An Impressive Boat of the Year Ensemble Sets Sail

We must be getting lucky. The denizens of Annapolis, Maryland, have dubbed their city “the sailing capital of the United States” for many reasons: the abundance of yachts; myriad nearby rivers, creeks and backwaters on which to explore and cruise; the abundance of marinas and shipyards; the frenetic local racing scene; and the annual in-water Annapolis Sailboat Show, the country’s biggest and best. While we largely agree with the moniker, after decades of testing sailboats for our annual Boat of the Year (BOTY) contest in the days following that Annapolis show, we also know that this is true: Chesapeake Bay can be a ­light-air crapshoot and a fickle test bed in early autumn.  

Which is where our luck came in. For the third straight year, our on-the-water assessments—following our BOTY dockside inspections during the show—were blessed with several days of near-ideal sailing conditions. It wasn’t perfect, and we did have a couple of drifters, but for the most part, all 19 nominees in the competition got to strut their stuff in wind and weather that helped them shine. Read More…

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