Many powerboat cruisers operate their vessels at speeds and loads well below what engine manufacturers expect. To maximize fuel efficiency, owners often run at displacement speed—typically less than 1.34 times the square root of the boat’s waterline length—which requires low rpm and often loads the engine at less than 25 percent of its capacity. While … Read more

Readers’ Favorite Waterfront Restaurants: Memorable Dock-and-Dine Spots We recently asked readers to share the locations of their favorite waterfront restaurants (“Best Dock & Dines,” July), and the responses painted a vivid picture of why eating by the water remains one of boating’s greatest pleasures. Below are reader-recommended spots and practical perspectives on what makes a … Read more

Silent 60: A Quiet Solar-Electric Catamaran — Sea Trial in Fort Lauderdale I was standing with my back to the helm, talking with a colleague, when Capt. Kyle Miller eased the new Silent 60 away from the Fort Lauderdale dock. I didn’t realize we were underway until I turned and watched the shoreline sliding past. … Read more

Two Boaters Rescued After Runaway Center Console Near Brant Rock Beach Two people were rescued off the coast of Marshfield, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, July 5, after their 24-foot center-console boat began spinning uncontrollably in what rescuers described as a “circle of death” less than a mile from Brant Rock Beach. A local fisherman first noticed … Read more

Boating over the Fourth of July weekend means far more boats, swimmers and activity on the water than usual. Increased traffic raises the risk of collisions, falls overboard and other hazards, so careful preparation and constant vigilance are essential for a safe holiday. Below are 12 practical boating safety tips from the Water Sport Foundation … Read more

Ellen: Record-Breaking Electric Ferry Demonstrates Viability of Battery-Powered Shipping A fully electric ferry designed to showcase the potential of battery propulsion has set a new distance record for a single charge. Finnish supplier Danfoss Editron, which provided the electric drivetrains and propulsion motors, reports that the ferry Ellen completed a special voyage that established the … Read more

Storm Morning with My Dad: A Sail on Long Island Sound Just after my tenth birthday, I woke at dawn to the steady patter of rain on the thin glass windows of our little yellow Cape house. It was Sunday, which meant Dad’s store was closed and he would be home. I scrambled out of … Read more

The July Fourth weekend is one of the busiest and most anticipated times of the summer for boaters, especially in the Northeast. With warm weather, long days, and a working boat at last, many families fill the holiday with cruising, overnighting on the hook, sandbar gatherings, fishing and water sports. It’s a great opportunity to … Read more

In 2019 my wife Molly and I cast off from our homeport in New Hampshire with the goal of circumnavigating the globe. We made it as far as New Zealand before the Covid pandemic closed borders. Over the course of nearly three years we visited countless archipelagos—stops included the eastern Caribbean, the Galápagos, Tahiti and … Read more

Christi and Jan van Heek are long-time visitors to Down East Maine’s postcard harbors, having cruised the coast many times aboard their J/46 sailboat. A year ago they moved from Marblehead, Massachusetts, to Rackliff Island just south of Rockland, and their two adult daughters and their families followed. “We’re all Mainers now,” Christi says. On … Read more