Sail Magazine

by Peter Nielsen

Peter Nielsen is SAIL’s Editor-in-Chief.

Best Boats 2012: Bavaria 36

by Peter Nielsen, Posted August 29, 2011

The Farr-designed Bavaria 36 is a comfortable cruiser with an incredible amount of space belowdecks for its size. In-mast furling is standard, and an A-sail is available for light-air speed downwind. Wide side decks extend all the way to the transom, providing excellent footing when handling dock lines. Like the rest of Bavaria’s Cruiser series, the 36 comes standard with a large flip-down swim

Best Boats 2012: Hunter E33

by Peter Nielsen, Posted August 29, 2011

After bringing a half-dozen new designs to market in 2011, Hunter Marine continues to upgrade its line of cruisers and daysailers with the new e33. The boat is vintage Hunter, with a stainless steel cockpit traveler arch, spacious accommodations belowdecks, a well thought-out cockpit and a B&R rig. The e33 also features the longer saloon windows and hull windows that have become a hallmark of the

Best Boats 2012: Bavaria 32

by Peter Nielsen, Posted August 29, 2011

The smallest member of Bavaria’s new Farr-designed Cruiser series, the Bavaria 32 has a wide beam carried well forward and a full 6ft of headroom in the saloon. Careful styling, though, has produced a cruiser that looks good under sail, belying all that interior volume. The boat’s large, sturdy flip-down swim platform will serve up plenty of fun at anchor.

Best Boats 2012: Harbor 30

by Peter Nielsen, Posted August 29, 2011

Here is a sweet-looking daydailer-cum-weekender that combines traditional good looks with the fine build quality that W. D. Schock boats are known for. The Harbor 30 has cozy accommodations for four, with an enclosed head/shower and a tidy galley. A fractional rig with self-tacking jib promises easy handling.

Best Boats 2012: J/70

by Peter Nielsen, Posted August 26, 2011

The latest J/Boats design updates the venerable J/22 and offers something new as the company’s first ramp-launchable keelboat. This latest entry into the sport-boat market features a vertically lifting bulb keel, a carbon fiber single-spreader rig that flies a masthead A-sail and a large open-transom cockpit with dedicated stowage for an outboard motor.

Best Boats 2012: Marblehead 22

by Peter Nielsen, Posted August 26, 2011

Built in wood/epoxy by Samoset Boatworks in Maine, this little beauty is designed by Doug Zurn. Its big square-topped mainsail is set on a freestanding carbon spar and wishbone boom, which really sets it apart from the crowd. samosetboatworks.comSPECSLOA: 22ft, 9in LWL: 18ft, 8in Beam: 6ft, 10in Draft: 3ft,

Best Boats 2012: RS Venture

by Peter Nielsen, Posted August 26, 2011

The latest from the UK-based dinghy and performance-skiff manufacturer RS Sailing, the new 16-foot Venture dinghy serves equally well as a daysailer, trainer or club racer. The boat’s huge cockpit can fit a half-dozen people and includes storage space in a rear locker for an outboard engine. An internal ballast option provides additional stability, making the boat nearly self-righting should it

Best Boats 2012: Topaz 14 CX

by Peter Nielsen, Posted August 26, 2011

Small beach cats are always good for some fun sailing, and this new 14-footer promises to combine thrills with user-friendliness. Designed by top European multihull sailors Rob White and Yves Loday, the Topaz 14 CX comes with a choice of rigs that take it from perky singlehander to red-hot twin-trapeze racer.

Prepare Your Boat for a Hurricane

by Peter Nielsen, Posted August 24, 2011

With sustained winds of 100 mph, Hurricane Irene is expected to strengthen as it approaches the U.S. mainland this weekend. Irene, already a Category 2, should avoid the southeastern states, but Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are battening down the hatches for a storm that could hit as early as Saturday afternoon. The forecasts echo those of 2010, when Hurricane Earl arrived with

Cruising Tips: Spinnaker Net

by Peter Nielsen, Posted August 24, 2011

Like most cruisers, I was happy to ditch my symmetric spinnaker and defect to a more easily handled asymmetric kite, but I can’t deny that the symmetric sail has its advantages. It works better on downwind runs with the apparent wind at 140 degrees or more, and on most older boats it has the considerable virtue of already being on board (no need to spend money) and is probably lightly