Sailing Away
The Rustler 37 is a fine example of a fin-andskeg bluewater boat
Committing to a boat for ocean voyaging is different from choosing one to sail from the local marina on weekends and holidays. At a domestic level, the bluewater craft is home, not somewhere we camp out. On long offshore passages we need an easy motion above all things, plus a boat that can cope with the sort of conditions that some yachts ideal for coasting may find too hot for comfort. We will be examining the liveaboard situation in a future article, but the real secret of happiness when seeking out a bluewater boat is to take a hard, honest look at our objectives. No boat is all things to every sailor. The successful ones are those which have been chosen wisely to suit the character of their owners and the job they will undertake. This article is all about the core values of hull and rig.
North American forecasting is now so reliable that it should be possible to manage a lifetime of coastal cruising without ever having to tackle true storm conditions. We all suffer the occasional hammering along the shoreline, but offsoundings there is no port to run to. Despite the advances in weather forecasting, unless your yacht is extremely fast and well equipped with communications gear, she still isn’t guaranteed a ticket to a safe haven. If a storm has your name on it, you and your boat must be able to ride it out.
Fifty knots with a thousand miles of open water upwind is a far cry from a sudden inshore blow under a passing cold front. When the wind veers and drives the church-high waves crazy, a shorthanded crew—the “norm” on ocean cruisers—may well have run out of the stamina needed to look after the boat. This is the crux
