Yachting January 2023

WITH A NEW YEAR, we get 12 months of new opportunity. Last year was an industrious one for boatbuilders and manufacturers. ¶ For example, I watched CL Yachts debut a new flagship incorporating a build technique that uses carbon-fiber ring frames to support the vessel’s superstructure, creating a wide-open floor plan in a 96-footer. You get an uninterrupted view from the cockpit to the foredeck lounge. That’s some intriguing imagination, planning and execution. ¶ I also had the chance to see Axopar’s new 25-footer—powered with a 300 hp Evoy electric outboard motor. That vessel has a 50-knot top-end speed and a 25-nautical-mile range at 25 knots without requiring a recharge, an admirable distance for most dayboaters. ¶ In this month’s Trends column, you’ll see the all-electric X Shore 1, which…

STANDING AT THE HELM of Dasher, the first Hinckley Yachts Picnic Boat ever built, I got to experience the past at the same time that I was meeting, and driving, the boatbuilder’s future offerings. ¶ You see, the 36-foot, 28-year-old Dasher is the testing platform for Hinckley’s new SilentJet technology, which was developed in partnership with Twin Disc. It’s a diesel-electric-hybrid system that is currently available on the Hinckley Picnic Boat 40 S, and it follows on the heels of the company’s first all-electric 29-footer, also known as Dasher, which launched in 2017. The lessons learned building the all-electric boat led to Silent-Jet for the larger vessels. ¶ There are several key elements of SilentJet that make it an intriguing proposition: Working in concert with water jets and the Hinckley…

GUY HARVEY has been creating sought-after marine-inspired apparel since 1986. Precious few closets aboard boats, especially those that do some fishing, are without at least one Guy Harvey hat, T-shirt or other favorite piece. ¶ In early 2022, the company partnered with Groove Life to offer water-friendly silicone rings featuring Guy Harvey artwork. Demand for the rings has been so high, the company is now adding more designs. ¶ “We’re very excited to not only add more choices to this best-selling collection, but also to debut Apple Watch bands, which is a first for us,” said Alex Harvey, licensing and marketing director for Guy Harvey Inc. “The quality, design and artwork have made these a fan favorite.” ¶ The rings are available in sizes that will fit most fingers, and…

94'7" LENGTH OVERALL 20'8" MAXIMUM BEAM OCEAN ALEXANDER’S 28E enters uncharted waters as the first model in the Taiwanese builder’s new Explorer series. The 28E had its global debut at Australia’s 2022 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show and was on display at the recent Fort Lauderdale show. ¶ From the flybridge’s three socializing areas to the expandable multipurpose aft deck and two levels of accommodations, just about every space aboard the 28E is an invitation to relax and look around—and there’s certainly plenty to explore aboard the 28E. ¶ At the 28E’s aft deck, Ocean Alexander has completely opened the space. There’s no covered beach club or stowage, but instead a 332-square-foot teak-covered area that gives guests and their toys easy access to the water. The space can be increased too,…

IN 2021, THE CHARTER-MANAGEMENT TEAM AT Fraser announced that its efforts to help change Costa Rica’s laws had worked, making it easier for the types of yachts commonly available in the Caribbean and Mediterranean to offer bookings in Costa Rica too. Now, two years later, some sizable superyachts are accepting inquiries for charters there, giving clients options they haven’t had in the past. ¶ “I have one client who has done the Bahamas, has done the Caribbean, and when I mentioned Costa Rica, he lit up,” says Vicky Whitehouse, a charter broker in Fraser’s Fort Lauderdale, Florida, office. ¶ Whitehouse’s own experiences in Costa Rica have left her enthusiastic about the destination. “It has so much to offer,” she says. “They have volcanoes with natural hot springs. They have abundant…

EVEN IN THE BEST OF TIMES, it’s a short sailing season in New England waters. This year, for me, because of work and travel commitments, it was especially abbreviated. Early last October, almost five months to the day after sailing my Pearson Ensign Saunter the roughly dozen miles from winter storage at Safe Harbor New England Boatworks in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, to my mooring in Newport Harbor, I was making the return trip to put it away for the winter. The last ritualistic sail of the season is always bittersweet, but I’ll also remember this one for a long time. Because it was sensational. ¶ All the usual suspects that make up my regular crew were busy, so I was all by myself as I caught the launch from the…