A resurgent Island Packet Yachts has been honored by not one, but two 2019 Boat of the Year awards from Cruising World magazine. The editors of Cruising World published the winners on its website on Dec. 11, with Island Packet’s 349 taking both Domestic Boat of the Year and Best Midsize Cruiser Under 39 Feet.
In naming the 349 Boat of the Year, Cruising World judge Tim Murphy said, “The sail plan is terrific…once we put out that reacher, it really lit up.” Fellow judge Alvah Simon called the 349, “very nicely done. The whole boat will make an elegant, heavy, easy to handle, safe home.” Judge Ed Sherman summed up the 349 by saying, “I love the boat. It’s very different than anything else we looked at…it’s among the most well-built boats we inspected for 2019.”
The Island Packet 349 also beat out four other entries to claim Cruising World‘s 2019 Best Midsize Cruiser Under 39 Feet. Said Simon, “On our test sail, I recorded speeds over 7 knots…this boat had beautiful Quantum sails and performed very well. The on-deck flow is good, and so is the nonskid. The pushpit and pulpits with seats and cleats were very well executed.”
Island Packet Yachts continues to evolve under the new ownership of Darrell and Leslie Allen. Along with guidance from original founder and designer Bob Johnson who remains a consultant, Island Packet Yachts are still made in Florida to the highest standards. Just ask Cruising World magazine.
If you’re looking for a new Island Packet 349, no one sells more Island Packets than S&J Yachts. And for the rest of December 2019, you can take advantage of boat-show pricing on the Boat of the Year 349 and the entire line of Island Packet Yachts: the 349, 379, 490, 495, 520, the flagship 525 and the North Star 44. That means you’ll lock in 2019 pricing for a 2020 hull and still be able to work with Island Packet on the little touches you want to make the boat uniquely yours. Call S&J Yachts at 410-639-2377 or email [email protected] for more information.
S&J Yachts has five offices in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast to serve you seven days a week: in Annapolis and Rock Hall, Maryland; Deltaville, Virginia; Charleston, South Carolina; and Palmetto, Florida.
