When I was growing up the Maine license plates all used to say“Vacationland”.  Those of us that lived there knew the truth and that for 6 weeks of the year that statement was absolutely correct.  Sometime in my early adolescence, the slogan changed to “the way life should be”.   For six fleeting weeks, life along the coast of Maine exemplifies thes...

The FHY team had a great time at the Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show last weekend.  We had a strong presence and some might say we are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to selling powerful, capable, blue water sailboats.  For those of you interested in selling your sailboat and moving into a powerboat, we are well versed in helping sailors t...

A caption from "The Golden Century" by Ross MacTaggart about Gem, a 164 ft motor yacht built in 1913,After a very difficult week, you're lying in a chaise on the aft deck of you 50-foot yacht. The stress you've felt all week is slowly draining from your face. Suddenly, a shadow blocks the warm, invigorating sun from your face. Opening your eyes, yo...

The New England winters play tricks on the mind and cause residents to hatch and execute ideas that the less vernalized folks of the Mid – Atlantic would only dream of.  My father decided one winter that SKATER, his beloved Norseman 400, would look and sail better if she had a sugar scoop.  Sounds simple right?  It is not.   After  calling West Mar...

Our March designer of the month is Thomas Gillmer, Maryland’s adoptive son. The following biography was taken from sailboatdata.com:“Thomas Gillmer was born in 1911 in Warren, Ohio and became interested in ships at an early age. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1935 he served on light cruisers in the Pacific and Mediterranean. He bec...

We can be sure that warm weather is heading our way soon, though it may not feel like it. We woke up to piles of snow yesterday morning all across Maryland.A client of FHY found this lovely scene on the way to his Bowman 48 in Oxford.However, just a few hundred miles south, the flowers are blooming.Scott Taylor spent the weekend in Oriental, NC, wh...

This shot was taken by my wife, Jamie, on Shinbone Alley while we were waiting for a weather window for the next leg of our journey south.  One of things I like most about the photo is the way our shadows were cast against the pink building on the right.  You can clearly see by the giant lopsided silhouette of my head that I was overdue for a trim....

UNCAS named for the last sachem of the Mohegan tribe is a N. G. Herreshoff designed Buzzards Bay 18 and is the first one to be built since 1904!  There were 5 boats built originally during the winter of 1903/1904 and construction details are scant.  The wizards of wood at Artisan Boat Works in Rockport, Maine built UNCAS for her new owners in Booth...

The new owner of this Pacific Seacraft 44 is working with Diversified Marine to put the boats bottom back to factory spec. The light grey material is the remnants (after sanding) of a factory installed barrier coat installed over the beige gel-coat.The vinyl ester resins used by PS, have served extremely well to protect the boats laminate, even aft...

With modern yacht designers catering to the ever important trend of efficient powerboats the Energy 48 has to be one of my all-time favorites.  Her exquisite sheer and her brightly finished house would lead one to believe that she is descendant of the venerable Jonesport line of lobster boats made so popular by the great Will Frost.  For the oarsme...

Photo from the Australian Dictionary of BiographyColin Archer is one of the most influential yacht designers of all time and February’s Designer of the Month. Born in Norway and raised in Australia, Archer was part of a family of sailors. Before beginning his career as a naval architect and shipbuilder, he explored the Fitzroy River in Australia wi...

This month’s designer is all about exciting and new yacht design. Doug Zurn, founder of Zurn Yacht Design in Marblehead, Massachusetts, is a contemporary yacht designer focusing on the cutting edge.Zurn spent his youth sailing on Lake Erie. After graduating with honors from the Westlawn School of Yacht Design, he learnt the trade from such giants a...