Author George Day

While we don’t normally cover yachts of this size, preferring to focus on our core owner-operator readership, but this is an exception in no small part because it comes from the Turkish builder Sirena Yachts. At the Ft. Lauderdale International Boats Show, Sirena’s management team hosted a reception so they could introduce the Sirena 88, which had not been shown in the U.S. before, and launch the design for the Sirena 118. We often think of Sirena as a builder of family cruising boats in the 48 to 68-foot range. These stylish designs with plumb bows and very angular, muscular…

The legendary Italian builder Pardo Yachts celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. To mark the milestone, they introduced a new flagship, the Pardo 75 T-Top. The boat has the builder’s distinctive reverse bow and rounded shape, with sculptured hull chines that run aft to deflect spray. The sheer has a slight reverse curve, another Pardo trademark, that matches up visually with the line of the large T-Top over the cockpit. As the photo illustrates, the 75 has been created as a true waterfront piazza, with a huge lounge forward, an al fresco dining area in the cockpit and a beachfront…

This fall, Cruisers Yachts, which has been building quality American-style pleasure boats in Oconto, Wisconsin for 71 years, introduced a new flybridge model with the 57 Fly family cruiser. The 57 joins the Cantius 60 Fly as the only other flybridge model in the builder’s line. The 57 Fly is a three-cabin, twin-head sport cruiser that will make a spacious floating home for a family that enjoys cruising together. A single cabin has been included for a crew member or skipper. The 57 offers expansive living spaces with a lounge on the fore deck, a large cockpit aft and a…

One of my first stops at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat show last week was the Palm Beach in-the-water display to see the new and much anticipated Palm Beach 70. The Australian builder of fine Downeast-style cruising boats had made a splash earlier in the year when the company became an official sponsor of the Newport-to-Bermuda Race, all sailboats, and was first to arrive in Bermuda. The 70 needed only 36 hours to cover the 636-mile course. CEO and Chief Designer Mark Richards noted before the race: “I’m very proud to have Palm Beach Motor Yachts sponsoring this prestigious race.…

In 2020, the French company JetCycle introduced their innovative and patented water toy of the same name. The original JetCycle is a recumbent, pedal-powered foiling boat that, with spirited pedaling, will rise up onto its foils and then soar over the waves at up to 20 knots, as long as your legs last. It’s a fun idea and at about $10,000 apiece it quickly found a market in Europe among outdoor enthusiasts, cyclists and energetic youngsters. The company now runs JetCycle family-oriented events with races and point to point rallies.  And, they have recruited a team of ambassadors who help…

Hylas Yachts, which builds finely designed and crafted sail and power yachts at their Queen Long yard in Taiwan, has a hard-earned reputation for delivering sensible, conservative powerboats that are first and foremost good sea boats. Their powerboat line, designed by the New Zealand-based firm Salthouse, has roots deep in workboat traditions with sea-kindly hulls, flared bows and deep cockpits. The new 47, with twin outboards, is the first to have outboards and also the first to run with diesel-powered engines. The move to alternative propulsion was driven by a need to deliver  more sustainable boats to customers who are…