Soundings

Soundings is the news and feature publication for recreational boaters. Award-winning coverage of the people, issues, events -- and the fun -- of recreational boating. Check out our generous boats-for-sale section and our gunkholing destinations.

IMAGES

Soundings • DECEMBER 2026 VOL. LXIV, NO. 4

UNDERWAY

‘These Wooden Boats Have Souls’ • EAST PASSAGE BOATWRIGHTS IN RHODE ISLAND IS HELPING TO KEEP A JOHN ALDEN CLASSIC ALIVE BY BUILDING THE FIRST NEW SAKONNET ONE DESIGN SINCE 1954

Green Crabs Keep Spreading • EXPERTS SAY BOATERS CAN DO A NUMBER OF THINGS TO ADDRESS CONCERNS ABOUT AN INVASIVE SPECIES THAT’S DESTRUCTIVE TO MUSSELS, OYSTERS, AND OTHER AQUATIC LIFE

Troubled Waters • A REVOKED 2009 EXECUTIVE ORDER HAS IGNITED ANOTHER BATTLE OVER THE CLEANUP OF CHESAPEAKE BAY

Southern Charm • CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, IS A WORTHY DESTINATION FOR CRUISERS TRANSITING THE ICW, OR AS A PIT STOP FOR SKIPPERS RUNNING OFFSHORE

When a Solid-State Battery Isn’t • SOLID-STATE BATTERY TECHNOLOGY WILL SURELY FIND ITS WAY ABOARD BOATS, BUT WHAT MAKES SOLID-STATE, SOLID-STATE?

Hunt 56 • THE FLYBRIDGE YACHT IS THE FIRST PRODUCED AFTER MAINE-BASED DEMILLO’S YACHT SALES ACQUIRED THE HUNT BRAND EARLIER THIS YEAR

Aspen C110 • THE THREE-STATEROOM 38-FOOTER HAS ONE-LEVEL LIVING, REMARKABLE FUEL EFFICIENCY, AND FOUR-SEASON COMFORT

Nantucket Afternoon • CATBOATS FERRY TOURISTS AROUND NANTUCKET IN THIS SCENE FROM THE 1920s

AMERICA’S TALL SHIP • After 90 years under sail — from Nazi training vessel to iconic symbol of American soft power — the barque Eagle still holds an important role in shaping Coast Guard leaders of the future

DREAMS COME TRUE • Bertram 31s have earned a passionate following all around the world. Some owners are rebuilding them to the tune of more than $1 million

WHEN HOSPITALITY FAILS MARITIME HERITAGE • Two historic schooners, one restaurant group, and a cautionary tale about the price of preserving maritime history

A NATION OF ISLANDS • Croatia and its more than 1,100 islands has become a hot spot for Mediterranean chartering

The Business of Lobster • THE LOBSTER POUND WAS THE CORNERSTONE OF MAINE’S LOBSTER INDUSTRY