Cruising_World_2016-06-07

UNDERWAY

http://www.harken.com

Admit it: You’ve secretly wished
you had a monster to trim the
big jib or pull that furling line.
Fantasize no more.

Our new powered winches will
pump you up. And our retrofi t kits
transform Harken manual winches.
Control them with new digital winch
system switches. They prevent
unintended power drain and are
watertight and UV-protected.

Powered winches make life easier.
And now they’re easier than ever
to bring aboard.

Your boat. Your crew. More anchorages. More sunsets.

T

wo longtime Florida

boatbuilders that

joined forces last year

for production purposes have

further consolidated opera-

tions with the purchase by

Hake Marine of Island Packet

Yachts (ipy .com), which also

builds the Blue Jacket (blue

jacketyachts .com) line of per-

formance cruising sailboats.

Hake Marine is the parent

company of Seaward Yachts

(seawardyachts.com), which

last year closed its Stuart, Flor-

ida, production facility and

moved its molds to the Island

Packet yard in Largo.

Founded by designer

Bob Johnson, Island Packet

launched its first model, a

26 -footer, in 1980. Johnson

followed with a long line of

full-keeled cruisers, most of

which sported the company’s

off-white hulls and rigs that

incorporated a Hoyt Jib Boom.

In 2013, Johnson collaborated

with longtime Tartan Yachts

designer Tim Jackett to debut

the Blue Jacket 40, which was

named Cruising World’s 2014

Domestic Boat of the Year.

Seaward Yachts, designed

by Nick Hake, offers three

models, all with lifting keels:

the 26RK, 32RK and 46RK.

The two smaller sailboats are

intended to fit on a trailer.

“When we met with the

staff at Island Packet, I was

moved by the loyalty and

longevity of the team,” said

Jessica Lynch, director of

Hake Marine, in announcing

the purchase via Facebook.

“Some of them have been with

the company for more than

30 years, bringing with them

an enormous amount of talent

and dedication for fine Ameri-

can craftsmanship. Our plan is

to further develop each brand

with new designs, stream-

line manufacturing processes,

and organize for efficient and

effective boat production.”

Hake Marine plans to offer

all three sailboat brands —

Blue Jacket, Island Packet and

Seaward — through select

dealers, along with factory-

direct sales.

— Mark Pillsbury

ISLAND PACKET

YACHTS SOLD TO

NEW OWNERS

The Island Packet 460 was a hit with Cruising World’s Boat

of the Year judges, who awarded it the 2009 Domestic Boat

of the Year trophy. BILLY BLACK