Soundings April 2021

In 2018, Sea Ray ceased production of all its yacht models over 40 feet in order to focus on its smaller sportboats and cruisers. So, when an invitation came to test drive the builder’s first new-from-the-keel-up cruiser design since that landmark decision—the 2021 Sundancer 370—I jumped at the chance. The sea trial took place in Sarasota, on Florida’s Gulf Coast. It was a sneak preview, because the official launch of the 370 was scheduled to take place several months later. This new model introduction is so important to Sea Ray that company President Steve Langlais was among the first to greet me on the dock. “We currently have a Sundancer 350 that will be discontinued, but this is much more than a replacement, because it embodies the future of the brand,” Langlais…

When Capt. John Smith set about exploring Chesapeake Bay in 1608, he described the nearly 200-mile-long estuary as having oysters that “lay as thick as stones,” and being loaded with “sturgeon, grampus, porpoise, seals, stingrays, brits, mullets, rockfish, trout, soles and perch of three sorts.” Smith also observed that the people of the region were adept at harvesting these bounties from the shallow, fruitful bay using dugout canoes that were hewn into a single piece by hand from felled trees. Remarkably, these simple but effective craft were the genesis of what would become one of the Chesapeake’s most iconic and recognizable vessels—the deadrise workboat. With a proud, high bow, graceful sheer line, salty wheelhouse and expansive aft cockpit, the Chesapeake deadrise is a treat for the eyes. The design is so attractive…

Michael Peters is among the most renowned yacht designers in the world. His studio—Michael Peters Yacht Design in Sarasota, Florida—has collaborated with some of the biggest names in production boats—Azimut, Bertram, Chris-Craft, Hinckley and Valhalla Boatworks, to name a few—and created one-of-a-kind craft for blue-chip builders like Van Dam Custom Boats and Brooklin Boat Yard. When he’s not working, Peters and his family cruise aboard one of three Bertrams in the clan’s fleet. We talked with the designer for some perspective on boat design—past, present and future. You’ve been a professional boat designer since the early 1970s. How many boats have you created over the course of your career? The firm is well into the 500s, with designs ranging from 20 to 160 feet. A lot of our work is in…

With white clapboard siding and rustic red roofs silhouetted against the whites and blues of a Maine coast sky, plus the Monhegan lighthouse bell in the mix, artist Doug Brega captures both the reality and the mood of an iconic New England scene in this work titled Monhegan Light. This is the type of place many art fans would like to see in person, while feeling the sea breeze, smelling the tangy salt air and enjoying the solitude. It’s also the kind of scene the 72-year-old artist is known for “I strive for a precise and honest interpretation, not a mirror of reality or a personal comment about a subject,” Brega says. “Beauty is found in clean forms and the solid function of each architectural element.” A contemporary American realist, the artist grew…

Onne and Tenley van der Wal did not waste any time once they purchased their 1986 Grand Banks 32. After clearing out all the gear from the boat and bringing his tools aboard, Onne gave the bilge a good scrubbing and then turned his attention to the dirtiest job of all, the head. Initially, Onne intended to refurbish the vintage Wilcox Crittenden Skipper marine toilet, which back in the day sold for more than $1,000 and some people claim can flush a raincoat. Used ones still sell for hundreds of dollars, and never used ones are listed online for $1,600. Onne was going to order new parts for the old throne, but when he discovered that all the assembly bolts and screws were corroded and wouldn’t budge, he decided to install…

The new teak transom glistened, with gold letters shining beneath the coats of varnish. At the bow, a floral wreath was placed. Stefan Cushman’s boat was ready to launch. With the crew at the John Williams Boat Company on Maine’s Mount Desert Island watching, Hog Penny splashed into Downeast waters, and the wreath cast into the sea with all due ceremony. It was a special moment, says Cushman, 52, a commercial real estate manager based in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was part of the experience of buying a boat in Maine. It was also the final chapter in the 12-year restoration that remade Hog Penny, a 25-year-old Pemaquid Beach 26, into a Downeast headturner. “It was in very rough condition. It needed to be completely overhauled,” says Cushman, who bought the…