On the passage of her 20th anniversary we look back at one of our best-loved boats: the 50-foot Spirit of Tradition Sloop Hoi An. Hoi An’s history began when we were the in-house design team at Brooklin Boat Yard. In the fall of 2000 we had just celebrated the launch of the first two boats to our W-46 design, and Marc Heilner saw the press releases. A member of a long-time summer family of neighboring Blue Hill (although living in London at the time) and thinking about a sizeable sailboat to enhance his family’s enjoyment of their waterfront home under […]
Impracticality In Its Most Beautiful Form: 53-ft Beaujolais
Beaujolais was a fun doodle we did for a long-time client. She’s the outgrowth of a pet effort of ours, that of expanding the idea of what makes a proper Spirit of Tradition boat. Many folks’ interpretation of a classic yacht relies on a slender hull with long overhangs and low freeboard, the way classic racing sailboats looked in the 1920’s and ‘30’s, under the influence of rating rules like the International and Universal Rules, those responsible for bringing us beautiful racing classes like the 6-Meters and 12-Meters, and the R, Q, P, and J-boats. But there exists a much […]
Vote for Zemphira: 2024 Classic Boat Awards
Help us get Zemphira to the finish line by casting your vote! The 76-ft racing/cruising sloop has been nominated for a Classic Boat award. VOTE HERE! 2023 saw the final phase of Zemphira’s multi-year refit in the capable hands of Lyman Morse Boatbuilding. With the mandate of an all-star staff of owner’s representatives and sailing crew, we worked hard over three years to make her faster, more fun to sail, more tweakable, and more amenable to luxury cruising. This year, we brought the crowning touch—a re-imagined sail plan brought a newly built rig to employ all the innovations in […]
Past Meets Modern Excellence on 39-ft Wisp
Crafted with a singular focus to design an excellent all-around sailing experience, 39-ft Wisp prioritizes comfort and ease of operation with a timeless aesthetic. Her size is a calculated choice, ensuring standing headroom in both the galley and head. She also sets the stage for a remarkable daysailing adventure or overnight escape. While packing plenty of performance under sail, Wisp effortlessly transforms into a luxury weekender, featuring saloon seating for four and a queen-size forward berth. Sailing Excellence: Wisp promises outstanding sailing performance, characterized by moderate draft and generous sail area; ease of sailing is thoughtfully designed, handling lines lead […]
A Symphony of Silence: The Electric Commuter
The genesis of Stephens Warings’ fully electric venture lies in a deep-rooted client relationship, spanning five boat projects over 20+ years. 8.5 m Isobel was motivated by the client’s need to access and maximize enjoyment of a new vacation home located on an island in a remote Maine lake. The client envisioned a mode of transport that reflected the serenity of the pristine lake environment, but with plenty of utility, performance, and reliability- essential for operating far from any marina or fuel dock. Having test-driven traditional ICE-propelled boats and disliking the noise, exhaust, and appearance of high-profile outboard motors, the […]
Sailing Back To Zingara’s Roots
Since we took ownership of our sweet little Spirit of Tradition yacht, Zingara has brought much joy to us on the water – the boat is great fit to our seasonal agenda. Hosting clients aboard is a great way to build relations and Zingara is a solid and beautiful platform. We enjoy a few regatta events each year and this gives the SWD design team something to chew on; the company team-building is good fun and something to look forward to. And, owning a boat as business partners is a helpful way to manage time aboard during busy seasonal schedules, […]
A Deep Dive into the Super Daysailer
Super Daysailer combines gracious comfort, style, and utility to day sailing adventures. The sleek design is host to a spacious protected cockpit and comfortable overnighting make it an ideal choice for anyone looking to venture further than most daysailers. This beautiful vessel is a light displacement hull built upon substantial waterline and beam, making a beautifully stylish hull that promises great performance. The centerpiece of this design is the partially enclosed cockpit created by a hard-top dodger with all-glass surround– the space is flexible, further blending outdoors with a hassle-free creature-comfort experience on the water. Below deck, a simple day-sailing […]
BEQUIA Wins Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta
We’re thrilled to share that BEQUIA has added to her list of regatta victories with three 1st-place finishes out of three races at the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta in the Spirit of Tradition division. Conditions were windy and bumpy, with what looks like 6-8-foot seas in the photos. This favored larger boats and BEQUIA was the largest in the division. Nonetheless, a win is a win. “Many people came up to us and commented on how fast BEQUIA was sailing,” said the yachts owners. “Design was a lot of it.” “BEQUIA set sail with the latest technology in sails, running […]