Best Multihull: HH 66
The HH66 sailed away from the competition, clocking high speeds and high comfort to take the title of Best Multihull and 2018 Boat of the Year.
From an impressive roundup of the latest and greatest innovations in sailing, we found four designs that sailed away from the competition.
Twenty knots of wind will make any good boat fun to sail, but to fully appreciate it, a taste of light air is required. When a boat is right, you can feel it, hear it and see the performance. It was with this understanding that our judges dived into our annual Boat of the Year sailing trials. Sailmaker Chuck Allen, naval architect Greg Stewart and boatbuilder Tom Rich powered their way through 10 new race boats over five days in Annapolis, Maryland, delving into the boats on land and drilling builders for details. Two hours (or more) on the water with each entry fueled long nightly discussions. The winners had to deliver on three basic criteria: design purpose, quality and performance. Four boats produced on all three counts, with one ultimately sailing away with the overall title.
The HH66 sailed away from the competition, clocking high speeds and high comfort to take the title of Best Multihull and 2018 Boat of the Year.
Tom Slingsby beat Giles Scott, Diego Botín and Peter Burling in a Final decided by meters. Nearly 15,000 fans attended across the event, which included a new speed record and back-to-back wins by Germany Deutsche Bank.
Gary Jobson calls tactics aboard the 1938 yawl Black Watch through three days of classic yacht racing in Maine, ending at the Eggemoggin Reach Race.
The second week of the San Pedro OCR regatta concludes with victories in 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 classes, providing elite sailors with critical training experience on the future L.A. 2028 Olympic waters.
Buying a 1986 vintage Catalina 22 was the easy part. But navigating the “good enough” repairs of a swing keel and rotted bulkheads is a reminder of the sweat equity required of old boats.
Judges: Tom Rich, Greg Stewart & Chuck Allen
Highfield RIBs, the official RIB of *Sailing World*’s Boat of the Year
Walter Cooper for photography
