Dear Soundings:I go boating on the Chesapeake Bay aboard my 40-foot sportfishing boat (shown above). I’d like to improve the exterior finish and just make it look cooler. Can I add one layer of carbon fiber to the boat’s topsides? —David Avedesian, Silver Spring, Maryland Applying a carbon-fiber layer to your boat is possible, but for … Read more

For much of the early 20th century, traveling quickly by powerboat was uncomfortable and often unsafe when seas turned rough. Even as marine engines delivered dramatically more horsepower in the 1940s and ’50s, hull designs lagged behind and simply could not make efficient use of that added power. Going fast in challenging conditions was, for … Read more

Not long ago, Maine was synonymous with traditional wooden boats. Today, however, the Pine Tree State builds virtually any type of vessel: large or small, production, semi-custom or fully custom, new builds or refits, cold-molded, steel, aluminum, fiberglass, carbon fiber or wood. From Portland to Mount Desert Island, boatyards line the coastline and fill hidden … Read more

Amateur Boatbuilder Spends Three Years Building 16-Foot Dinghy — Then Realizes It Won’t Fit Through His Door A retired land surveyor in England, Steve Goodchild, devoted three years to building a 16-foot dinghy inside his home. The painstaking project, completed with careful craftsmanship and a love of traditional boatbuilding, hit an unexpected snag at the … Read more

Drone Captures Unforgettable Close Encounter with Blue Whale off San Diego Drone footage taken on June 19 shows a blue whale calmly swimming alongside a small vessel off the coast of San Diego. The video was recorded by Domenic Biagini, owner and operator of Gone Whale Watching, who says the whale approached the boat without … Read more

Solo Atlantic Crossing: Argentine Sailor’s 85-Day Voyage Home When 47-year-old Argentine sailor Juan Manuel Ballestero found himself stranded on a Portuguese island after the Covid-19 pandemic forced international flights to stop, he faced a difficult choice. He could remain where he was—on a scenic island that had largely escaped the pandemic and aboard his 29-foot … Read more

A controversial Federal Communications Commission decision, released during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, has raised serious concerns about the future reliability of GPS equipment used by millions of Americans. BoatU.S., the country’s largest advocacy, services and safety organization for recreational boaters, warns that the ruling could undermine navigation and safety systems across many … Read more

East Coast Community Cleanup Launches as a Virtual, Week-Long Effort On Wednesday, June 24, organizers launched the first East Coast Community Cleanup, a regional effort to remove trash from waterways and public natural areas along the eastern seaboard. The kickoff was hosted virtually via Microsoft Teams and brought together Save the Sound, Future Frogmen, and … Read more

Kathy Sullivan Becomes First Woman to Reach the Ocean’s Deepest Point Kathy Sullivan, who first made history in 1984 as the first woman to walk in space, has added another landmark achievement to her career. In a recent dive to the Challenger Deep—the deepest known spot on Earth—Sullivan became the first woman to reach the … Read more

Gill Classic vs Kynance Sunglasses: Polarized, UV-Protective, and Designed for Life on the Water When choosing sunglasses for boating or coastal activities, protection and performance are essential. Gill’s Classic and Kynance sunglasses deliver both polarization and reliable UV protection, making them strong contenders for anyone who spends time on the water. Beyond basic protection, Gill … Read more