The Big Picture: Then and Now

Jan 31, 2024

Above: A Beneteau 1964 15-footer

Oceanis 34.1 in Dusseldorf. Photo: John Morris

Beneteau’s new Oceanis 34.1 made an appearance at a few of the Canadian shows. Shown here is a much admired, specially adorned version celebrating the company’s 140th anniversary. That’s quite a history. While Beneteau only brought a couple of models to our Canadian shows, at the Dusseldorf “boot” show, there were dozens in their Oceanis, First, Jeanneau, and Lagoon lines plus more again in their many powerboat and superboat lines.

Quite a transition from building small fishing boats more than a century ago.

Related Articles

  • POTW: Official Racing Attire

    September 24, 2026 Bryan Pelkey, Race Captain at Toronto Hydroplane and Sailing Club, shared these shots of the Team Espresso winners of the Best Ensemble award at the 3rd Annual THSC Women’s Race held this month. The no-nonsense women switched to proper racing gloves to finish second in the regatta. Got a great photograph for…

  • POTW: Paddle to Picton

    August 27, 2026 Our striking Photo of the Week comes from Anton (Tony) Pickard, Professor, Design and Visual Arts at Georgian College, Barrie ON. “This photo was taken at Lock 11-12 Ranney Falls in Campbellford on the Trent-Severn Waterway. July 7, 2026. “The paddler is Luci Dilkus who completed a 500 km solo kayak trip from Tiny…

  • POTW: Shocking!

    August 13, 2026 Shane Griffin caught this Photo of the Week lightning strike perfectly. “The photo was taken at Marina Del Rey in Ramara (Orillia)  facing 332° NW down the channel that leads to Mc Phee bay from my slip.  “I boat mainly on Lake Simcoe but travel the Trent annually in some direction north…

  • Beneteau change la donne

    Wellcraft 355 – les modèles actuels de cette marque suivent une voie similaire à celle d’Axopar. 9 juillet 2026 Par John Morris, rédacteur en chef, Canadian Boating Les goûts des plaisanciers évoluent et Bénéteau, le grand constructeur français, adapte sa gamme pour répondre à ces nouvelles attentes. Comme l’ont rapporté Boote, une source européenne de…


Boston Whaler 350 Realm

By Andy Adams

You might be dreaming of an adventure boat, or a luxury cruiser, or maybe a serious fishing platform. You might dream of an overnight exploration boat, or a boat that entertains a big group of friends or family. Whatever your ambitions, the features and appointments, and the stellar performance of the Boston Whaler 350 Realm, equipped with triple Mercury Verado V10-cylinder 425 horsepower engines, feels like it could do just about anything. It’s the Great Entertainer.

Read More


Destinations

The Whitsunday Islands

By Mathew Channer

On my first day as a commercially registered yacht captain, I sailed a Fontaine Pajot 38 catamaran from mainland Australia across the Whitsunday Passage to the western shores of the world-famous Whitsunday islands.

We cruised northeast on a 15-knot beam reach… perfect catamaran sailing conditions, watching the hazy shapes of the islands colourize and morph into crescent beaches, jungled ridgelines and rocky outcrops. 

Read More