Black Knight: A Striking Race Committee Boat from the 1983 America’s Cup At the opening of the 25th defense of the America’s Cup off Newport, Rhode Island, in 1983, the cannon was fired from the deck of Black Knight. Loaned by a member of the New York Yacht Club, this visually arresting vessel — with … Read more

Over the years I’ve delivered dozens of boats from New Jersey to Florida, using both offshore routes and the Intracoastal Waterway. On favorable runs a fast boat and good weather can put 1,000-plus miles behind you in four long days. Other trips take much longer: my longest delivery stretched over three weeks even though the … Read more

Review: Aspen Carbon Cat — A Lightweight Carbon-Fiber Tender Built for Durability and Comfort At the Annapolis Powerboat Show I stepped down from the dock onto the side deck of the 11-foot Aspen Carbon Cat and immediately noticed how solid and secure the footing felt. SeaDek covers the coaming and main deck, providing a nonslip … Read more

During its 12th ceremony on November 5 in Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. Sailing welcomed thirteen new members into its Hall of Fame. The induction honored a wide range of contributors to the sport—competitive champions, designers and builders, instructors, record-setters and advocates—whose achievements helped shape sailing in the United States. “Recognizing sailors who history would otherwise … Read more

Willoughby Expedition Retraces 1897 Route to Assess Water Quality in the Everglades In a modern echo of an 1897 journey, the 2022 Willoughby Expedition retraced the route of scientist and explorer Hugh de Laussat Willoughby through the Florida Everglades to measure contemporary human impacts on one of the world’s largest subtropical wildernesses. The team set … Read more

RNLI Lifeboat Rescues Stricken Yacht in Force 10 Winds Off Porthleven Source: Maritime and Coastguard Agency On Halloween night, a serious maritime rescue unfolded just two miles off Porthleven, the town located on England’s southwestern coast. A 40-foot yacht with eight people aboard sent a mayday call as it began to take on water in … Read more

U.S. Coast Guard and Nearby Vessels Rescue 13 People Off Virginia Before Fishing Boat Sinks In the early hours Friday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard, assisted by nearby research and fishing vessels, rescued 13 people — including a child — from a fishing boat just moments before it sank off the coast of Virginia. The … Read more

From a California Horse Ranch to Platinum Loopers: The Smiths’ Two Loops Aboard an Aquila 44 April and Larry Smith spent most of their lives far from long-term boating. As young adults they had only brief encounters with life at sea—April crewed an 86-foot yawl in Marina del Rey and Larry spent nine months as … Read more

Farr 50 Pilot House: A Classic Pilothouse Sailing Yacht For many years pilothouse sailing yachts often looked ungainly—salons that rose awkwardly above the deck and interrupting otherwise sleek offshore lines. The Farr 50 Pilot House, Design #373 by Bruce Farr and his team, introduced in 1997, changed that perception. This design combined true offshore capability … Read more

Sea Trade — Humboldt Bay, 1898 On May 27, 1898, the busy waters of Humboldt Bay, California, formed the backdrop for an era of transition. Euro-American settlement in the region began less than fifty years earlier, when the first ships arrived from San Francisco in the spring of 1850 carrying passengers bound for the gold … Read more