THINGS I DID WRONG
2018
• I never clearly explained to Millie why we didn’t turn at the buoy • I should have used the navigational aide on the island as the reference point rather than just tell Millie to go to the island; she might have felt safer going to a navigational aid
Plenty of good old boats are still going strong but have worn-out deck gear. Mainsheet travelers are especially prone to the ravages of time; tracks get chewed up, cars and sheaves wear out, and increasing friction makes them less pleasant to use with every passing year. Harken offers a neat solution with its boxed-up, ready-to-install replacement traveler kits which include cars and end controls. Just buy the correct size and length of track and the necessary fasteners—not included in the kits because all boats have different requirements—and you’re good to go with a satisfying upgrade project. The kits are available in three sizes to suit boats from 20ft up to 60ft. From $555. Harken, harken.com
If there’s one word that describes the boats comprising the class of 2018 in SAIL magazine’s annual Best Boats contest it’s “fun.” From the Boreal 47, a rock-solid aluminum bluewater voyager ready and able to take you to the ends of the earth, or the Reverso, an 11ft dinghy that can be quickly disassembled and stuck in the trunk of your car at the end of the day, it would be hard to imagine a better bunch of boats for getting anyone with a penchant for sailing out onto the waters of the world. Other designs that will undoubtedly max out people’s “smile-o-meters” are the Eagle 54, arguably the most gorgeous new production boat currently afloat; a pair of HH cats capable of blistering speeds in any and all conditions; a smaller Maine-built 38ft cat that does much the same without all the complexity; and the UFO, a fascinating little boat that hopes to do for full-foiling sailing what the Sunfish and Hobie 14 did for sailing in general in years past. See what we mean? Fun! What follows is a list of all the boats that SAIL’s Best Boats judges will be examining in the coming months. Be sure to check out our December issue to see which ones win.