Westerly Fulmar
1980
Replacing the phenomenally successful Centaur was a big deal for Westerly, so it was a surprise to many when 26-year-old Ed Dubois was chosen to design the successor. Nevertheless, the Griffon was very well received and he went on to draw more than a dozen further Westerlys.
The 32ft Fulmar represented something of a departure for the company from its mainstay range of chunky cruisers and secondary line of IOR inspired cruiserracers. Instead, it was intended as a fast performance cruiser that would not be dogged by the problems associated with the IOR rating rule. Most have fin keels, but Westerly also offered twin and lifting keel options.
The Fulmar set new standards for speed, handling and heavy weather abilities, while also providing spacious accommodation with excellent stowage space. On the downside, the design was marginally before the explosion in popularity of double aft quarter cabins, which dates the interior, as does a lack of natural light.
In 1992 a foot was added to the stern sections to provide a ‘sugar scoop’ transom, and the model renamed the Fulmar 33. The following year it was relaunched as the Regatta 330, with a new Ken Frievokh interior, which featured a double quarter cabin, larger forecabin and aft heads.
By the time production stopped in 1997 a total of 468 boats based on the Fulmar hull had been launched.
Among the other Westerly models Dubois designed is the 37ft Typhoon from 1990 which developed, refined and modernised the Fulmar concept. In my view it’s the best-ever Westerly. The Typhoon later morphed into the Regatta 370 and then the Westerly 37 towards the end of the 1990s.