Boat of the Year

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.