The Fitzgerald 56

Now on the shop floor is a 56 ft offshore cruising sailboat designed by Mark Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald Marine Architecture. Mark has already left his mark on the sailing world with numerous beautiful and practical designs to his name as chief designer with Chuck Paine, and we are very excited to partner with him on this project.

The owners commissioned this custom design + build to meet their desire for a yacht tailored to their family's exact use profile. Mark combined all the features expected of a modern offshore cruising sailboat with a unique layout to fit their needs as a family as well as their passions for surfing and diving. These requirements meld seamlessly into a well-balanced blend of reliability, seaworthiness, performance, and classic beauty.

The Fitzgerald 56 is the latest in a long line of rugged cruising sailboats built by Brooklin Boat Yard. Her wood composite construction uses BBY’s established techniques to cold-mold a hull skin comprised of Douglas fir, Western Red cedar, and Sipo mahogany over a framework of laminated Douglas fir.

We are excited to see how far this boat will venture. The owners already have plans for cruising on both coasts of the US, the islands, and beyond!

In the Shop- Winter Harbor Knockabouts

The Winter Harbor Knockabouts, also known as Winter Harbor 21s, are one of the oldest fleets of one-designs in the country. They spend their summers together racing along the Schoodic Peninsula at the Winter Harbor Yacht Club in Winter Harbor, Maine.

Over the last few years, Brooklin Boat Yard has stored and maintained two of the seven Knockabouts, Zephyr and Sphinx, the former having been restored substantially by Havilah Hawkins and featured here. Now, it’s our pleasure to have all but one of the seven original Knockabouts here at the yard to be cared for and maintained under Havilah’s watchful eye. It is our hope that in 2024, we can bring you coverage of the Knockabouts racing in Winter Harbor after their winter tune ups!

The Knockabouts were designed and built by Alpheus A. Packard (1871-1948) and William Starling Burgess (1878-1947) of Marblehead in 1906. They were delivered to the yacht club in 1907.

The Knockabouts are raced every Saturday from July 4th through August at the Winter Harbor Yacht Club.

You can read a complete history of these extraordinary boats at the Winter Harbor Yacht Club’s website and in the book, A Fortunate Fleet: A Century of Sailing in Winter Harbor Knockabouts by Victoria Goldstein.