Author George Day

Boat Reviews
By

Inside Newport Yacht Builders’ Mussel Ridge 54

The salty and distinctive lines of Down East-style cruisers are admired around the world, and often copied by builders from Turkey to Australia. These designs take their lead from Maine lobster boats that have plied the New England coast for generations, and are known for their speed, stability, seaworthiness and large cockpits. Adapted into refined yacht-style cruisers, these lobster-boat hulls offer a very special platform for coastal cruising. In 2018, Newport Yacht Builders in Newport, Rhode Island, were approached by an experienced client to develop and build a cruising boat for his young family based off of the Mussel Ridge…

Boat Reviews
By

We Test New Hinckley 35: Poetry in Motion

The brand-new Hinckley 35, with twin Mercury Verado 350-hp outboards, was sitting in a slip at the Hinckley boat yard in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. I met skipper David Salathe at the boat and he gave me a quick tour before departing. The engines were both idling, but they were so quiet you could barely hear them. The under body of the 35 was designed by Michael Peters, who has numerous trophies and naval architecture awards to his credit. The look of the 35 is Down East classic with that special Hinckley flair. The high bow and flared sections forward promise…

Boat Reviews
By

We Test New Vicem 50 Classic in Newport

Last Monday, the day after the close of the successful Newport international Boat Show, I had the good luck to join professional captain Louis for a quick sea trial of the new Vicem 50 Classic. The dawn was clear and cool without a breath of wind brushing Newport Harbor. Louis fired up the twin Volvo IPS600 engines and with bow thruster and IPS pod drives engaged, he inched the 50 out of her tight slip at Bannister’s Wharf and drove her slowly into the fairway. As always on late summer mornings, Newport was filled with an amazing collection of sail…

Cruising Life
By

Sargasso Weed Will Affect Atlantic Voyagers

Those of us who have sailed across the North Atlantic, particularly on the route from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean, and the route from Bermuda to the Azores, will have seen our share of Sargasso weed or Sagassum floating out there. In fact, we used to look for it because there was a fair chance that a Mahi Mahi or a Wahoo would be hanging out under the weed patch and might be ready to chase a trolled lure. But since 2011, the amount of Sagassum in the North Atlantic has expanded dramatically fed, largely, by nutrients flowing from…