The overnight passage offshore began, as usual, with­ ­exuberance. We were off! As the day wore on, time slowed. We relaxed. The dark of night descended. I was on watch in the cockpit of Simple Life, our Island Packet 37, while my husband, Joe, rested below. As we surged forward into blackness, my mind wandered. Besides imagining plowing into a snoozing whale or striking a submerged container, I was ­contemplating something pleasant: fresh shrimp.

We’d departed Port Royal Island, South Carolina, that morning, bound for St. Marys Inlet at the Georgia-Florida border and, ultimately, Fernandina Beach. Now we were fast approaching what I call the “land of shrimp.” It’s a hub where, thanks to the commercial boats plying the waters day and night, you can find an abundance of the freshest, finest shrimp you’ve ever tasted. 

During seasonal migrations south from our home port of Pawtuxet Cove, Rhode Island, we’ve logged numerous overnight passages. The Intracoastal Waterway is one of the most popular routes south from New England, but we’ve learned over the years that sailing offshore, while sometimes tiring, is generally less stressful. Especially in the Georgia marshes along the ICW, shoals abound, requiring constant vigilance with charts and at the helm to avoid groundings. Offshore, we have plenty of water.

The sun was rising as we approached the border. From my perch at the helm, sunrise was a welcome sight. Joe got up and prepared to take his watch, and I steered Simple Life west toward the inlet. Conditions overnight had been manageable, but now we had a stronger breeze. Seas began building just as Joe appeared, to take the helm. Soon, a large following sea ushered Simple Life down each wave toward the inlet. 

I spotted three local shrimp boats ­already plying the waters at daybreak, and thought about that night’s dinner: shrimp Mozambique. I’d first sampled this delicious dish in Portuguese restaurants in Fall River and New Bedford, Massachusetts, not far from our home port. I loved it so much that it inspired me to make my own version.

The last couple of miles into the inlet seemed to take hours. After a well-earned nap, I spent the early afternoon zipping ashore in the dingy, headed for Atlantic Seafood Fish Market. 

Located directly on the shrimp-boat docks, it has some of the freshest shrimp on the Eastern Seaboard. The crustaceans I bought probably were swimming beside us as we aimed for the inlet that morning.

This recipe, rooted in the former Portuguese colony of Mozambique in East Africa, is rich with spices and flavor. I’ve shared it with many cruising friends who now regard it as their go-to recipe for entertaining guests aboard, or whenever they’re lucky enough to find fresh shrimp.

Shrimp Mozambique (serves 2)

• 1 packet Sazón Goya con Azafran or 1½ tsp. homemade shrimp spice mix (see below) 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• ¼-½ tsp. crushed red pepper, or to taste
• ½ tsp. salt, kosher if possible
• ¼ tsp. pepper, or to taste
• 1 2-14 medium or large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined*
• 3-4 threads saffron 
• ½ cup beer 
• 1½ Tbsp. butter 
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil 
• 1 medium or large sweet onion, chopped finely 
• 1½ Tbsp. freshly chopped parsley, or 1 Tbsp. dried 
• 1½ tsp. additional butter
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in ½ cup cold water 
• 3 green onions, sliced for garnish 
• * Frozen shrimp, thawed, can be substituted. 

In a small mixing bowl, combine either Sazón Goya or 1½ tsp. homemade spice mix with garlic, red pepper, salt and pepper. Mix with a fork and set aside. 

If using fresh shrimp, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and set aside. If using frozen shrimp, skip the salt. 

Immerse saffron threads in beer, and set aside.

In a large saute pan, heat 1½ Tbsp. butter and the olive oil until melted. Add onion, and cook over medium heat until translucent. Add spice-garlic-red pepper mixture. Cook while stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the beer with infused saffron, bring to a boil, and ­reduce for 2 minutes. 

Add the shrimp, parsley and remaining butter. When shrimp have begun to curl and turn pink, remove them to a bowl, then cover. 

Add cornstarch-water mixture to the pan, stirring constantly until the sauce is ­thickened. Return the shrimp to the sauce. Stir until warmed. 

Serve immediately over rice. Garnish with green onions and additional chopped parsley.

Homemade Shrimp Spice Mix

If not using Sazón Goya, mix together in advance: 1 Tbsp. each of ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric, garlic powder, and kosher salt with 2 tsp. ground oregano and 1 tsp. ground black pepper. Save extra for future use.

Cook’s Note: If you’re doubling this recipe, do not add more Sazón Goya or spice mix. 

Prep time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Can be made: At anchor

The post Sailing to the Land of Shrimp appeared first on Cruising World.

When Island Packet Yachts launched some 40 years ago, skippers in yacht clubs and bars from here to Oz still heatedly debated whether boats equipped with fin keels and spade rudders were safe to sail out of sight of land. And so, between the wrangling over newfangled foils—and design trends favoring plummeting displacement/length ratios—it’s no wonder that company founder and naval architect Bob Johnson struck a chord with his liveaboard cruising sailboats that featured stout ivory-colored hulls, patented Full Foil Keels, skeg-hung rudders, and manageable cutter rigs. In the decades since, in fact, it’s those very elements that, when combined, created the iconic “IP look” that’s still available and in demand today from the Largo, Florida, yard.

The company, though, is now owned and operated by former longtime West Coast IP dealers Leslie and Darrell Allen, who last fall introduced their second new model, the IP 439, which Cruising World’s Boat of the Year judges named Best Full-Size Cruiser for 2021. That award came just two years after their first new design, the IP 349, was named overall Boat of the Year for 2019.

Against competition that included boats built to much more modern and trendy designs, both these Island Packets stood out for their sailing performance. And it’s no accident that both sported so-called solent rigs that pair a self-tacking jib on an inner forestay with a 170 percent genoa on a second stay just forward of it. In moderate and heavier breeze, the self-tacker takes the work out of upwind sailing, and cracked off a bit, or in very light conditions, the big genny has all the horsepower needed to give the boat some get-up-and-go.

And off we went. Sailing on Tampa Bay in 5 to 8 knots of breeze this past October, the 439′s speedo hovered in the mid-6- to low-7-knot range—not bad for a boat with a displacement-to-length ratio of 259, by far the highest of all the boats we tested.

A choice of sail plans is just one of the options the Allens are willing to entertain now that they’re running the company. Their challenge: to keep what works but incorporate ideas from customers and even the team on the shop floor that will make the designs better and keep them evolving. For instance, at the request of customers, IP will now build boats with or without a Hoyt jib boom for the self-tacking jib. One customer asked for a safe, and now a lockbox is a standard option. They even have a couple of boats under construction with blue hulls and white decks rather than the trademark ivory!

But don’t get me wrong—compared with what’s out there, the 439 is still very traditional, some might even say conservative. It sports a sugar-scoop stern rather than a drop-down transom, a single wheel and rudder, hand-laid solid fiberglass hull, and lead ballast that’s encapsulated in the full keel and then covered with concrete and resin.

Gone, though, is the marine plywood used in interior construction. It drove the Allens crazy as dealers. Water would seep under sinks and counters and rot the underlayer, or customers would return from the tropics, where termites literally ate and destroyed the plywood used in structural areas. Instead, the yard now uses Coosa Board, a composite material that’s indestructible. The intent, Darrell says, is to use the best material they can find and look for improvements without straying too far from what’s made the brand successful.

The 439, for instance, uses the same Bob Johnson-designed hull as did the older 440 and 460 models. The interior, aforementioned sail plan and transom have all been revised, though, and all exterior wood has been eliminated to cut down on maintenance.

Down below, the nav station was sacrificed to free up space for a larger galley with room for a stove, an oven and a microwave; Corian counters with deep fiddles; and abundant fridge, freezer and storage space.

Aft of the galley, in place of a starboard cabin, there’s an interesting little utility room that on the boat we sailed included a vented washer and dryer, additional freezer, storage space, a 6 kW Northern Lights generator (complete with a little stool for working on it), and filters for the genset and 80 hp Yanmar diesel with shaft drive, located in the adjacent engine compartment.

The port aft cabin is cozy, with a double berth and hanging locker, and access to the guest head and shower. And the saloon is laid out similar to a small living room. To port, a pair of captain’s chairs flank a drop-down table. To starboard, there’s an L-shaped settee that can double as a sea berth, and a bulkhead-mounted table that folds down for dining and reveals a nifty cabinet with movable shelves and dividers that can be adjusted to accommodate various-size bottles and glasses.

The owners’ cabin is forward to starboard, with a diagonally oriented queen berth and his-and-her hanging lockers. In the head off to port, I thought the glass shower door with waves etched into it was a nice touch.

Base price for the 439 is $470,000 and change. But the boat we sailed was loaded with options and carried a price tag of $670,400. Among the bells and whistles: watermaker, four additional house batteries, three solar panels incorporated into the Bimini arch and davits, underwater lights, a four-blade Max Prop, 12-volt air conditioning in the forward cabin, bow thruster and absolutely stunning Quantum Fusion Membrane sails.

Oh, speaking of sails, the 439 also sports the new Synchronized Main Furling system from Seldén, which lets you set the main while standing at the helm with the touch of a button. (For more on the system, see “Smart Winch, Smart Furler,” page 46.)

This being Hull No. 1, there were a few things to tweak. Under sail, I found it a little tough to read the jib telltales, and a plastic cover over the control switches for the electric jib-furlers made it hard to reach them when furling the genoa to tack. But things like that are easy to fix. Over all, there was a tremendous amount to like about the 439, including the Allens’ willingness to, say, rearrange the saloon, add a nav station, or replace the utility room with a third cabin. The list goes on and on.

Unfortunately, our sail didn’t. The 439 is a big rangy boat that makes you want to live aboard, go sailing, entertain friends in warm places. We, the Boat of the Year team, couldn’t, of course. We needed to get back to work and give it a big award.

Island Packet 439 Specifications

LENGTH OVERALL: 45′9″ (13.94 m)

WATERLINE LENGTH: 38′1″ (11.61 m)

BEAM: 14′4″ (4.37 m)

DRAFT: 5′ (1.52 m)

SAIL AREA (100%): 1,131 sq. ft. (105.1 sq. m)

BALLAST: 12,000 lb. (5,443 kg)

DISPLACEMENT: 32,000 lb. (14,515 kg)

BALLAST/DISPLACEMENT: 0.38

DISPLACEMENT/LENGTH: 259

SAIL AREA/DISPLACEMENT: 18

WATER: 260 gal. (984 L)

FUEL: 160 gal. (606 L)

HOLDING: 55 gal. (208 L)

MAST HEIGHT: 62′5″ (19.03 m)

ENGINE: 80 hp Yanmar

DESIGNER: Bob Johnson/Island Packet Design Team

PRICE: $670,400

Sea Trial

WIND SPEED: 5 to 8 knots

SEA STATE: Calm

SAILING: Closehauled 3.7 knots/Reaching 7.2 knots

MOTORING: Cruise (2,000 rpm) 6.2 knots/Fast (2,600 rpm) 7.6 knots

The post Island Packet 439 Boat Review appeared first on Cruising World.

The newest model from this longtime Florida builder is an attractive well-built option for a cruising couple with longterm liveaboard and voyaging plans. This, among many other reasons, is why the Island Packet 439 won the Best Full-Size Cruiser in Cruising World’s 2021 Boat of the Year Awards.

View the full review article on the Island Packet 439

The post Virtual Q&A: Island Packet 439 – Best Full-Size Cruiser appeared first on Cruising World.

Every spring, the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, sends out dozens of plebes on its beautiful dark-blue Navy 44 sloops to do a “Delmarva”—a circumnavigation of the shrimp-shaped peninsula that divides Chesapeake and Delaware bays, and is shared by Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

This 400-or-so-mile circuit covers the entire length of both bays and includes a 150-mile offshore passage between the two, a “little loop” that the Navy sails nonstop in about three days. The route offers round-the-clock training exercises in leadership and command, boat systems, navigation, safety-at-sea, and watch-standing protocols in all kinds of weather.

Local sailors like this challenge too. Since fun should be part of the journey, I took a leisurely 10 days to sail the Delmarva in my own boat, a 1983 Island Packet 26 named Bearboat, which gave my two crewmembers and me time to explore some wonderful places along the way. We started in early May, just a week before the Academy flotilla set sail in what they dub the “Fogmarva,” due to the risk of fog this time of year.

As the Navy recognizes, this is a serious journey for any sailor, with plenty of big-enough water. Our voyage coincided with the onset of a Greenland Block—a stalled northern high-pressure system that pushes the jet stream south and blankets the East Coast with strong, cold Canadian air. We had gale- or near-gale-force winds for well over half the trip, initially from the south. The howling wind and long fetch straight up the Chesapeake produced some of the biggest waves I’ve encountered on the bay: 5 feet with short wave periods, which is a lot for the narrow northern section. 

Delaware Bay is often a tough slog too; the route is long enough to ensure opposing wind and tide, much of it in restricted waters. It’s generally quite shallow and has lots of big commercial-shipping traffic. Unlike Chesapeake Bay, it has rocks and almost no harbors of refuge. To our surprise, the open ocean turned out to be the smoothest part of the entire trip.

This was the second Delmarva I’ve done in Bearboat, which had just received several major repairs and upgrades. Most important were a rebuilt diesel and quick-­setting single-line reefing system because we sailed under single or double reef almost all the time.

As I did on my first Delmarva, I sailed the loop clockwise to take maximum advantage of the west-to-southwest prevailing winds. I prefer to go in May to avoid late-winter cold fronts and early-summer heat waves. Because my boat does not have radar, I timed the overnight coastal passage to the full moon to take advantage of the light. Two crew came along: Mike Koleda, former owner of a wooden lobster boat, and Mark Burosh, an ex-Marine and now a professional fly-fishing guide with commercial marine experience. 

Aptly enough, since Bearboat’s home port is Galesville, Maryland, we cast off in a gale. Our first day was just a two-hour sail north to Annapolis because the morning was spent with final packing and a thorough boat briefing. 

The storm had canceled a big sailboat race out of Annapolis that day, so we had lots of room to tie up inside Ego Alley, downtown’s famous and usually crowded narrow harbor inlet. Rain, strong southerlies and a near-full moon had flooded the banks. A flotilla of ducks paddled over the submerged harborside parking lot. Because Mark had never seen Annapolis, we set off to explore the US Naval Academy’s campus—especially Bancroft Hall (with 33 acres of floor space, it’s the largest dormitory in the world) and the Academy’s fleet of Navy 44s docked in the sailing basin.

Breakfast was at Chick and Ruth’s Delly, the oldest eatery in the historic district, a palace among greasy spoons, and a magnet for local color. Afterward we suited up in our foulies and motored out into a southeast gale. It was a daylong roller-­coaster ride up the bay under heavily reefed sails. 

In between squalls, we passed under the soaring double spans of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and watched the smokestacks and office towers of Baltimore pass by to port up the Patapsco River. 

Chesapeake Bay narrows as you go north, forcing recreational boats into the deep commercial shipping lane that hugs the Eastern Shore. Just past Poole’s Island, the channel tightens and bears northeast, which put us in the lee of the Eastern Shore, settling the ride a bit. By midafternoon we entered the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, the northern boundary of the Delmarva Peninsula, and were soon tied up at the Chesapeake City town dock, tired but happy that both boat and crew had passed a tough early test. 

My little Island Packet is a strongly built boat, and—properly handled—loves a gale, but these conditions were a bit unsettling to Koleda at first. “When I was at the helm looking up at the wave crests going by, I was starting to wonder what we were doing out there,” he said later over a beer. He’d get used to heavy weather.

The C&D Canal is a 14-mile-long sea-level connection between Chesapeake and Delaware bays and one of the busiest waterways in the nation, carrying about 40 percent of the commercial marine traffic to and from Baltimore. It can be a dangerous place: Currents are deceptively strong, fog will shut it down, and various fatal accidents have occurred here over the years.

We left early the next day, motoring under several bridges and pushed along by a cold westerly near-gale. The canal exits to the grim industrial landscape of the Delaware River: Boiling clouds of steam gush from the hulking Salem nuclear power plant on the far shore. Huge pylons and power lines snake across the water, and refineries dominate the shoreline upstream. Turning north, we motored through yet another rain squall to the nearby entrance of Delaware City and the long floating dock of the town’s marina.

We had come to visit Pea Patch Island and Fort Delaware State Park, a little-known Civil War-era fort and prison in the middle of the Delaware River. Just half a mile offshore, the fort is in surprisingly good condition and has excellent displays of what life was like there. The fort held more than 40,000 Confederate prisoners of war (including almost all Southern troops captured at Gettysburg), and is well worth a visit.

We cast off at dawn the next day—our first without rain—and began winding our way down Delaware Bay, edging just outside the buoys to dodge the occasional gasoline barge, container ship or liquefied-natural-gas tanker.

A somewhat dicey passage begins in Delaware Bay below the nuclear plant: The channel narrows sharply along rocky ledges, marked by the Ship John Shoal and Elbow of the Cross Ledge lighthouses. It can be a tight squeeze—Elbow light was hit by ships so many times, its keepers slept in life jackets.

Almost all outbound private boats head for Cape May, the northern entrance to Delaware Bay, but we were going to the smaller town of Lewes (pronounced LEW-iss) and Cape Henlopen on the southern shore. The town’s narrow harbor is reached via the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal, and its gateway can’t be missed: A huge wind turbine marks the spot. A sharp turn to port on entering takes you down a long channel to the harbor, with an immaculate town marina and park on the south side next to the bright-red Lightship Overfalls museum. The town’s small but charming historic district, just two blocks from the dock, has wonderful architecture, great shops and excellent restaurants.

Early the next morning—our first clear and dry day— Koleda reprovisioned the boat while Burosh and I rented bikes to explore nearby Cape Henlopen State Park. This area was Fort Miles artillery base during World War II, part of the coastal-defense system. Today, the park offers 6 miles of pristine Atlantic beaches, nature trails and campgrounds, Army barracks and artillery displays, and an original observation tower you can climb.

By noon we returned to the boat, topped off the tanks at Lewes Harbor Marina, and headed back out to sea. Riding a peak ebb tide before a crisp northwest wind, we flew around the tip of Cape Henlopen, bound for Chesapeake Bay.

On my first Delmarva, I kept about 10 miles offshore on this leg, but this time followed the charted 3-mile line down the coast. This was the day the Greenland Block finally ­dissolved, and as the wind clocked lightly ahead, we rolled up the genoa and chugged comfortably down the shoreline in gentle 2-foot seas. For trips like this, I cook up one-dish meals that are vacuum-bagged and frozen, then simply reheated in a pot of boiling water. Just as the fading sun slipped into an orange horizon, a fat, full and stunningly white moon rose to port. We celebrated with a delicious hot stir-fry.

It’s always magical being at sea in the moonlight, and for me, it’s a rare privilege to bear witness to the slow passage of a complete celestial night. The moon, with bright Jupiter just to the west, provided easy headings to follow as they slowly arced across Bearboat’s bow and rigging. There was little traffic during our cold four-hour shifts, and the off watch below was rocked softly to sleep by soothing Atlantic swells.

At dawn the next day, approaching the distinctive skeleton tower of Cape Charles Light at the northern entrance to Chesapeake Bay, we were greeted with a surprise—in the ­shimmering early-morning sunlight there was a sudden, ­confusing appearance of a strange-looking orange-and-white freighter ahead. It turned out to be an optical illusion, showing a much-distorted entrance to the Chesapeake Bay ­Bridge-Tunnel just over the horizon. 

We re-entered Chesapeake Bay through the North Channel span of the Bay Bridge-Tunnel, a convenient passage for boats with less than 75 feet of air draft. This allowed us to quickly round the cape and make landfall at Cape Charles City, just up the Eastern Shore.

Cape Charles City was the once-prosperous railhead for all ferryboat traffic between the tip of the Delmarva Peninsula and Norfolk, Virginia. It was bypassed when the 23-mile-long Bay Bridge-Tunnel opened in 1964. It’s still a bit of a ghost town (especially the rusting railyard) but is slowly coming back. For cruisers, the main attractions are Cape Charles Yacht Center and Kelly’s Gingernut Pub, set in a beautifully restored old bank.

The next morning, as another storm blew in, we headed north toward an even more isolated part of the bay: Tangier Island, the last inhabited offshore island in Virginia. This hardworking community of watermen descends from original settlers from Cornwall in the 1770s, and residents still speak in a unique “orphan dialect” of British and Southern accents. This small, deeply religious community is fighting to survive: With high ground only 4 feet above water and flooding increasingly common, scientists say the entire island is destined to be lost to rising sea levels.

Early the next morning, we set off on a long northwesterly passage toward the Western Shore. This route took us past Smith Island (Maryland’s last inhabited offshore island) and the Hannibal—the last live-fire target ship on the Chesapeake, scuttled on a sandbar and riddled by Navy aircraft.

Late that afternoon, we entered the Patuxent River, ­watching jets and helicopters buzz around the massive Naval air base on the south side of the waterway. On the north side is the narrow entrance to Solomon’s Island, an excellent hurricane hole, home to some of the best marinas on the Chesapeake and one of the top cruising destinations midbay. Just as we arrived, a strong northerly windstorm set in, delaying our final run for home.

When the blow passed, we started the last 40-mile leg due north up the midbay. This route has some interesting landmarks: Cove Point Lighthouse, the huge Cove Point LNG dock, Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant and a Navy radar base. This is a popular stretch for striper and perch fishing, so we had to dodge lots of charter boats. By midafternoon, we reentered the West River and backed into Bearboat’s slip in Galesville, safely closing the loop.

A circumnavigation of the Delmarva peninsula has plenty to offer sailors. As the Navy knows, it’s a serious test of seamanship; for cruisers, it’s a challenging circuit you can do in a week or so. And it’s a great way to explore one of the nation’s best cruising grounds and meet some wonderful people—such as the funny-but-tough-as-nails waitresses at Chick and Ruth’s; Tim Konkus, the incredibly helpful owner of Delaware City Marina, who gave his storm-stranded mariners an excellent weather briefing; and Milton Parks, the owner of Tangier Island’s Parks Marina, and a legendary retired waterman.

But perhaps the best parts are being able to go for a long sail in varied conditions; putting the boat, skipper and crew to the test; and making “local” a bigger place.

Based in Washington, D.C., Stephen Blakely sails his Island Packet 26, Bearboat, throughout the mid-Atlantic coast.

The post Circumnavigating the Delmarva Peninsula appeared first on Cruising World.

It’s always good to see the marine industry introduce solid boats in the 35-foot range, an excellent size for a cruising couple to sail, manage and maintain efficiently, and one that sometimes gets short shrift in any given calendar year from builders focused on larger vessels with more lucrative profit margins. For 2019, four entries (the Dufour Grand Large 360, Hanse 348, Island Packet 349 and Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 319) vied for the title of Best Midsize Cruiser Under 38 Feet.

“I think we have three boats that are natural competitors to each other, and then a fourth boat that’s a little bit apple versus oranges, comparatively speaking,” said Tim Murphy. “The Dufour, Hanse and Jeanneau all cost under $200,000, and are very close on their displacement/length ratios, right around 200. That means you can expect similar performance and comfort characteristics. With a price tag of $330,000 and a D/L ratio of 278, the Island Packet is the outlier in this group.”

The panelists liked the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 319, but perhaps because of its shorter length, they did not feel it matched the features of its rivals. Alvah Simon was impressed by the Dufour Grand Large 360, ­particularly its interior layout.

“I liked the two-stateroom accommodations plan,” he said. “I couldn’t figure out which was the owners cabin. They were both spacious and equally balanced.” However, neither the Jeanneau nor the Dufour advanced beyond ­preliminary discussions.

That’s because the other nominees in the group had passionate defenders. Ed Sherman championed the ­virtues of the Hanse 348.

“I liked it a lot,” Sherman said. “I liked the dual wheels in the cockpit. At first I thought twin wheels on this size boat were kind of ridiculous. But when we sailed it, they were great. The ergonomics in the cockpit area were terrific. I like the fact that it was a three-cabin boat. There was enough room down below to have a good time with a small family, and I think that’s their target market, and it definitely addresses that. The systems installations and the fit and finish were all perfectly acceptable. And it sailed very well. I’m a Hanse 348 fan.”

As it turned out, Sherman and his fellow judges were not quite through with the Hanse.

Simon countered Sherman’s endorsement with his own strong assessment of the Island Packet 349. “On our test sail, I recorded speeds over 7 knots,” he said. “Island Packets have not always had a great reputation for their sailing prowess, but this boat had beautiful Quantum sails and performed very well. The on-deck flow is good, and so is the nonskid. The pushpit and pulpits with seats and cleats were very well executed.

“Yes, it costs more than the Hanse, and the Hanse may deliver a peppier sail,” he added. “But I think this new iteration of the Island Packet is breaking free from its old mold; the company has evolved and improved. I think this is a builder moving in the right direction, and I’d like to find a way to help them. So, yes, compared to the Hanse it may take a little longer to get there. But when you’re cruising, not racing, what’s important is getting there. When you’re talking about making long boards of 1,000 miles to the Galapagos, or 3,000 miles to the Marquesas, this boat can do that. To me, that’s what makes it a handy little pocket cruiser, although we used to reserve that term for Pacific Seacraft Flickas and very small boats. By today’s standards, this is a pocket cruiser, and it’s a very good one. For me, for that reason, it rises right to the top of the stack.”

It was up to Tim Murphy to cast the deciding vote, which went to the Island Packet 349, thereby earning it this year’s title of Best Midsize Cruiser Under 38 Feet.

See All Winners:
2019 Boats of the Year

Other Winners:

• Domestic Boat of the Year
• Import Boat of the Year
• Best Midsize Cruiser Over 38 Feet
• Best Full-Size Cruiser Under 48 Feet
• Best Full-Size Cruiser
• Best Cruising Catamaran Under 50 Feet
• Best Cruising Multihull Over 50 Feet
• Best Charter Boat
• Best Value

The post Island Packet 349: Best Midsize Cruiser Under 38 Feet appeared first on Cruising World.

Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat. In a resounding return to national prominence after a change of ownership that resulted in a few seasons of sitting on the sidelines, Island Packet Yachts has returned, and in a big way. Its comeback boat, the 37-foot-10-inch Island Packet 349, is Cruising World’s Domestic Boat of the Year for 2019.

“The firm’s new owners, Darrell and Leslie Allen, were longtime Island Packet dealers in San Diego,” said Tim Murphy. “They’ve bought the rights to all the designs, and they’ve got the molds. This new boat was based on the hull of the old Island Packet 36, with the addition of a sugar-scoop transom and lots of other tweaks, large and small. Say what you will about Island Packet, but they’ve got a very, very devoted following, and this feels like a company that’s going to stay very well connected to that group. I wouldn’t call it a ‘cult,’ but they’re sailors who really identify with each other. It feels like it’s going to be a continuation of that.”

What, exactly, does that mean? Well, rest easy, Island Packet fans, original founder and designer Bob Johnson remains a consultant, and his iteration of a full keel will still grace the underbody of IP’s yachts. But the Allens are open to tweaking the interiors of their boats, which is something new, and — holy cow! — your IP no longer needs to have the famous ivory gelcoat. Yes, you can have one any color you wish.

“The sail plan is terrific,” Murphy said. “It has a really nice solent rig with an inner headsail for short tacking, but when you’re on a longer reach, you have a code-zero-style reacher that’s right there and very accessible. I think the sail plan makes up for all the wetted surface of the full keel. During our sea trials, in only about 8 knots of true wind, the boat labored a bit under the jib, but once we put out that reacher, it really lit up. I was pleasantly surprised by how well it sailed.”

“The saloon doors have proper hatch locks that are very clever,” said Alvah Simon. “The benches were long enough to sleep on, which cruisers do. The placement of the winches and sheets is good. They have a traveler forward, and a proper binnacle with a single wheel. The lifelines are high and coated, which is something I always like. Everywhere you go on the boat there’s a stout, shiny rail to hang onto; there are no finger jammers or knuckle breakers in there. It’s all very nicely done. The whole boat will make an elegant, heavy, easy to handle, safe home. It’s old fashioned, and I mean that favorably.”

“The deck is cluttered, but in a good way,” said Ed Sherman. “Everything there is a useful component. For example, there are lots of handholds. Looking at the deck, I envisioned the mold that had to be created to make it. It has to be one of the most complex molds that I have seen in the world of composite construction. Lots of indents, lots of curves, but the glasswork is beautiful. I love the boat. It’s very different than anything else we looked at this week, especially compared to all the very contemporary designs with twin helms and wide transoms. But it’s among the most well-built boats we inspected for 2019.”

So, there you have it. Welcome back, Island Packet. We missed you. Nice to have you back on the water.

See All Winners:
2019 Boats of the Year

Other Winners:

• Import Boat of the Year
• Best Midsize Cruiser Under 38 Feet
• Best Midsize Cruiser Over 38 Feet
• Best Full-Size Cruiser Under 48 Feet
• Best Full-Size Cruiser
• Best Cruising Catamaran Under 50 Feet
• Best Cruising Multihull Over 50 Feet
• Best Charter Boat
• Best Value

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Bristol 40

Boats built in the 1960s are getting long in the tooth, but if they’ve been maintained well, they are still serviceable. And many Bristol 40s date to later years.

Designed by Ted Hood and built by Clint Pearson after he and cousin Everett sold Pearson Yachts, early Bristols have many similarities in design and construction to early Pearsons. The dominant design rule then was the CCA (Cruising Club of America), which favored short waterlines (long overhangs) and modest beam. The rule-beating idea was that when heeled, the waterline lengthened, increasing speed. A narrow boat has less form stability than a beamier hull, but is less likely to remain upside down in a capsize. A long keel with attached rudder was the accepted underwater configuration for stability and tracking.

Construction is standard for the time: mat-and-woven roving. Over time, leaky portlights and hull/deck joints became commonplace, but they can be fixed by a handy owner.A Bristol 40 won the 1983 Marion-Bermuda Race that featured close-reaching in moderate winds, which shows it’s capable of a decent day’s run. Performance also depends on rig — sloop, cutter or yawl — and keel or keel/centerboard configuration.

Early Bristol 40s were fitted with the venerable Atomic 4 gas engine for which parts may still be obtained from Moyer Marine. A Westerbeke diesel was optional; others have been re-powered with a Yanmar diesel.

Narrow beam and short waterline translate to a comparatively small interior, albeit retaining the essential separate cabins, sea berths, closed head and divided galley aft.

Sabre 28

Roger Hewson founded Sabre Yachts in South Casco, Maine, and launched his first model, the Sabre 28, in 1970. Whatever his qualifications as a yacht designer, he did a respectable job with the 28. The proportions are correct (beam versus waterline length, cabin height versus topsides, etc.), the deck-stepped rig conservative, the layout standard and construction quality above average. Periodic refinements were made during its 16-year production run, notably in 1976 (Mark II) and 1983 (Mark III), but the basic structure remained the same. Later models gained a few hundred pounds, which might mean the company finally got around to actually weighing a boat off the line. More than 500 were built.

At 28 feet, it’s on the small side for cruising, but of course that depends on one’s ambitions. A good indication of hull volume is the displacement/length ratio (D/L), which for this Sabre is a moderate 278, meaning decent stowage and, combined with an average sail area/displacement ratio (SA/D) of 16.6, decent performance under sail. Not exciting, but no surprises either. This is an easily handled boat despite the foretriangle being somewhat larger than the mainsail.

Some potential buyers might be skeptical of the swept-back externally ballasted keel, which at the time was thought to be more efficient than a vertical appendage. I’m sure there are Sabre 28 owners who can tell how it takes the ground and if it’ll sit upright on its keel (it depends on the center of gravity, which is not shown in the drawings).

Construction is standard hand-layup mat and woven rovings. Glass finish work is very good, and there’s a lot of teak below. Through-hulls have bronze seacocks. Early boats had Atomic 4 gas auxiliaries, and later models small Volvo or Westerbeke diesel engines.

Cape Dory 30

Andy Vavolotis founded Cape Dory Yachts in 1962 with a couple of dinghies. He commissioned Carl Alberg, a Swedish-born U.S. Coast Guard naval architect, to design most of his subsequent larger yachts, including the Cape Dory 30, introduced in 1976.

This is a small 30-footer, owing to its relatively narrow beam and short waterline; the lovely, long overhangs take space from below. Vavolotis once told me that with every new model he begged Alberg to add a few inches of beam. Alberg would give him an inch or two and then say, “If you want more, find another designer. I don’t think it’s right.” That went for fin keels and spade rudders too.

Yes, it’s the full keel with attached rudder and attendant advantages (stable tracking, safety in grounding and collisions with underwater objects) that recommend the design for cruising. The downside? Increased wetted surface area translates to slower speeds, and the fat keel won’t point as high as a foil. But it’s about the journey, not speed, right? The original 30 was designed as a ketch; later renditions offered cutter and sloop rigs.

The other reason folks love Cape Dorys is robust construction. Nothing fancy: solid single-skin hull, balsa-cored deck (Aren’t they all? Well, no.), heavy bronze hardware from Vavolotis’ Spartan Marine foundry and generous exterior teak that once upon a time signified a classy yacht. Hard to believe, but true.

The Cape Dory 30 is not without a few shortcomings. The hull/deck joint is not continuously through-bolted, and some deck hardware does not have backing plates. If you’re set on a Cape Dory, I’d look for the Cape Dory MK11 updated by Clive Dent, or the 33 or 36. The latter generally sells for more than $50,000, but not by much, and it’s a roomier, more powerful design.

Island Packet 31

Boatbuilder and naval architect Bob Johnson shares a distinction with Cape Dory’s Andy Vavolotis as being two of the only company bosses to have offered traditional full-keel cruising boats in small sizes.

Island Packet is located in Florida, and the designs are geared for those waters, meaning shallow. To compensate for shoal draft (a 4-foot keel and 3-foot keel/centerboard were offered), the 31 has a wide beam of 11 feet 6 inches, which gives it good form stability (but not if it capsizes). Boats with wide beam and shallow draft are more likely to achieve inverse stability than narrow boats with deep keels. Ballast of iron ingots set in concrete doesn’t help. This hull form isn’t great upwind. That said, the 31 does not heel quickly and is ideally suited to Florida and Bahamas cruising grounds.

Construction is generally good. The hull is solid glass (no core), and the deck is an exception to the usual end-grain balsa core; a mixture of polyester resin and microballoons called PolyCore forms a chemical bond between the two skins of the “sandwich,” eliminating the possibility of rot and delamination. Like many builders of series-produced boats, Island Packet incorporated a large molded liner or pan that forms the cabin sole, berth flats, galley and other “furniture” features. It saves labor costs but can cause condensation, increase noise and vibration compared to plywood, and make access to parts of the hull potentially difficult. What it does do is discourage radical customizing, which may be a good thing, given the weird stuff some guys cobble together (think a Barcalounger in place of a saloon settee).

Gulf 32

It’s too bad more of these able cruisers haven’t migrated farther from their origin on the West Coast. While rather plainly finished, construction is solid and the pilothouse with inside steering is unusual. The sweeping sheer, flush cambered deck and low-profile pilothouse make what could be an ungainly profile actually quite handsome.

As with so many models produced over a decade and longer, changes were made to the Gulf 32 over its 400-unit run, in part because it was built by two different companies: Gulf Marine Products and Capital Yachts. For example, the drawings show an offset double berth forward, while others were delivered with the more conventional V-berth. While the interior features a lot of warm wood finishes, including bulkheads, the large interior liner is startlingly evident in places such as the forward cabin. Noteworthy is the sail area/displacement ratio of 11.6 and displacement/length ratio of 563. These are motorsailer numbers.

Prospective buyers should carefully check the cored side decks for delamination; this is a good time to state unequivocally that a boat with extensive deck delamination is probably not worth repairing. The cost to have a yard perform the repairs is very likely more than the boat is worth. A competent DIY repair is difficult; drilling numerous holes in the top skin and injecting epoxy over a large area is unlikely to do the job. The radical alternative is to remove the inner skin and core and then replace the core and skin, all while working upside down. I know of a person who tried this, using spring-loaded curtain rods to hold backing panels in place — they don’t call him “Resin-head” for nothing.

Islander 36

Once upon a time in Costa Mesa, California, the mecca of early fiberglass boatbuilding, Islander Yachts was a worthy competitor of Columbia and Cal. Australian designer Alan Gurney drew this fast, International Offshore Rule-influenced hull with pinched ends, fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder. A word about skegs: It’s widely believed that they protect the rudder, but the degree to which they succeed depends on the internal structure of the skeg. If it’s simply a piece of molded glass tabbed to the hull, it will likely tear away on impact. If, however, it has, say, a metal backbone well connected to the hull, that’s stronger. In either case, a skeg also is a simple means to provide a lower bearing for the rudder, add some lateral surface for tracking and reduce bending moment. The IOR hull type goes upwind well, but can be squirrelly off the wind, especially with a spinnaker. Rig dimensions varied over the years.

Construction is conventional: solid fiberglass hull but plywood in the deck, as opposed to the more common end-grain balsa wood. It’s heavier and more prone to rot. Different engines were offered. Tankage for fuel and water is on the small side, so consider adding a bladder tank for longer periods aboard.

With the Islander 36, naval architect Robert Perry credits interior designer Joe Artese with revolutionizing sailboat accommodations — no longer a “boy’s cabin in the woods.” Artese took advantage of the boat’s wide beam to increase sole area; drew a wide, low companionway; designed a foldaway table; and specified contemporary fabrics. Somewhere close to 1,000 were sold.

Endeavour 37

The design of this boat is a great example of the ingenuity and craftiness of the fiberglass boatbuilding industry. Endeavour founders Rob Valdez and John Brooks, both of whom had worked for Vince Lazzara at Gulfstar, got started when Ted Irwin gave them the molds for the Irwin 32. The Endeavour 32 sold well, so in looking for their next model, they found the derelict mold of the Creekmore 34 on the Miami River, cut it in half, added 3 feet and voilà! The Endeavour 37!

And there is a sort of Frankenstein look to the boat. Most were sold as sloops, though a ketch rig was offered. It’s a heavy, slow boat, but comfortable and solidly built, with single-skin hull and plywood interior components (no fiberglass pan). Workmanship is generally quite good. If a previous owner hasn’t switched the gate valves on through-hulls to seacocks, add it to your work list. Ballast is internal. The standard engine was the workhorse Perkins 4-108 diesel.

Two interior plans were offered: the A layout, with convertible dinette forward and two aft cabins, and the B layout, with V-berth forward and a single aft cabin. Having slept in one of them I can say that they are not easy to get in and out of. Better to consider them larger-than-usual quarter berths.

Upwind sailing performance is poor — it doesn’t point well — making you appreciate the strong diesel auxiliary. Motion is comfortable; like the Gulf 32, the D/L and SA/D are motorsailer numbers.

Tayana 37

Designer Robert Perry is proud to tell fans that during George Day’s circumnavigation in the 1990s, the former Cruising World editor said he saw more double-ended Tayana 37s “out there” than any other model. It’s no wonder: some 650 were built, and it is indeed a strong, well-designed cruiser.

The first boats produced in Taiwan were called the CT 37, changing to Tayana 37 around 1979; Perry says they are the same. Early Taiwan yards were never into racing yachts, but rather heavy, low-tech cruising boats. The Tayana 37 has a solid fiberglass hull and balsa-cored deck. The potentially leaky hull/deck joint is a hollow box section that forms the bulwark.

As with nearly every model produced over a long period of time, there were variations in accommodations, rig, deck and more (many were never officially documented in literature, so don’t be surprised if what you see in brochures is not what you behold in real life). Builder Ta Yang offered free or inexpensive customizations of the 37.

While Perry specified the 90-gallon (341-liter) fuel tank to be located amidships, early boats placed them under the V-berth, which, combined with heavy ground tackle, can trim the boat down by the bow.

The high-aspect-ratio rig, aided by a bowsprit to increase foretriangle area, gives the boat plenty of power. It was offered as a ketch or cutter, and most owners opted for the latter.

As with most boats from Taiwan, the interior is richly executed in teak, built up in plywood. Much of the hardware are knockoffs of U.S. and European products, and of varying quality. All in all, the Tayana 37 is a well-built world cruiser.

Tartan 37

Tartan Marine has built three 37-footers over the years, the first in 1965 designed by Ted Hood; the 3700 designed by in-house designer and then general manager Tim Jackett; and the most numerous, the Tartan 37 designed by Sparkman & Stephens, of which nearly 500 units were sold. It’s a handsome boat with perfect proportions. Somewhat influenced by the IOR, the ends are narrow and the transom is small and V-shaped. That’s about all that hasn’t withstood the test of time.

Construction quality is excellent: balsa-cored hull and deck, teak trim and teak-veneer plywood, external lead ballast. The bulkheads are tabbed to the deck, which is worthy of comment. Boats with molded fiberglass headliners cannot have the bulkheads tabbed (several layers of fiberglass tape or strips that overlap the deck and bulkhead). Instead, there are usually grooves molded into the headliner into which the bulkheads fit and are then variously bolted or glued — or not. This is considered less desirable than tabbing, which locks in the entire structure and eliminates the possibility of slight movement or working of those with molded fiberglass liners.

Most 37s were delivered with the keel/centerboard option; the deep keel performs better but may limit where you can go. Performance Handicap Racing Fleets around the country rate it at 132 to 144; for comparison, a J/30 rates 144, as does the Islander 36 described above. So, the Tartan sails fast and handles well, leaning more toward a club racer/cruiser than all-out cruising.

C&C Landfall 38

Hull design and construction for coastal cruising may certainly favor higher performance models, and few companies knew the recipe better than C&C Yachts. In many ways, C&Cs exemplify the racer/cruiser genre. The few Landfall models, including the 38 here, tipped the scales more toward cruising, while retaining excellent sailhandling and speed.

A few years into production, 1,700 pounds were added, but performance is still sparkling, and similar to the original 38. The fin keel has a flat bottom that can be considered a cruising fin for its moderate surface area and ability to sit on the bottom. As for the spade rudder and the criticism it takes for vulnerability, note that circumnavigator and boatbuilder Steve Dashew says it gives superior control hove-to in a gale. Something to think about.

C&C was a pioneer in composite construction, that is, end-grain balsa coring in the hull and deck to increase stiffness and reduce weight. Other notable features: through-bolted deck hardware with backing plates, bronze seacocks and, in the 38, a keel-stepped mast that doesn’t sit corroding in bilge water. Yanmar diesels were standard.

Albeit modified from the IOR-influenced C&C 38, the Landfall 38 still has a large foretriangle; a 150 percent genoa measures 580 square feet, which can be a handful for a couple. Big self-tailing winches will help when trimming the beast.

The interior, elegantly finished in teak, is somewhat unusual; like the Endeavour 37, it incorporates a double-berth aft cabin, but think of it more as a wide quarter berth.

Compared to heavy full-keel designs, the Landfall 38 will point higher, reducing the number of tacks between points A and B, which, combined with greater boat speed, means getting to port faster.

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Two longtime Florida boat builders that joined forces last year for production purposes have further consolidated operations with the purchase by Hake Marine of Island Packet Yachts, which also builds the Blue Jacket line of performance cruising sailboats.

Hake Marine is the parent company of Seaward Yachts, which last year closed its Stuart, Florida, production facility and moved its molds to the Island Packet yard in Largo.

Island Packet, founded by designer Bob Johnson, launched its first model, a 26-footer, in 1980. Johnson followed with a long line of full-keeled cruisers, most of which sported the company’s off-white hulls and rigs that incorporated a Hoyt Jib Boom. In 2013, Johnson collaborated with longtime Tartan Yachts designer Tim Jackett to debut the Blue Jacket 40, which was named Cruising World’s 2014 Domestic Boat of the Year.

Seaward Yachts, designed by Nick Hake, include three models, all with lifting keels, the 26RK, 32RK, and 46RK. The two smaller sailboats are intended to fit on a trailer.

“When we met with the staff at Island Packet, I was moved by the loyalty and longevity of the team,” said Jessica Lynch, director of Hake Marine, in announcing the purchase via Facebook. “Some of them have been with the company for more than 30 years, bringing with them an enormous amount of talent and dedication for fine American craftsmanship”, she said. “Our plan is to further develop each brand with new designs, streamline manufacturing processes, and organize for efficient and effective boat production.”

Hake Marine plans to offer all three sailboat brands — Blue Jacket, Island Packet and Seaward — through select dealers, along with factory direct sales.

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“The Bavaria Cruiser 46 comes in at $315,000; that’s $11.34 a pound,” he said. “We have two boats, the Island Packet SP Cruiser MK II at $550,000 and the Garcia Exploration 45 at $850,000 that cost around $25 per pound. The fourth boat, the Morris 48 GT at $1.4 million, is about $48 per pound.

“The Bavaria Cruiser 46 aims at the widest demographic of sailors; it’s inclusive, if that makes sense,” Murphy continued. “The Island Packet is aimed toward experienced, perhaps older sailors who may be thinking of graduating from a sailboat to a trawler. This boat will keep them sailing longer. This particular Morris was built for a couple to live aboard and winter in the Bahamas, but then in a different season, to go ocean racing with a full crew. To accommodate that special purpose, the idea would be to return to the yard and swap the cruising keel and rudder for racing foils. And the Garcia Exploration 45 is an aluminum boat that’s clearly designed and laid out for high-latitude exploration, to go up into the ice. In fact, this is the very same boat Jimmy Cornell commissioned and used to sail north of the Arctic Circle.”

Despite the Bavaria’s being, by far, the most economical boat in this grouping, it held its own against its competitors. Mark Schrader said, “There’s a great opening transom, it’s electric with a manual override. The twin rudders and wheels, coupled with the Jefa steering system, are very smooth. The mechanical installations are good, very traditional, with a bow thruster and generator. The anchoring setup was excellent; I underlined that in my notes. There’s a striker plate on the hull because the anchor will inevitably bounce around and bang something at some point, and they’ve made provisions for that. We didn’t have a lot of breeze for our sail test, unfortunately, but this is another solid entry from Bavaria.”

The judges found the Morris 48 GT to have the overall good looks and attention to finish that we’ve come to expect from the Maine craftsmen on Mount Desert Island. And they had no doubt that the owners, longtime Morris customers, would have a fine time with the twin objectives for the boat: cruising for a couple and racing with a team. But they also felt the cost and complication of swapping keels and rudders for those rather opposing goals would make it less than ideal or practical for most sailors. That said, in a workable breeze, carrying the self-tending jib setup for cruising mode, the boat would be quite easily sailed by a short-handed crew.

As deliberations continued, it soon became a two-boat battle for top honors in the category, and the deliberations became more focused. Attention turned next to the revamped Island Packet SP Cruiser MK II.

“The construction is typical Island Packet, and I mean that in the best way,” said Ed Sherman. “They’re a conservative company. They work with proven, high-quality components. The people who assemble these boats really care about what they do and how they do it, and it’s quite obvious when you look at the way everything is laid out. And I like the layout of this boat a lot. Their design brief is perfect. This is a four-season boat, with this interior, that will be great to cruise down the Intracoastal Waterway and shoot over to the Bahamas. With the shallow draft there will be no issues there. Or you could comfortably take it to Alaska.

“At first glance, I labeled this boat a motorsailer; frankly, I never expected it to sail particularly well, Sherman continued. “But I was pleasantly surprised by its sailing performance. Even in light air, and to windward, it did just fine.”

That left the Garcia Exploration 45, another boat the judges approached with a slight sense of trepidation. A metal boat with a centerboard conceived for the Northwest Passage: Would it be a one-trick pony?

What they found was a bulletproof yacht with an incredible array of features, an innovative (if slightly cramped) interior, and the ability to sail anywhere on the planet. “This boat is truly meant to go on any ocean, any sea, and let you feel really good about it,” said Sherman. “I think they tried to put a 65-footer’s equipment list on a 45-footer, but that’s my one real criticism. Underway, I was immediately overwhelmed by how quiet everything was — no squeaks, no groans. This is a really solidly built boat. With the wind generator and solar panels, you have power-replenishment capabilities without the necessity of running a generator.

“The service items on the engine that you’d need to get to on a day-to-day basis were pretty accessible. On top of all that, it was actually fun to sail. That was almost icing on the cake.”

As a veteran Northwest Passage sailor, Schrader found the boat to be smart and effective.

“There are lots of things anybody planning to do deep ocean stuff will really appreciate,” he said. “There’s a window in the centerboard trunk that’s helpful. The visibility from down below is outstanding. I like the sheltered cockpit with the partial hard dodger. There are three headsails, so you have infinite options. It’s a very well-done boat. It will take you where you want to go.”

In the end, it was the Garcia that steered the judges in their final deliberations, earning it the title Best Full-Size Cruiser Under 50 Feet.

Garcia Exploration 45 Sailboat

Morris 48 GT Sailboat

Bavaria Cruiser 46 Sailboat

Island Packet SP Cruiser MK II Sailboat

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Bob Johnson started Island Packet Yachts in 1979 with a 26-foot cruising cutter. Over time, the company introduced incrementally bigger boats with similar “traditional American” styling and in the builder’s trademark ivory color. The Island Packet 40 came out in 1994, and 139 were built by the time the model was replaced in 2000.

In 1997, with our three children old enough to swim but not yet teenagers, it was time for my wife, Amy, and me to buy the “big boat” to fulfill our dream of sailing around the world. We needed a “bulletproof” boat that was safe, seakindly, able to handle big seas and survive a grounding, and also have great resale value. My research steered me straight to the Island Packet 40. With its Full Foil Keel, which contains 10,000 pounds of internal ballast and protects the rudder and propeller, it fit the bill. Strong stanchions and lifelines, handholds in the right spots on deck and a huge protected bowsprit for anchoring added to the appeal.

Sailing offshore in wind and swells, the IP 40 really shone, and we averaged 150-mile days on trade-wind passages. We appreciated the seakindly motion during an El Niño year with 35-knot winds the norm in the Pacific.

The full-battened main with two reefing points was the workhorse, and the most-used headsail was the 130- percent genoa on roller furling. In light winds, we found adding the staysail to the full main and genoa was not effective, so we would normally fly the gennaker. We used the staysail mainly in heavy weather.

Except for the gennaker, all the sails can easily be handled entirely from the cockpit.

We spent most of our waking hours in the IP 40’s 8-foot cockpit. The helmsman’s seat is raised, with back support, and affords a good view; the Edson steering gives good feedback to the helmsman. A shallow storage bin is under the port-side seating, and the starboard cockpit seat lifts to reveal a huge locker below. The table folds down and is compact enough to keep the cockpit open. Below, the saloon feels like that of a much larger boat due to the clever table that folds up and locks onto the forward bulkhead. Forward, the master cabin has a queen berth and its own head. The chain locker in the peak is accessible through this head. Aft is a cabin with little headroom over the berth but ample standing headroom next to the bunk. A second head is accessible from the saloon and from the aft cabin.

The U-shaped galley is the best I have ever seen on a monohull under 45 feet. Amy loved the craftsmanship in the woodwork and the teak cabin sole, and thought the easily cleaned fiberglass sole in the galley and heads was ingenious.

The IP’s overall quality of construction is outstanding, but we had trouble with a few things. Water would get into the propane locker and cause the solenoid to fail, and the gennaker halyard chafed through where it exited the mast (we replaced it with an external halyard).

The standard sail plan has the staysail set on a Hoyt jib boom. If I were to do it again, I would do without the boom and clean up the foredeck. Another simple improvement would be a larger winch for raising the mainsail. This may have been addressed on later boats.

We sold our IP 40 after our 29,765-nautical-mile circumnavigation for slightly more than we paid for her new. Asking prices today range from $160,000 to $225,000.

Mike Smith, his wife, Amy, and their children, Dani, Jaye and Kegan, made a trade-wind circumnavigation via the Red Sea in the years 1997 to 2000.

This article first appeared in Cruising World March, 2014.

Island Packet 40 Specs:

LOA: 41′ 6″ (12.68 m.)

LOD: 39′ 4″ (11.99 m.)

LWL: 34′ 0″ (10.36 m.)

Beam: 12′ 11″ (3.94 m.)

Draft: 4′ 8″ (1.42 m.)

Sail Area: (100%) 775 sq. ft. (72.0 sq. m.)

Disp.: 22,280 lb. ( kg.)

Ballast: 10,000 lb. ( kg.)

Ballast/Disp.: .44

Disp./L: 253

SA/Disp.: 15.7

Water: 170 gal. (644 l.)

Fuel: 170 gal. (644 l.)

Engine: Yanmar 54 hp

Designer: Robert K. Johnson

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