I needn’t point out that sailboats don’t evolve as quickly as electronics, but incremental changes over the years have gone a long way toward making boats safer, easier to sail, and more comfortable to live on. Each instance of applying fresh thinking to common problems—think staying out of the weather, or stowing the main—can claim a little credit for pushing the evolution of sailboats along. We were on the lookout for the next new things at this year’s boat shows in Newport, Rhode Island, and Annapolis, Maryland. Here’s what we found. Bill Springer