Cape Cod, best Daysailler

The Cape Cod, a 29-foot daysailer, open-cockpit boat, immediately won over our judges.

Built by Rosewest Yachts of France, the 29ft open-cockpit Cape Cod was a boat that immediately charmed our judges. With its elegant overhanging stern and bluff bow, the Cape Cod presents a deliciously beautiful craft that evokes traditional European pilot cutters of the 19th century. At the same time, though, it’s also a thoroughly modern daysailer.

The spacious cockpit can seat eight people comfortably, with a well-thought-out working area aft, where a single sailor, or a skipper and mate, can easily and safely manage the boat without disturbing guests seated around a comfortable U-shaped bench seat forward. When sailing in flat water, or when the boat is idle, a clever pop-up cockpit table can be deployed to regale these same guests with food and drink. If they want to go swimming, there is also a stowable ladder to bring them back aboard and a freshwater deck shower for rinsing off as they do so. If they feel like napping, there’s even a cozy little cabin hidden under a large deck hatch forward where they can stretch out on a pair of comfy berths.

What also impressed our judges is the Cape Cod’s versatility. With its long centerboard and deep kick-up rudder, the boat not only sails well, but can be driven up onto a beach. The boat’s rig is also quite malleable, with an easily handled blade jib (a transverse self-tacking track is also available as an option), and a retractable carbon bowsprit that can be used to carry either a big light-air gennaker or an asymmetric spinnaker. If you really want to summon up that seductive pilot-cutter aesthetic, you can even fly a high-cut yankee jib from the sprit and count the blade jib as a staysail: a setup that will for sure get heads turning when sailing through your favorite harbor