For those who live in warm weather year-round, the smell of salt air and the taste of a vine-ripened beefsteak tomato may not invoke the same summer nostalgia as it does for those who endure colder climes, but summers are sacred to us all, if for no other reason than the light is strong and the days are long, and wherever we are, most of us play on our boats.

Summer somehow creates the perception that you have more time to play and to dream. You’re cruising the Med, New England, the Baltic, the Balearics, or wherever you go to get away, and while you are enjoying every minute of every summer day, I’m willing to bet you’re musing about what your next boat is going to be.

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Thinking more mainstream? Our Monaco Yacht Show preview offers a sneak peek at the show that heralds the start of the fall boat show season. If you’re itching to buy or to build, there are more choices of yachts and builders than ever before. At the annual Monaco show, yards from all over the world compete for your attention: old companies producing their tried-and-true standards, old companies pushing new models, new companies establishing new ground and old companies resurrecting themselves.

Our cover story by Bill Ando is on one such company. Broward was an icon in American boatbuilding dating back to the 1950s, but after the founding family sold the business in 1998, projects lay dormant and the Broward marque went into hibernation. Tom Lewis, an entrepreneurial real estate whiz from the western United States, bought the Fort Lauderdale-based company two years ago and vowed to breathe new life into it and take it to new heights. The first 120-foot hull from the revamped Broward yard debuted at the Miami boat show in February. The second hull was finished this summer and is making a whistle-stop tour of the Caribbean.

Broward is not the only Florida boatbuilder to think "new." On the west coast of the Sunshine State we’ve seen Lazzara hit new heights with its innovative LSX Quad with Volvo Penta’s IPS drives. This 75-footer made her debut late last year to much excitement and enthusiasm. Executive editor Kenny Wooton interviewed Steve Hudson on his decision to purchase Hull No. 2. Hudson, a young businessman and lifetime boating enthusiast, acquired the brokerage and management firm International Yacht Collection in its teething years. He grew the company into an industry force over eight years and just recently sold it to Trinity Yachts. Now, he has more time to mess about with his two favorite passions: his young family and his new boat.

"Messing with boats" is what this magazine is all about, and summer is the prime time for enjoying yours with your family. Afternoon light is still long, and summer sunsets are the perfect time to sip those crisp whites and rum concoctions on the aft deck and savor that summer perception that there’s plenty of time for everything.

Waterfront: Amels Debut