Rudyard Kipling said, “a man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition.”  Clearly, he never spent enough time with boat owners, because gadgets and gear are a blatant omission from that list. As boat designers, we’re frequently bombarded with the same question this time of year: what gift do you get for the boat owner with everything?  We of all people recognize that there is no limit to the number of toys and gadgets that can be crammed into every last square inch of deck and storage space.  However, in the competitive world […]

We were saddened to learn the news from the Caribbean last March—while racing in St. Maarten’s Heineken Regatta, Isobel, our 75-foot fast cruiser built by Brooklin Boat Yard in 2011, lost her rig following a hardware failure, and after some kinks with insurance, spent the spring on the hard in Simpson’s Bay after her second owner stepped away from her. We’re really happy to know that Isobel has found herself in good hands and back in Maine, where her proud new owner will give her the refit she needs, along with a shiny new spar. The first step was a […]

Following a 10 year career at sea as a yacht captain, Bill Haynie moved ashore to Newport RI and now works as a broker with Wellington Yacht Partners in Portsmouth, RI. He draws from his experience to offer continued project and program management services to select clients via his company Ransom Marine. Bill has been working closely with SWD since 2020 when his client purchased Zemphira (originally launched in 2005 as Goshawk).  Work included rebuilding to a demanding specification needed to satisfy a rigorous racing and cruising program of her new owner. We invited him to weigh-in on Zemphira, racing, and the […]

  PHOTO OF THE YEAR About our Favorite Photos 2022 was an amazing year of racing for SWD designed boats. 90-foot BEQUIA took the class B title at the Safe Harbor Race Weekend in Newport, NH and won three 1st-place finishes out of three races at the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta in the Spirit of Tradition division. Refit 76-foot ZEMPHIRA (previously Goshawk) also had an impressive year sweeping Class A with three wins at the Safe Harbor Race Weekend in Newport, NH. Below are a few our our other favorite photos from this amazing 2022 race season.  Click photos for […]

We’re getting accustomed to reporting great results from the Superyacht circuit, thanks to the stellar performance of our 91-foot Bequia and her talented crew. This weekend upped the ante—our designs came out on top in BOTH classes of the Superyacht division at the Safe Harbor Race Weekend in Newport, RI: Bequia convincingly took class B with two bullets and a second, while our newly refit Zemphira (previously Goshawk) swept Class A with three wins. This 76-foot sloop benefited from an updated design for her keel and rudder over the previous two winters, as well as significant deck hardware upgrades and […]

  The great debate between catamaran or monohull owners has been the source of many spilled beers over the years.  And when it comes to which is faster, the conjecture grows stronger. Design principle Paul Waring weighs-in from a boat designers perspective on the two forms and which type is really the quickest on water. Further reading: 60 ft. Catamaran Gemini A Second Life for a 25M Catamaran 5 Trends in Yacht Design: 2022

As Spirit of Yacht Tradition yacht designers we draw a lot of influence from the past.  However, it’s easy to take for granted how far technology and engineering innovations have come.  Like the iPhones attached to our hips, our daily lives have become completely integrated and intertwined with these technological marvels. These tools are now so prevalent, and us, so reliant on them, that it’s easy to forget how far we’ve come, and how quickly. This is very true in the world of sailing and yachting as well.  In particular, technology and engineering advancements have ushered in a new era […]