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December 11, 2012Dufour 36 PerformanceBest Crossover
Photos by Walter Cooper
For an owner seeking a sharp-looking raceboat to take off on for the weekend, the Dufour 36 Performance, selected as the Boat of the Year's Best Crossover, has everything to make that a reality: The cockpit is set up for racing, and even with an aluminum rig package, the boat was lively and quick. The interior, and even some of the more subtle cruising details, are so well thought out that you quickly forget you're sailing a dual-purpose boat.
There were several strong candidates in the Crossover category, but the Dufour 36 had all the right traits: excellent build, great speed and handling, and a respectable price tag for the quality ($225K). Most definitely, the best value of the fleet, the judges agreed.
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December 11, 2012C&C 101Boat of the Year Nominee
Photos by Walter Cooper
The C&C 101 is billed as a return to C&C’s racing roots, and for this they tapped young in-house designer Tom McNeill. Teased by dying winds and a shortened test sail, the judges sailed the boat on two separate days so as to give it a fair test.
Short-tacking up the shoreline of the Naval Academy, the boat accelerated quickly out of the tacks, and was responsive on the helm to subtle course changes, characteristics the judges liked. The build quality and interior were positives as well, but there numerous issues of which the judges were critical, including the mainsheet system, which was difficult to trim, and the cockpit ergonomics, which while wide, and open, were not comfortable (the floor being too low, for example).
The judging panel from our sister publication, Cruising World, however, found no such issues and were most impressed with its entry-level pricing—$175K—bestowing the boat with their Domestic Boat of the Year award.
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November 13, 2012Extreme Family Voyaging, the Anasazi Girl WayFor James Burwick, Somira Sao, and their two young children, 200-mile days on the Open 40 Anasazi Girl are just part of the everyday routine.
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November 7, 2012Vendée Globe Preview 2012The “Everest of the Seas” kicks off on Nov. 10 from Les Sables d’Olonne, France. Here’s what you need to know about this grueling ocean race.
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November 7, 2012The Faces of the Vendée GlobeThese 20 sailors will set off on Nov. 10 to sail around the world alone in the grueling Vendée Globe.
Click here to learn more about the Vendee Globe.
Click here to view photos from the start of the race. -
November 2, 2012Surviving Sandy: The Moondust ChroniclesTim Zimmermann battens down the hatches on the Beneteau 36.7 Moondust on the Chesapeake Bay for Hurricane Sandy.
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October 31, 2012Report: Newport to Ensenada Race TragedyUS Sailing's independent review panel investigates the Aegean accident during the 2012 Newport to Ensenada Race that resulted in the deaths of four sailors.
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October 23, 2012Rolex Middle Sea Race 2012The 606-nautical-mile Rolex Middle Sea Race starts and finishes in Malta, and includes the deep azure waters of Sicily and the Strait of Messina, the islands of Pantelleria and Lampedusa, and even features Stromboli's active volcano as a course mark. Photos: Rolex/Kurt Arrigo
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October 22, 2012Is SpeedDream Just A Dream?A 27-foot prototype of SpeedDream sets sail, and Tim Zimmermann takes notice.
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October 16, 2012J/24 World Championship 2012Rochester YC (N.Y.) hosted 96 J/24s for the 2012 World Championship on Lake Ontario this September. After the 10-race series, Brazil's Mauricio Santa Cruz and team on Bruschetta took the championship title, while the U.S. team of John Mollicone and 11th Hour Racing finished second. Photos: Rochester YC
