Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2025 i Soundings

Ken Perry dropped me a note recently, to share an experience he’d recently checked off his bucket list. It had been a lifelong dream of his to sail his own recreational boat to distant places. “And by sailing I mean literally harnessing the wind in sails to discover new shores,” he said. During a 30-year-plus career in the Navy, Perry commanded submarines, harnessing the power of nuclear reactors for subsea missions, but, he said, it was not the same as heeling into wind and waves as a civilian on an open deck. And while he had skippered pleasure sailboats periodically, the frequent relocations for work made owning one impractical. But following retirement, he finally had time to explore on his own, so he and his wife bought a Hallberg-Rassy in…

My wife was, at best, lukewarm about my plans. Less than a year earlier, we’d purchased our first boat, a 20-year-old Hallberg-Rassy 43, to explore the Chesapeake Bay. The idea was that after a season or two, and following retirement, we’d embark on more ambitious adventures. When the 2024 Salty Dawg Caribbean Rally from the Chesapeake to Antigua came around, I figured it was time to aim a bit farther than the local ports. “Have fun,” she told me as I joined a four-man crew on a 48-foot Leopard catamaran for the 1,700-nautical-mile passage. For those not familiar with this event, it is a large organized flotilla of boats that depart from the U.S. East Coast each fall. Hosted by the Salty Dawg Sailing Association (SDSA), sailors cruise together to…

While zipping across Charleston Harbor on the Zodiac X10CC, it occurred to me that Jacques Cousteau never had it this good. Yes, the famous French oceanographer got to dive all the world’s most beautiful locations, and I did not, but he never got to drive a Zodiac like this. The French company’s latest model, which became available in the U.S. in January 2025, is a beast—a good kind of beast—and it’s nothing like the smaller Zodiacs that Cousteau had aboard his mothership Calypso. I first crossed paths with the X10CC at the 2024 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show where Zodiac Nautic Regional Sales Manager Ryan Jaco and Zodiac Nautic COO Tim March, who is in charge of the Americas for the brand, walked me through the boat. I was impressed,…

Spring is exciting for more reasons than one: Not only are boaters in Northern climates gearing up for another season on the water, builders from around the globe are preparing to launch new models featuring the latest innovations. When you’re walking the boat show docks this season keep an eye out for these builds, some from familiar companies and others from newcomers to the market. 1 BENETEAU ANTARES 9 Beneteau debuted a new model in its popular Antares series at the Miami International Boat Show in February. Measuring 27 feet overall with a 9-foot, 10-inch beam, the Antares 9 falls in the middle of the powerboat line that ranges from 24 to 42 feet. This model aims to provide the space and accommodations needed for comfortable weekending without sacrificing handling…

Launch day is an exciting milestone for any builder, but it was even more so for a resourceful Maine-native who crafted his vessel by hand. In this photo from May 25, 1966, Fernald “Fern” Carter’s family boat Nancy Ruth is about to depart on its inaugural ride. She’s packed with Fern’s family and friends. On the bow are Nancy and Ruth, Fern’s two daughters for whom the boat was named, and on the roof is his son Eugene. Often described as hardworking do-it-yourselfers, the Carter family moved to Waldoboro from Swan’s Island in 1950, eventually settling on Gross Point, where other relatives later joined them. Fern worked many odd jobs on Swan’s Island, including digging clams, lobstering, cutting wood and Christmas trees, and repairing and rebuilding old boats. Fern really…

Brooklin, Maine, has wooden boatbuilding in its veins. It’s home to the WoodenBoat School, which, since 1981, has taught more than 20,000 people about the construction, maintenance, repair, design and seamanship of wooden boats. The town is also home to Brooklin Boat Yard and other builders who keep the craftsmanship alive. Yes, it’s a stretch when these folks call their town “the boatbuilding capital of the world,” but when it comes to wooden boats, they proudly mean it. Amid all this sawdust is the Friend Memorial Public Library, which got its start in the late 1800s and has held on with the town’s tiny, year-round population of about 800 people. The current building was renovated in the 1990s and is used not just by the locals, but also by summertime…

LOA: 33’6” Beam: 11’7” Draft: 2’3’ Max. Power: 1,050 hp Fuel: 293 gals. The design team at Grady-White has a knack for taking great boats and making them even better. When they introduce a feature that becomes a customer must-have, the designers will roll out the same touches on other models across the lineup. The Freedom 345 is a great example, combining the comfort and style of the Freedom 415 with the fishability of the Canyon 456 in a slightly smaller package. “We recognized our customers’ strong desire for top-of-the-line design details, which we noted in their reaction to the Canyon 456, 386 and Freedom 415. With this in mind, we made sure to include similar amenities while planning the 345,” says Grady-White Product Designer Christian Carraway. “This results in…

“NO. WE ARE NOT SPENDING THAT KIND OF MONEY.” For a solid decade, that was the answer from Steve Olsson’s wife whenever he raised the idea of buying an American Tug. He’d spotted one in a marina and been smitten at first sight by the height, the beam and the amazing sense of space for the length overall. It sure seemed like a boat built for adventures much grander than he could ever possibly undertake on the 30-footer he towed behind his truck from their home in the Seattle area. “I lusted after it for at least 10 years,” says Olsson (pictured above). He even tried to negotiate a compromise: a 50- foot converted fishing boat that cost less. “That boat was fine,” he says, “but I really, really wanted…

One of the greatest American painters of the 19th century, Winslow Homer’s catalog of work ranges from intimate and subtle to dramatic and thrilling. Homer’s painting The Life Line, a heroic scene of the rescue of a woman from a stricken ship, falls into the latter category. In it, mountain-like waves tower over a couple locked in a mortal battle with the ocean. The anonymous rescuer’s legs dangle above raging waters that could consume him and an unconscious woman without a moment’s notice. Homer also placed a masking scarf at the center of the piece. A striking red, it flashes defiantly against a sea of ethereal blues. Another element that’s featured prominently is the device used to execute the rescue: a breeches buoy. This rope-and-pulley based rescue device was used…

Having made a career by boating all my life, I have seen hundreds of models from canoes to yachts come and go. The one boat that I think compares to Noah’s sturdy ark is the Boston Whaler Montauk. I am a proud owner of a 1985 Boston Whaler 17 Montauk that is amply powered with an equally eager-to-please 90-hp Yamaha outboard. This is my second Boston Whaler. The first was a 17 Tashmoo with an 85-hp Johnson Sea Horse. I purchased the Montauk more than 20 years ago and have repowered it once. From my Montauk, I’ve caught fish, raked clams, hand-lined blue claw crabs, watched fireworks on summer evenings, visited waterside restaurants, enjoyed romantic evening cruises and taught kids how to dock and drive. Whether it was trips to…

When it comes to beauty and efficiency, sailboat designs by Sparkman & Stephens rank at or near the top of virtually all lists. The Tartan 37, which debuted in 1976, is one example of the iconic work produced by this naval architecture firm. With its modest but pronounced overhangs, gently sprung sheer and low trunk cabin, the Tartan 37 looks timeless. It followed in the wake of the popular Tartan 27 and 34 models, which launched S&S into the rapidly growing auxiliary keelboat market of the 1970s and 1980s. According to one source, Tartan Marine built over 480 Tartan 37 models over a period of 13 years. When Gordon K. (Sandy) Douglass and Ray McLeod founded the Douglass and McLeod boat building company in Grand River, Ohio, in 1951, sailing…

A trip to Port Townsend, Washington, is a journey to a place that’s inhabited by quite a few folks who make a living hanging planks on wooden hulls. But there are exceptions, including Larry Grobe, a wiry, unassuming late sexagenarian with a deadpan sense of humor and zero zest for fanfare. He wears a Tyvek suit and respirator with dignity and pride, content with a job that still brings him joy five decades in. That’s how long Grobe has been “the glass guy” in the wooden-boat town of Port Townsend. He works out in the woods, at Cape George Marine Works, formerly known as Cecil Lange & Son. They are builders of the William Atkin-inspired Cape George cutters, especially the Cape George 36, an Ed-Monk design that made headlines when…

Many marine engine alternators are inadequate to handle the charging demands of modern boats. Typically derived from automotive designs, these alternators struggle to perform effectively when paired with large deep-cycle battery banks, falling short as a reliable charging solution. While high-output alternator options exist that can meet these demands, they are seldom straightforward drop-in replacements. If your current alternator is falling short, here are the key considerations for choosing a high-output alternator and how you can optimize its performance. WHY UPGRADE YOUR ALTERNATOR? While the electrical demands of modern boats have increased dramatically, stock marine alternators have failed to evolve to meet these needs. Although some engine manufacturers now include high-output alternators, these internally regulated options are far from optimized for use as primary charging sources. Internally regulated alternators generally…