Seaworthiness
‘I once delivered an Oysterman 22 and thought I’d be happy to cross the Atlantic in it. The characteristics of the yacht are more important to me than size. Some of the larger new yachts are being designed in such a way that they would be very uncomfortable in large seas. Yacht design has changed and the heavy long keelers of years gone by are now few and far between.
‘A few years ago we delivered a Vancouver 34 from the Caribbean to the UK. Seaworthy and seakindly, she was in her element in open water. The winds were typically changeable and as the anti-cyclones tracked across, the sea state also became very confused. The maximum experienced wind on this trip was gusting 35 knots with a sea state of approximately 4-5m. At no point did she feel over-burdened by the conditions and there was no damage or even noticeable wear and tear. The crew were comfortable, the yacht was dry and stable throughout. She felt like she had been built for it.
‘In comparison, we recently delivered a Beneteau 31 from the UK to the Med. Though perfectly capable of the journey, we had to be much more careful with the conditions we sailed in.’