Table of contents for March 2019 in SAIL

RADIO STAR Simrad’s new fixed-mount RS40 VHF radio does more than merely transmit and receive. It also includes an integral dual-channel GPS receiver that can be used in open air with or without its own dedicated antenna, or connected via NMEA0183 or NMEA2000 to a chartplotter/MFD or any other compatible antenna in the network. It then displays the resulting information on its own screen or that of a compatible MFD. An especially clever feature is the ability to pair the unit with up to two wireless handsets. The radio can also display speed and course over ground, and has a MOB function that sets a waypoint and shows distance and course to a person overboard. $619. Simrad, simrad-yachting.com FURL POWER Seldén’s Furlex Electric offers an easy path into the world…

When I asked Fountaine Pajot’s Laurent Fabre if the new Astrea 42 was replacing Fountaine Pajot’s earlier Helia 44, his response was a firm “Non!” The reason, he said, is the Astrea isn’t just a shortened or tweaked design, but rather an all-new design for this LOA that borrows a number of features from the French builder’s award-winning Saona 47. DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION Although only working with a foot and a half more LOA than her little sister, the Lucia 40, the Astrea’s design team at Berret-Racoupeau made a point of including more usable seating options, a voluminous interior with multiple head configurations and larger windows all around to make the boat brighter and more inviting. They even added slightly inverted hulls like those you see on serious racing machines,…

It would be hard to imagine a more secure spot than the Sunsail base on the outskirts of the beachside community of Placencia, Belize. The entire marina is protected by a robust seawall with a channel scarcely a few boatlengths across. It’s also located far enough up Placencia Lagoon that it takes the better part of a half hour before you get out into open water (and can stop playing connect-the-dots with your chartplotter waypoints to avoid plowing into the muddy shallows to either side). Once you come around the southern end of the Placencia waterfront, though…well, that’s a different story. Not that the aspect that greeted my wife, Shelly, and our daughter, Bridget, and me was in any way a terrible one. On the contrary, nothing could be further…

I found my sailing “dream boat” in the spring of 1979 while racing on Lake St. Clair in Michigan. Everyone had heard about the hot new boat in town, and we were anxiously awaiting the appearance of this new Pearson 40. She made it to the starting line just before the race started and sailed by in a good breeze with a bone in her teeth. I was blown away. In my eyes, she was stunning. At that moment I told myself, “That is my dream boat.” It took 20 years, but the stars finally aligned, and I bought my Pearson 40 in 1999 and renamed her Passion. The boat was pretty rough cosmetically, but my primary concern was the condition of her hull, deck, rigging and systems. I knew…

Are you out there sailing, cruising and living the sailing life? Share your experiences with other readers. Send your photos to sailmail@sailmagazine.com And don’t forget to sign up for our free eNewsletter, Under Sail, via our website sailmagazine.com A September sunrise off Allen Island, Muscongus Bay, Maine.— Dave Short, Mount Desert ME A sailor’s dream! This was taken on Christmas morning 2018 aboard my 2005 Catalina 36 MK ll.— Stephen Butler, Ruskin, FL I enjoyed watching the sunset fade into a star-filled Summer sky while anchored out on Michigan’s Lake St. Clair on my Catalina Capri 22.— Todd Brinkman, Rochester, MI It doesn’t always snow in Buffalo! Taken aboard our Hunter 280, Spinoza’s Revenge.— Steven and Beth Weiss, Getzville, NY Dolphin sighting crossing the Minch to South Uist, Scotland! This…

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is best known for the wild weather that often marks the Bass Strait between Tasmania and mainland Australia. However, Tasmania’s Derwent River, which serves as the homestretch into the finish in Hobart, can be no less daunting with its heart-breaking calms. In recent years, the Derwent has also become the site of some nail-biting finishes between those in search of line-honors, as the Maxi Class has become both more numerous and increasingly competitve. This time around, no less than four of the 100ft thoroughbreds found themselves duking it out following the roughly 600-mile run down from Sydney, including longtime race veteran Wild Oats XI, Black Jack, Comanche and InfoTrack. At one point a mere four miles separated all four boats as they made round…

Groupe Beneteau’s commitment to entry-level boats has been reaffirmed over the last year with the assimilation of the sporty Seascape line of pocket cruisers and the introduction of Jeanneau’s zippy little 319 (reviewed in the February issue). The just-announced Oceanis 30.1 is the latest example of this trend. If you like the modern production-boat design aesthetic, with its high topsides, squared-off ends and protuberant sprit, you’ll find this a pretty boat—but she’s not for the traditionalists. Design features like twin rudders, hull chines and a generous beam that maxes out just aft of amidships and is carried back to a fat stern are par for the performance-cruiser course these days. Nevertheless, this Finot-Conq design is a much more mainstream boat than her recently discontinued predecessor, the Juan Kouyoumdjian-designed First 30,…

Two separate racing fleets were streaming into the docks and a party was in full swing at the head of Marseille’s inner harbor. A group of bearded musicians cranked out lively jazz tunes while throngs of sailors jostled around the drinks and snack tables. Sipping a rather good Cabernet, I counted a score of colorful sponsors’ booths set up along the concrete and stone piers, a few yards from the transoms of a dozen beautiful classic yachts that had just finished a hard day’s racing. Opposite them was a cluster of battle-scarred one-design racer-cruisers with foul weather gear draped over their booms, gangs of twenty-somethings washing the salt off after a long, breezy overnight leg. The mid-September evening was warm, the atmosphere convivial, and the whole affair set the scene…

Dock water hoses can be seen connected to lots of boats in marinas, and my 45ft schooner, Britannia, had the system built-in from original. A water hose connects to a dock faucet and a pressure-reducing inlet on the boat. This reduces municipal water pressure, usually around 60lb, to about 35lb and pressurizes the boat’s water system. The advantages are constant pressure in the boat’s water system without using pumps or battery power, and a more even flow than a small pulsating pressure pump can deliver for, say, a shower and silent operation. Unfortunately, Britannia’s ½in water hoses were as old as the boat, with a maze of connectors all in a tangled mess. I had repaired or replaced many sections that leaked or cracked from time to time, which the…

Whether you want to build a sailing resume or just gain practical experience, getting more miles under your keel is key. You can sail a lifetime of summer afternoons and never quite get the hang of cruising—where creativity and off shore savvy result in self-sufficiency and jury-rigging expertise. Passages don’t have to be long, but they should be overnight and preferably off shore in various kinds of weather. That’s hard to find on charter where you typically sail (or motor) to an anchorage, set the hook every night and head for the bar. Experience also doesn’t need to be all about sailing. The cruising lifestyle is made up of roughly 20 percent sailing and 80 percent everything else, including fixing diesel engines, autopilots, refrigerators, radar and things like broken boom…

Crack! Crunch! I woke with a start to the sound of ice scraping the hull of our 60ft sailboat, Dogbark. In a drowsy daze, I hobbled out of the small cabin I was sharing with my little sister. As I emerged into the cockpit, I swiveled my head, searching for the ice making those awful noises. It was a cold and foggy August morning. The 15-knot breeze whipped my hair across my face. Every breath I took in felt frozen. My mom was on the bow using a long metal pole to push away a car-sized growler that was trying to run over our anchor chain. I looked up and scanned Cross Island, which we were anchored in the lee of, to see if there were any polar bears lumbering…

Aperennial challenge for professional sailboat racing is striking a balance between boats that are exciting to sail, but aren’t so cutting edge (read expensive) that it becomes impossible to get enough teams to compete. Fortunately for Cup fans, the Kiwi defenders for the 36th America’s Cup appear to have found a winner in their new full-foiling AC75 monohull. As this issue went to press, no fewer than six challengers had officially thrown their hats into the ring, including not one but two U.S. syndicates: the New York Yacht Club’s Team American Magic squad, and Stars & Stripes Team USA, flying the burgee of California’s Long Beach Yacht Club. The other challengers include Challenger-of-Record, Luna Rossa, of Italy; a joint Dutch effort sponsored by the Royal Netherlands Yacht Club Muiden and…

There are boats and then there are those boats that turn heads, and for me, the boats built by Hylas have always fallen under the latter category. Sturdy ocean-crossers, these capable couples cruisers beckon to those with dreams of voyaging to distant shores in comfort and safety. To this end, the new Hylas 48 is the latest model in what has become an iconic brand, one that makes you look twice, think once and then start planning your retirement. DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION From stem to stern the new Hylas 48 is pure Hylas, and devotees of the brand will immediately recognize the boat’s lines, sailing characteristics, and fit and finish. The bow is slightly raked rather than blunt, and the nicely drawn reverse transom includes a set of integrated steps…

Prego! Weeks after returning from our Italian flotilla trip last summer, I was still feeling the relaxed atmosphere of the AmalfiCoast. It’s a Mediterranean paradise, with crystal-clear waters, chaming hillside towns and cliffside villages, plenty of delicious food and wine, and shopping and stylish swank to spare. Even better, as we soon discovered after casting off lines, one of the best ways of experiencing all the romance, mystery and history of this area is by charter yacht. While Italy is a popular Mediterranean sailing destination, an AmalfiCoast/Bay of Naples charter is a bit different. Rather than being known for its sailing, the area is best known for its beauty, history and leisure. During the summer months, the wind is also not necessarily the best, but the sailing distances between villages…

The list of potential downwind sails for use in light airs is mindboggling, and it only seems to grow every year. The question then becomes: what does a typical cruising yacht actually need to make reasonable speed in light air without resorting to the engine? A lightweight reaching or running sail will oft en propel you 50 percent faster than just the main and headsail. For example, if you are making 3.5 knots under jib and main alone, you could be making 5 knots with a light-air sail. This cuts way back on engine use, whether daysailing or on passage. Spinnakers of any variety oft en conjure up images of over-extended racing crews getting in a mess, but it doesn’t have to be that way. This is especially true because…

It is a big leap of faith, heading off shore on a sailboat. Even if you are experienced and well prepared, you commend yourself to the elements when setting sail and are taking a chance they will not be kind to you. You take an even bigger chance when you set out with people you’ve never sailed with before. I pondered this while organizing crew for a passage south to the West Indies last fall. I met with prospects, we warily sussed each other out, each wondering how tolerable the other would seem after several days at sea, but in the end I had to tell them: you never know until you’re out there. I signed up two likely fellows, one of whom suddenly cancelled on me. I found another…