Racer/cruiserr

The sailplan shows a rather ordinary-looking boat, but having seen the brilliant blue hull at Westerly, I can assure you that this is a very handsome boat. I suppose you would call the hull form an IMS derivative type with fine forward waterlines and minimal overhangs. The D/L is 96.99 and the L/B is 3.83. These are moderate proportions by today's standards. There are no surprises in the hull shape that I can detect in the drawings. Most modem racing yachts are distinctly fair and predictable in hull form, and we can thank the IMS for that.

The interior layout puts the major weight in the middle of the boat and features two heads, including one on centerline. There are pipe berths over fixed settee berths. It's not a comfy cruising interior, but it will sleep a racing crowd in comfort, if not privacy. With the addition of a couple of doors, this layout will qualify Swiftsure II for the IMS racer-cruiser class. The space between galley components leads me to believe that galley efficiency was not high on the owner's list of requirements. I always volunteer to cook. Nobody messes with the cook.

The rig is a tall masthead type with the mast stepped just aft of station 4. Three spreaders, runners and checkstays support the rig. The SA/D is 26.16. Note the boom length. Remember, under the old IOR, we frequently saw booms that were far shorter than the J dimension. Today, Js are shrinking and booms are growing along with roaches that overlap backstays.

Construction features balsa core below the waterline and Divinycell above the waterline and in the decks. The outer skins are laidup with epoxy resin and the inner skins and bonding use vinylester resin. E-glass is used throughout. Westerly is without a doubt one of the best yards around, and this finished boat is a pure gem.

Two years ago the California 50 class provided some of the strongest racing in the country. I thought that the strength of this class alone was going to be enough to validate the IMS on the West Coast. The boats are still here, but few come out for the races anymore. The competitive urge is stanched by the cost of staying competitive under IMS and that age-old feeling that your competitors are getting a rating break under PHRF. I tend to think that any class has a life span of its own that defies any manipulation of rating rules. The boats go into hiding only to reappear later, often in a new area with a new group of owners who have yet to experience the pain of losing in their big, fancy race boats. It's an old story. "Give me a rule so I can win!"

I think Carl Schumacher is on the right track when he gives the owner a good boat that is versatile enough to compete in a wide range of race styles and conditions. Swiftsure II is a good boat.