Hey Tom,

...Sexier, faster, more comfortable, MORE MANEUVERABLE UNDER POWER... a quantum leap forward..." LMFAO!

http://www.cruisingworld.com/sailboats/boat-reviews/new-thinking-is-the-common-denominator-for-2011?page=0,0

The class of nominees and winners this year appears to have gone full Euro, I'll bet there are more double-wheeled boats in that cluster than ones with a single helm... Really striking, the absence this year of anything that would be classified as a more traditional or conventional offering from an American builder such as Morris, or Tartan... What's really eye-opening for me, however, is that there is not a single one of those winning boats that I would be entirely comfortable selecting as a boat to sail to Bermuda, for example... OK, the 56 Hylas would do, of course, except for the fact that it's way too freakin' BIG, for me... (grin)

Good on Martin and the builders of the Presto for sneaking in there, however... I do like that boat a lot, if I ever get to the point where my sailing becomes more restricted to my home waters of Barnegat Bay, such a boat would be ideal... I'll still be unlikely to be ever able to afford one, however - and I'll be very surprised if such a boat, at such a price, will ever get beyond filling a very limited niche market...

Rodger Martin is an intriguing designer, no question, he's come up with some very cool boats... Remember the Aerodyne 38 he drew about a decade ago, one of those sexy speedsters that was gonna revolutionize the way people went cruising? How many of them do we see out there nowadays? (grin) The one Aerodyne 47 in this year's Caribbean 1500 wound up diverting to Bermuda with - surprise - "autopilot and steering system issues"...

Nah, Beneteau has nailed it with the "Sense" series - "Dock 'N Go" is the future of kroozing, adherence to the KISS principle, with the aid of a rotating saildrive...

best regards,

Jon