CAPED CRUSADER

Powering towards me as I waited in the little camera boat, the gorgeous Cape 50 was steady and smooth in the choppy conditions on Port Phillip Bay. Just how cleanly the hull cut through the water was soon apparent as the minimal bow wake reached us, and we rocked gently in the swell.

With lines hinting back to an American lobster boat but with a much more pronounced Carolina flair, the Cape 50 is a winning mix of traditional and contemporary styles. And when I saw the boat underway, I couldn’t help thinking there was a bit of contemporary European design in the shape of the bow

Of course, Cape isn’t the only boat to blend these design parameters as it joins Australian brands like Newport, Whitehaven and Palm Beach that recognise the charm and sea-keeping benefits of the much-lauded line of New England fishing boats. That it keeps the essentials yet manages to sport significant individuality is a credit to the