Soundings is the news and feature publication for recreational boaters. Award-winning coverage of the people, issues, events -- and the fun -- of recreational boating. Check out our generous boats-for-sale section and our gunkholing destinations.
A decade ago, a new department debuted in a fall issue of Soundings. It was called Classics, and the section was designed to highlight antique craft (built from 1919 to 1942) and classic models (from 1943 to 1975), both power and sail. The editors selected the boats to be featured and illustrator Jim Ewing used his significant talent to create rich visuals for each model. Over time, we added “late classics” to the mix, or boats built from 1976 to the late 1990s. The department was well-received from the moment it left the dock, and over the years Classics has become one of our most popular sections. At this time of year, we draw up a list of boats to cover in 2023. To develop the candidates, we talk with…
Rick and Suzanne Rosenwald have been helping people all their lives. He’s a retired firefighter and she’s a retired paramedic and healthcare worker. It just made sense to them, after they completed an America’s Great Loop cruise, to volunteer as helpers for other Loopers cruising near their hometown of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on Lake Michigan. “As we were doing the Loop, there were so many people who helped us out with little things here and there,” Suzanne says. “When you’re on your boat, you don’t have a car to go run and get things. You don’t have a way to go get a certain screw or a cord for the internet, things like that. Driving people to get these things is easy for us, and we enjoy it. We meet all…
Setting out from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 2018, Jeff Bolster and his wife, Molly, hoped to circumnavigate on their Valiant 40, Chanticleer. After port-calls in the Caribbean, Panama, Galapagos, French Polynesia, Cook Islands and the Kingdom of Tonga, they were in New Zealand waiting for South Pacific cyclone season to end when Covid-19 broke out, interrupting their voyage. Dealt lemons, they made lemonade, cruising New Zealand’s northern coast for 19 months, until leaving their boat and flying back to the U.S. Jeff and Molly plan to return to the boat in late 2022. Jeff’s thoughts on pulling off the voyage of a lifetime will appear in a few installments in Soundings. This is the second. We knew that heading for the South Pacific would mean removing ourselves from repair facilities…
Owners of boats as small as 35 feet all along the U.S. East Coast say NOAA Fisheries is unfairly targeting them with a proposed rule that would dramatically expand the areas designated to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales, and that would require boaters to slow to 10 knots or less to avoid striking the animals during certain times of the year. “It’s just stupid,” says Capt. Craig Thatcher, who runs the 35-foot Bertram Never Enough out of Beaufort, North Carolina. “Fishermen are all talking about this. If you see one, you get out of the way unless you want to tear your damn boat up.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the proposed rule on August 1 by publishing it in the Federal Register. NOAA Fisheries says the…
Brought to you by Epoxy safety begins with working cleanly. When handling WEST SYSTEM epoxy resin and hardener, take steps to keep epoxy out of your eyes and off your skin and clothing. Ventilate your workspace to protect your respiratory system. Minimize the amount of epoxy that gets on your work surface and tools. Regardless of the type of boat repair you have planned, follow these safety practices: Protect Your Eyes and Skin Whenever working with epoxy, wear safety glasses or goggles to prevent epoxy from splashing into your eyes. Neoprene gloves are a great choice for keeping epoxy off your hands. These gloves offer chemical- and puncture-resistance, good finger sensitivity and flexibility for manual dexterity. While it might seem like wearing gloves is not a critical step, particularly if…
For too many years, pilothouse sailing yachts had a clunky look, with an oversized salon projecting well above the deck, seemingly attached as an afterthought to the otherwise clean lines of a capable ocean-going vessel. However, when Bruce Farr and his renowned crew of designers, naval architects and engineers produced Design #373, the Farr 50 Pilot House, in 1997, they raised the bar for this particular design. They also heightened expectations for owners, who prized excellent performance under sail, offshore reliability across a wide range of weather and sea conditions, and accommodations that blended home-style amenities and carefully planned spaces. Only 25 of the 50PH models were built, and they were constructed to a very high standard, by BSI Marine in Lysekil, Sweden, and sold through Boat Sales International UK.…
