SAIL.SailMagazine

Stanley Aaron Dashew couldn't wait to show off his boat. The careful engineering. The attention to detail. It was all ready for some long-distance voyaging, but, frankly, he’ll never get to do that again, because at this point he can't walk, and he can't talk. 

After hull integrity, rudder integrity is the most vital component of a seaworthy vessel, yet most sailors pay more attention to LED lighting or smartphone apps than they do to their boat’s rudder. Before you shrug off rudder failure as a remote concern, consider that the incidence of mid-ocean rudder failures is close to 1 percent.

After years of vying for berths, siblings Zach and Paige Railey add their names to the ranks as they prepare to represent the United State at the 2012 Olympic regatta in Weymouth, England.

“Every sailor’s ditty bag ought to have one of these things in it,” proclaimed one of our judges. Many of those ditty bags will, of course, belong to racers (dinghy sailors in particular will like the flying cleat for handling loaded working lines more comfortably), but we think cruisers will ultimately find the most creative uses.

The twin rudders on this beamy cruiser ensure excellent helm control even when hard on the wind at an aggressive angle of heel. The wide transom incorporates an enormous flip-down swim platform that is raised and lowered with an electric motor and will undoubtedly make you the envy of the anchorage.