Soundings April 2026

When I think of TowBoatUS, I picture a reassuring sight: a red-and-white boat appearing when the engine quits, the fuel gauge hits empty or the keel finds bottom. It’s an essential service, and one that keeps countless days on the water from ending badly. But every so often, the work goes beyond a routine assist. Sometimes it becomes a matter of life, death and judgment under pressure. Each year, the organization recognizes those moments and the people behind them, and it’s worth pausing to reflect on what that kind of professionalism really looks like on the water. This year, four captains were honored for actions that exemplify high standards of seamanship and service. At the top of that list is Capt. Rick Boone of TowBoatUS Lake Allatoona, recipient of the…

Sauna bathing is a centuries-old tradition in Scandinavia that’s closely tied to the outdoor lifestyle. Peter Boldt, an architectural designer in Cos Cob, Connecticut, was first introduced to sauna culture when he lived in Sweden. Years later, during the pandemic, Boldt and his wife were looking for a project they could work on at home. She had grown up sailing, and they both enjoyed spending time on the water. Drawing on Boldt’s architectural background, they created the sauna float, a vessel that rides on a reclaimed pontoon boat hull. “We set out to do this with very few precedents, particularly in the U.S., and a lot of enthusiasm to figure it out on the fly,” says Boldt, who specializes in residential and hospitality design. The sauna float is the first…

An odd thing has been happening to author John U. Bacon when he attends book signings for his bestseller The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald. “People tell me they think the song is fictional, or that it’s about some schooner from the 1860s,” he says, adding that readers younger than 40 sometimes admit they’ve never even heard of Gordon Lightfoot’s folk ballad that memorialized the freighter’s Great Lakes sinking in November 1975. Then again, Bacon says, readers of all ages who think they know the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald find themselves surprised, too, after reading his book, which came out last October and has spent many of the weeks since on The New York Times bestseller list. His original reporting included speaking with six…

“Throttleback!” yelled Scott Evangelista, the owner and captain of Sarah-Sarah. He was abaft the helm of the Circa Marine FPB-64, near the settee, where white smoke billowed from the deck hatch. We can’t be on fire, I thought as I pulled back the throttle. But the truth is, I was certain that we were. Out of nowhere, there had been highpitched screeching from the engine. Then the white smoke. It was a fine weather day on the Inside Passage in Alaska, where our situation had gone from a perfect afternoon on flat-calm waters to a real emergency. Any confidence I had acquired during the previous 70 days at sea was gone. I was the one on watch. And I’m supposed to be an expert at avoiding at-sea emergencies. Smoke was…

Great boats rarely die. Often, they morph into even greater boats. A case in point is the Sabre 51 Salon Express, a serious cruiser designed to displace the builder’s beloved 48. The 48 debuted in 2011, combining reliable seakeeping and performance with classic lines that aged well. Layouts were handsome and livable. In short, the 48 delivered on Sabre’s mantra to build boats for people who really use them. “We’re not destroying the molds or anything like that,” said Kevin Burns, vice president of design and product development. “But they’ve come to the end of their useful life. We built more than 200 of the 48. It’s had a good, long run. And the beauty of that is we were able to glean insights from all those owners before going…

Bryer Davis has obvious skill and patience as she maneuvers a beautifully restored Chesapeake Bay deadrise workboat out of her slip in downtown Annapolis, Maryland. Davis executes a tight, 180-degree turn to enter the marina fairway, just as three generations of her family have done aboard the lovely Shirley M. Each time they slip the lines, it’s an act of love and a tribute to the boat’s builder, her grandfather, George A. Miller Jr. Miller was a home builder, a fourth-generation resident of Annapolis from the Eastport side of the harbor. Davis describes her grandfather as very resourceful, like most of the self-sufficient people who lived on the working waterfront of Eastport. “He grew up crabbing, fishing and exploring the Annapolis area in a small wooden rowboat built for him…