The decision on the GGR boat has been stressing me out for more than a year now and my deadline for the purchase for myself is August 2019(Borrowing off JLVDH’s timeline for 2022).
But…
I am not convinced by any of the options I have at my hand.
1. Westsail boats are called Wetsnails for a reason- They will not go upwind anywhere higher than 120 is what I have heard from previous & current owners. Given that Abhilash and Gregor both experienced headwinds in the Southern Ocean, that would be a nightmare. Not to mention the loss of speed going down and up the Atlantic. But… they are available. I already have two that have been offered to me for almost no money at all! If nothing goes right, I am considering proving Don McIntyre’s ‘do the race under EUR120,000’ right by using one of these options. But this would almost relegate me to being a finisher only and not a competitor.
I DONT WANT TO BE A ALSO-RAN. I AM IN IT, TO WIN IT!
2. Robert Perry Designs: Fantastic boats, I love the lines… But… no tiller steering. The interaction of the vane is I am told easier with a tiller steering. I have never sailed a boat with a wheel steering and vane, so I am not sure I want to change that in the lead up to the race. I know Perry design fans will jump at me, but the fact is they are not cheap to come by. Some are nearing their 40 year refit but they are still sooooo expensive.
3. Bob Perry ‘Bastard’ designs: Although there is a bastarded Robert Perry design available for a good price and it seems on paper faster than some of his designs and also faster than almost all of the approved boats. But I am not convinced of the build quality of the Taiwan boat sheds. One of the recent sinkings involve failure of the bobstay chainplate- which is scary. The bobstay chainplate on this boat is comfortably under the waterline.
4. RUSTLER 36!
Oh the darling of the fleet. Everyone thinks the Rustler is the boat to beat in the race. JLVDH’s boat is coming back in the race, so is UKU’s and then there is Robin Davie with his heavily modified boat. Not sure about Mark. In the last race Susie and Phillipe also had Rustlers.
Anyone who says the Rustler 36 is the boat to beat is mistaken. Check out the names of the sailors who finished in the Rustlers- JLVDH has done it more than 5 times, Robin a few times and Mark also had a circumnavigation. I met Uku at the prize distribution and that man is calm as a cucumber and kept it sweet and simple and that is what got him through. The Rustler by no means on paper has any reason to be the fastest boat in the race but they were sailed by the fastest and best prepared sailors in the race.
5. Cape Dory 36
A Cape Dory came up for sale in Toronto. I am going to go take a look at it, but having sailed other Cape Dory’s I am not happy with how tender the boat is. Don’t get me wrong, its not a big deal but I am not happy with the condition of many of the boats I have viewed. they did not satisfy me at all and then there was the wheel steering that will need to be replaced. With the refit allowed only in an approved yard(Labor $$)… I am not going to put in the money into the boats I have seen.
The decision looms and I am just getting absolutely annoying going around in circles deciding which one to purchase.
Here are the ratios of the boats.: the ones in clue are the boats not entered.
LOA LOD LWL Draft Sail Area LWL(SQ) HULL Speed SA/D D/L Comfort Ratio Capsize Screening Nicholson 32 33 24 5.5 594 4.90 6.56 18 393.98 36.47 1.61 Tradewind 35 35.0 25.8 5.5 725.0 5.08 6.81 16.10 504.2 45.9 1.56 Aries 32 32 26 5 469 5.10 6.83 11.86 406.4 43.85 1.52 Endurance 35 35 26.67 5 736 5.16 6.92 16.87 436.54 40.31 1.67 Cabo Rico 34 34 26.67 4.83 745 5.16 6.92 19.24 364 34.04 1.77 Rustler 36 35.3 26.9 5.5 467.0 5.2 6.95 11.43 384.6 36.2 1.72 Cape Dory 36 36.1 27.0 5.0 622.0 5.2 6.96 15.67 365.2 35.7 1.69 Biscay 36 35.9 27.0 5.8 570.0 5.2 6.96 14.61 355.6 34.5 1.72 Westsail 32 32.0 32.0 27.5 5.0 663.0 5.2 7.03 14.70 418.6 42.9 1.64 Eric 32 32.0 32.0 27.5 5.0 588.0 5.2 7.03 13.26 407.0 41.8 1.65 Vancouver 34 34.4 27.6 700.0 5.3 7.04 19.30 311.0 35.6 1.7 Saga 36 35.8 28.3 5.7 565.0 5.3 7.12 13.21 356.4 36.6 1.64 Baba 35 34.8 29.6 5.5 758.0 5.4 7.29 15.92 364.6 42.2 1.62 Young Sun 35 35 29.7 5.5 750 5.45 7.30 16.8 325 36.99 1.65 Tashiba 36 36.0 30.4 5.5 704.0 5.5 7.39 15.17 322.7 36.8 1.72
