US Sailors who cruise are different than those who just race. A US pure racing sailor views sailing as a competition between human athletes with the vessel being equipment. A US cruising sailor views the crew as components of the vessel required to make it seaworthy. These views have implications in crew selection and training.…
The notion of designing a vessel from a luxurious interior out doesn’t sit well with me, but this is likely the situation with most new sailboats today. In aircraft builds an approach called Lean is followed. This means that base functionality is engineered first before creature features (features that are intended to get a customer…
Murrelet’s potential as a racer was recognized shortly after her launch in 1999. The manufacturer even oriented its promotional literature around this potential. But racing organizations were reluctant to allow unballasted operation and it really wasn’t until 5000 hulls were launched that serious racers began to take notice of the one-design racing potential. In addition,…
The competing hull forms in Murrelet (displacement in the bow and planing aft) bring up some interesting aspects in sailing the cruiser. Because the manufacturer built so many pocket cruisers, the best hull form and ballast configuration was extensively studied. For example, one contemplated factory modification in 2000, involved adding a platform to the transom…
Most boats carry sails that perform well enough to satisfy on trade-wind routes where three-quarters of the time the wind may be aft of 110 degrees apparent and there are opportunities for flying symmetrical shaped sails, like square sails and spinnakers. Spinnakers are usually made of a light material that doesn’t require a lot of…
James Boyd in his April 2005 Sailing World article (page 45) notes that the Vende Globe machines with canting keels also have water ballast. The question as to which is the primary ballast system on boats that have both may have been answered in that article. Vincent Riou, who is kind of a McGyver (technically…
The Inner Harbor Boat Basin at Crescent City, CA was extensively damaged by the March 11, 2011 earthquake off Sendai, Japan. Several dozen vessels and many docks were destroyed by wave cycles related to the earthquake-caused tsunami. These exceeded 8 feet (2.4 m). See the video below. May 2014 We visited the Crescent City Harbor District during a road…
Ted Brewer, a designer who did much of his work in my own state of Washington, recently retired and moved back to British Columbia. His training material for amateur builders and beginning yacht designers, now in its 4th edition, portrays the typical hull form used on sailing craft from the 1800s known as the Cod’s…
In light to moderate conditions (when power to carry sail is not an issue), a center boarder or lee boarder has the advantage of more efficient and lower-drag lateral plane. All else being similar, it will point and foot better than a deep keel-ballasted boat” Phil Bolger and Susanne Altenburger Wooden Boats November/December 2000 issue…
John Vigor, a reviewer of “good old boats” in Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere (1999 Paradise Cay Publications) lists the Alberg 30, Albin Vega 27, Allied Seawind 32, Bristol 27, Bristol Channel Cutter 28, Cal 20, Cape Dory 25D, Catalina 27, Contessa/J.J Taylor 26, Contessa 32, Dana 24, Falmouth Cutter 22, Flicka 20, Folkboat 25, Frances/Morris 26, Nicholson 31,…