California dreamin’ is a way of life for millions of Americans who live at the junction of land and sea in Southern California. The dream becomes a little foggy if your dreamscape includes developing Southern California waterfront property. Developable land along this stretch of coastline is scarce at best. And going one step further, on Shelter Island in San Diego Bay, it’s non-existent. Built upon an unimpressive mudbank formed by the San Diego River, Shelter Island emerged from the shallows as San Diego Bay was dredged for Naval purposes in World War II. Initial elevation? A whopping fourteen feet. In […]
Zemphira returns to the shed
We are always excited to tell you about our designs: whether in-build, getting refit, or living the life they were designed for. And so it was this spring we started telling you all about the thorough refit one of our favorite boats enjoyed last winter, in which we were deeply involved (Zemphira-(re)fit for a King). But as they do, stranger things happened which changed that story dramatically by creating another project and a new chapter in the life of Zemphira. Mere hours after leaving the dock in Camden, Maine, on her maiden delivery voyage after the work was done, the […]
The Complicated Life of the Modern Transom
Given the variety in styling, operational performance, and construction made possible by current design aesthetics and materials, the modern transom is often one of the more detailed elements of a yacht’s design. On Cirrus, the 68-foot, Spirit of Tradition sailing sloop in-build at James Betts Enterprises (click here for build photos) in Anacortes, Washington, we went for a fairly traditional looking transom to match her sweetly shaped haunches. In Cirrus’s case, however, looks most certainly are deceiving. With the push of a button, or operations made manually, convertible transom designs are found on all manner of yachts. A transom with […]
Maine racing provides a fantastic test bed for varied hull shapes
Racing in Maine’s varied mid-summer weather and tides rewards a variety of boat types and hull shapes. Why do certain designs work better than others in specific conditions? Read on. The classic racing season in Maine is short and sweet. Until a few years ago, classic and Spirit of Tradition boats had to pack it all into three days, Thursday through Saturday of the first weekend in August—the Castine Classic, a race from Castine to Camden, the Camden-Brooklin “feeder” race, and the venerable Eggemoggin Reach Regatta. A few years ago, the Camden Classics Cup joined the party with two more […]
Pressure Testing Zingara on the Race Course?
What the Maine sailing season lacks in length it makes up for in fantastic experiences. Whether cruising or racing, the icy waters, semi-reliable sea breezes, exotic thunderstorms, and sure, even the fog, create an otherworldly environment for those lucky enough to spend time amid the unlimited islands, rivers, and thoroughfares stretching along the Maine coast. Arguably the best time for sailing in Maine is the end of July through mid-September and if you’re up for a bit of sport, two key events are the Camden Classics Cup (July 29-31, www.camdenclassicscup.com) and the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta (Aug. 7, www.erregatta.com). There […]
Rosie: A Sweet Spirit of Tradition Daysailer
When an owner’s dreams collide with superior design wonderful sailing boats result The genesis of an excellent design is as varied as the number of designs we’ve created over the years. This design began when a long-time friend and client, with a lifetime of sailing and owning various craft approached us to re-imagine the Herreshoff Rozinante yawl. He owned two of the Rozinantes at one time or another but understood that in a new design he would be able to merge the looks he admired of L. Francis’s masterpiece with the modern performance realized in a 100 years of […]
The Complexity of Sustainable Boat Building
As every sector looks to incorporate sustainable best-practices, so too, does the boat building industry. Professor Fahmi Bellalouna at the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences sums it up in an article (Innovation Origins), “The interest of customers in environmentally friendly and sustainable products has also reached the boat market. Sailing is per se an environmentally friendly and sustainable form of mobility that only uses wind and thermal as energy sources. As a result, many customers now pay attention to the composition of materials and the manufacturing processes of sailboats.” As custom yacht designers, we see the complexity of this issue […]
Bob and Paul Set Sail with Zingara
We have some exciting news to share: Bob and Paul have been reunited with an old friend – s/y Zingara. And like any new boat owners, they couldn’t be more excited! We thought we’d share this re-acquaintance story with readers, giving a little background on Zingara herself, what makes her unique, and why those characteristics are as relevant to the sailing Bob and Paul want to do today as they were when Zingara was first conceived more than 30 years ago. Bob and Paul, let’s start with an obvious question – after an unexpected year and an even more unconventional […]