Cruising World Announces 2014 BOTY Winners

Middletown, RI (December 11, 2013) – Cruising World magazine announced today the winners of its 21st annual Boat of the Year awards. Topping this year’s list of winners for the most anticipated awards in the sailboat industry are the Blue Jacket 40 and the Contest 42CS. The Blue Jacket 40 won the Domestic Boat of the Year award, and the Contest 42CS was named Import Boat of the Year.

Seven other sailboats also won awards decided by an independent panel of experts, who inspected and tested 28 nominated boats following the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Md., earlier this year. Decisions were based on extensive dockside inspections and sea trials of the boats. All of the winners, along with the rest of the 2014 BOTY nominees, will be featured in the January issue of Cruising World.

In addition to claiming the Domestic Boat of the Year award, the Blue Jacket 40, built at Island Packet Yachts in Largo, Florida, was also named Best Midsize Cruiser, 39 to 41 Feet. “A collaboration between yacht designers Bob Johnson, the CEO of Island Packet, and Tim Jackett, formerly of Tartan and C&C, the Blue Jacket 40 is a true performance cruiser with outstanding sailing characteristics,” said Boat of the Year director and Cruising World senior editor Herb McCormick. “The solent-type sail plan is very versatile for upwind or downwind work, and our judging panel found the overall build quality to be first-class.”

The Contest 42CS, built in the Netherlands by Contest Yachts, was named Import Boat of the Year as well as Best Midsize Cruiser, 41 to 45 Feet. “This moderate-displacement 42-footer really resonated with our judges on several levels. The systems installations were terrific, the deck layout was practical and user-friendly, and it really sailed like a dream. It was just a tremendous package all the way around,” said McCormick.

Cruising World 2014 BOTY Winners:
Domestic Boat of the Year and Best Midsize Cruiser, 39 to 41 Feet: Blue Jacket 40
Import Boat of the Year and Best Midsize Cruiser, 41 to 45 Feet: Contest 42CS
Best Pocket Cruiser: Catalina 275 Sport
Best Cruising Sailboat Under 38 Feet: Dehler 38
Best Full-Size Production Cruiser: Dufour 500 Grand Large
Best Full-Size Semi-Custom Cruise: Hylas 63
Best Midsize Multihull Under 50 Feet: Catana 42 Carbon
Best Full-Size Multihull Over 50 Feet: Outremer 5X
Judge’s Special Recognition: Alerion 41

For more information on the winners and other nominees, visit Cruising World’s website (www.cruisingworld.com).

Cruising World, based in Middletown, R.I., is published monthly by Bonnier Corp. The largest sailing magazine in the world, Cruising World is considered the bible for bluewater sailors. The magazine seeks to nurture cruising sailors’ dreams with practical how-to information and stirring real-life adventure articles.

Bonnier Corp. is one of the largest consumer publishing groups in America and is the leading media company serving passionate, highly engaged audiences through 49 special-interest magazines and related multimedia projects and events. Bonnier Corp. is the U.S. division of the Bonnier Group, a 200-year-old family-owned media group based in Sweden with business operations in 25 countries.