Improving E15 Warning Labels to Protect Boaters and Outdoor Equipment Owners As newly elected officials arrive in Washington, D.C., marine-industry advocates are presenting fresh data to push the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for clearer consumer warnings about ethanol-blended fuels. The focus is E15—the gasoline blend that can damage marine engines and many types of small … Read more

Essential Knots and Seamanship Habits Every Boater Should Master I learned to tie knots the hard way as a young crewmember on a two-person delivery. The captain asked for a rolling hitch and I responded with rolling eyes. He drilled me until I could perform bowlines behind my back and wrap clove hitches on everything … Read more

What We’re Watching John Harris is a true practical artist — a trained musician with a wide appreciation for music who also founded Chesapeake Light Craft, a company that specializes in kit boats and boat plans. Chesapeake Light Craft offers a broad range of stitch-and-glue kits and plans for everything from kayaks and rowboats to … Read more

Geoffrey Huband’s “Benbow”: A Winter Blockade in the Baltic The scene is set in 1800, when Britain is engaged in hostilities with Denmark and a Royal Navy squadron is sent to enforce a blockade in the Baltic. At the center of Geoffrey Huband’s painting is the deck of the 74-gun flagship Benbow, commanded by Rear … Read more

I’ve long admired the clean, uninterrupted lines of traditional lobster boats. Like many purists, I was skeptical when builders started fitting Downeast-style hulls with outboards. But the Back Cove 34O, introduced in 2018, softened my stance. It looked right, handled well, and even earned the award for best new powerboat under 35 feet at the … Read more

Power Ski and the Evolution of Personal Watercraft The Power Ski, shown above, occupies an important place in the evolution of personal watercraft. Though less well known than later machines such as the Kawasaki Jet Ski, the Power Ski represents a clear technological and cultural bridge between the early aquaplanes of the 20th century and … Read more

Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding: Training Shipwrights on the Quimper Peninsula Located about 40 miles north-northwest of Seattle on the Quimper Peninsula, between Port Townsend and Discovery Bays, the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding (NWSWB) sits at the heart of one of the Pacific Northwest’s most active traditional boatbuilding communities. The region hosts timber suppliers, … Read more

Steve White is the president of Brooklin Boat Yard in Brooklin, Maine, a full-service facility on Eggemoggin Reach between Blue Hill and Penobscot bays that specializes in the design, construction and restoration of wooden boats. The yard became his family’s business when his father, designer Joel White, took sole ownership in 1960. Steve grew up … Read more

Pat Wells, Co-Founder and Guiding Spirit of the Antique & Classic Boat Festival, Dies at 84 Pat Wells, one of the founding figures behind the Antique & Classic Boat Festival, died on December 9 at the age of 84. Her passing marks the loss of a tireless advocate for maritime heritage and a driving force … Read more

Marshall Islands: 1,430 Pounds of Cocaine Found on Abandoned Boat Last week, authorities in the Marshall Islands discovered an abandoned 18-foot boat washed ashore on a remote atoll containing 1,430 pounds of cocaine. Packed into a compartment beneath the deck, the substantial shipment represents the largest cocaine seizure ever recorded by the Pacific nation. Officials … Read more