Bluewater Cruiser

The big topsail schooner will be worked by the crew and capable of offshore passages where survival training will be part of the curriculum. There are no footropes shown on the sailplan so I would guess that the square sails will be furled mechanically around their yards. The long bowsprit allows for a flying jib, outer jib, inner jib and forestaysail to be carried. Both masts carry triangular topsails with small gaffs at their head. If you took these topsails off you would say the rig was "bald headed." Note the way the masts are extended with topmasts that are doubled over the main spar section. This is an impressive rig that will give everyone on board a string to pull.

Remember, it takes braces to trim the yards in addition to the sheets used for trimming the square sails. Certainly getting all these sails trimmed properly will be like tuning a 12-string guitar. It will be very photogenic when it's done right. The hull is very traditional, and the comments accompanying the drawings say the hull has "tumblehome, an Olivier van Meer Design signature." Phooey! Tumblehome goes back hundreds of years and was used recently and extensively in the early days of the IOR. It can also be seen on all the Valiant 40s, 42s and Hinckley Picnic boats! Tumblehome rolls the topsides inward and looks very appropriate on vintage-type designs. The sheerline is attractive but flattens off a little too much aft for my eye. Still, the computer-generated perspective views of the hull show an exceptionally handsome vessel with a beautiful heart-shaped transom.

The keel is full length and there is no salient fin. I suspect that "on the wind" for this vessel will mean apparent wind angles around 50 degrees or more. I've never sailed a vessel like this. Presumably the square sails will be furled when the boat is on the wind, allowing it to point higher. The D/L is 138. I'm not sure it's relevant, but for fun I calculated the following ratios for SA/D.

Using only the fore and aft sails, the on-the-wind rig, I get an SA/D of 18.4 and that's using a displacement of a million pounds! If I use the sail-area figure provided by the designer (all the sails shown) I get an SA/D of 25.83. Both of these numbers indicate a serious sailing vessel capable of good performance. Stability will be enhanced by water ballast tanks located below the DWL. The accommodations are ar-ranged around a huge main saloon and lecture room, which is itself flanked with 10 pilot berths. There is a "hospital" aft and a large workshop for student projects.

The crew's messes are forward, and the officers' mess and accommodations appear to be in the deckhouse aft. Given the size of this ship, the accommodation plan is complex and artfully wrought and deserves a larger scale drawing if it is to be better understood. With its deep bulwarks and flush deck, this design will have the look of an authentic vintage schooner. The main deck is broken by a raised foredeck and raised quarterdeck aft. The person at the helm will have an obstructed, sweeping view of the entire ship. That's got to give you a real sense of power and responsibility. "Pay attention kid!"

I'm pretty adaptable but I think I could fake a "difficulty in adaptation" if it would get me a ride on this spectacular sailing vessel, sans the "cat."