Hail to the Chiefs
2019 BOAT of the YEAR Hail to the Chiefs Monohulls, catamarans and a trimaran too! In a fleet dominated by some of the world’s largest high-volume production boatbuilders, 22 boats from six nations gathered along the shores and on the waters of Chesapeake Bay to compete in the model year 2019 edition of Cruising World’s coveted Boat of the Year awards. When the spray had settled after sea trials conducted in breezes both light and boisterous, a worthy selection of winners in eight separate categories were crowned. Topping the list of champions was a pair of overall winners for 2019: The Island Packet 349 is the Domestic Boat of the Year, and the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 490 is the Import Boat of the Year. Story by Herb McCormick, Photos by Jon Whittle very year, it seems, the list of How else would you explain the very As always, judging took place during and ISLAND PACKET 349 cruisingworld.com nominees for our annual Boat of similar strategies of the massive German after the show in Annapolis, in a process cruisingworld.com Domestic Boat of the Year Ethe Year competition takes on a boatyard Hanse, and the aggressive with two components: dockside visits and 76 collective identity of its own. In the years approach of the French builder Jeanneau, sea trials. At the dock, our three-man panel 77 following the great financial crisis of both of which covered all the bases with of independent judges considered each nearly a decade ago, there was a rash fresh launches in the 30-foot sector (the boat’s layout and design, construction, JEANNEAU SUN ODYSSEY 490 of imports from all points on the interna- Hanse 348 and the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey systems installations, safety factors and Import Boat of the Year tional compass rushing in to fill a vacuum 319), the 40-foot range (Hanse 418 and Sun livability.
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