the first thing most customers notice when they step into the business she runs with her husband, Michael, in Galveston, Texas, is the smell. “When people who have worked on rigs or ships walk into our shop, they breathe in and say, ‘Aaahh, I love that smell,’” she recalls. That distinctive scent—salt, … Read more

It feels strange and a little tender to write this final editor’s letter — the closing note in a monthly conversation I’ve treasured for years. Each issue, when I spoke “Radio check, radio check,” someone always answered “Loud and clear.” That steady exchange made this column feel like a real conversation rather than a message … Read more

In 2020 nearly 75 percent of new light-vehicle sales in Norway were electric cars, making Norway the global leader in plug-in vehicle adoption. Sweden ranked third with about 32 percent, Finland fifth with 18 percent and Denmark sixth with nearly 16 percent, according to EV-Volumes. Those strong incentives—reduced or waived sales taxes, value-added taxes, tolls … Read more

When a problem appears on a boat it often happens right before or during a trip. One moment you’re looking forward to a good day on the water; the next you’re dealing with a delay, a costly repair, or a ruined outing. The good news is that many of the gremlins that derail days afloat … Read more

Drift Wood: A Handbuilt Mahogany Tender by Kelvin Franks Kelvin Franks of Duson, Louisiana, estimates that his wife believes he spent about $30,000 and four-and-a-half years creating his 15-foot mahogany tender. Franks says the precise cost and timeline are fuzzy—he sometimes paused work for a month to take on other projects—yet the result is unmistakable: … Read more

When James A. “Jim” McCurdy of McCurdy & Rhodes designed the 38-foot cutter Selkie for his family in 1985, entering the Newport Bermuda Race was always part of the plan. “My father had been doing Bermuda races since the 1950s,” Sheila McCurdy explains. “Every two years he would disappear for a week or so and … Read more

Plastic twister-tail worms on board can be the key to catching fish on short notice. I used to give slide shows to fishing clubs and boating groups, and one slide that always drew a gasp showed a fellow holding a 47‑pound striped bass he caught before a planned flounder trip. He stopped at a nearby … Read more

Mike Perham Becomes the World’s Youngest Solo Circumnavigator Mike Perham has claimed the title of the world’s youngest solo circumnavigator, a distinction held for a short time by California teenager Zac Sunderland. Perham crossed the finish line between Lizard Point and Ushant, France, at 10 a.m. on Aug. 27, completing a 30,000-mile journey that began … Read more