The Goldilocks Principle
August 14, 2005
“Goldilocks was walking along the docks one day and saw three boats – a great big boat, a middling-sized boat and a teeny tiny boat. Goldilocks took one look and stepped onto the great big boat but she realized she could not raise the main, then Goldilocks went to the teeny tiny boat but she realized it couldn’t store enough provisions. Finally she went to the middling-sized boat and it felt just right.”
This adaptation of the classic children’s story aptly describes the problem that faces us, finding a boat that fits “just right”. In French, this is referred to as “je ne sais quoi” or that certain something. More simply we call it the “Ah” factor.
Early in our search for a boat, we narrowed our options down to vessels that were at least 40 feet in length that can be single-handed. This easily eliminated a number of boats. Great big boats such as the comfortable Beneteaus used for charter in the Caribbean would not work because they are not good examples of All Ocean Vessels. Teeny tiny boats such as the sturdy little Bristol Channel Cutter were just too small for the kind of passages we have in mind. The size, configuration, and seaworthiness of a vessel contributes to that certain something, but at the moment we are most focused on the livability aspects of the boat.
We are now eight months into the search for a boat that fits just right. To date we have made visits to three boat builders (Pacific Seacraft, Valiant and Saga) and have done first hand inspections of boats from four other manufacturers (Island Packet, Tartan, Hallberg Rassey and Malö). This of course does not include the countless hours of paging through boating magazines, web surfing and studying brochures comparing other potential vessels.
This process can be a bit frustrating; we have frequently called each other up, and said lets just find a used boat that doesn’t leak too badly and go sailing. These urges fortunately pass as we realize that a hasty decision now is something we will live to regret later.
We have come to some interesting conclusions about exactly what needs to feel just right and have ranked them in order of priority. We have learned this by magic moments when we stepped down the companion way into the interior of a boat and mutually said “Ah!”.
First the boat’s cockpit has to have a good feel, it doesn’t need to be expansive, but it has to be large enough to be comfortable, yet small enough not to be a liability in heavy weather. Since only one of us will be handling the boat most of the time, the placement of lines and winches is critical, as many cockpits are not designed for single-handed sailing. Beyond the technical aspects, we also know from experience that the cockpit is where we will spend the most of our time, on either a passage or socializing at anchor. It therefore has to have an aesthetic that is conducive to spending lots of time there.
Oddly enough, the next most important area of the boat is the nav-station. This is not because we are obsessive-compulsive about knowing where we are, as we generally know exactly where we are: on the boat. The nav-station is like the nerve center of the vessel; it’s an office; it’s where the “telephone” is located, it’s where the computer is; and it’s a darned handy place to jot down your shopping list. When we are not in the cockpit, we tend to perch at the nav-station. Oh, and more than occasionally we will do navigation there as well. A perfect nav-station is comfortable, cozy, has room enough for lots of gadgets, has a large chart area, and is within earshot of the cockpit. In this “let the GPS and Autopilot” do it world boat builders sometimes forget how important this little space on the boat really is.
A good sea berth is next on our list of important items. During a passage sleep is a precious commodity and an essential component for insuring alertness when on watch. This is particularly import when the length of passages extends to weeks rather than just a few days where you can afford to “tough it out”. The latter just does not work at day 30. Having a proper sea berth that is comfortable, safe in all conditions and in proper proximity to the cockpit and nav-station is essential and often overlooked by potential cruisers and vessel manufactures.
Crews run on their stomachs and a galley, which is both functional and capable of turning out the food a crew needs, is last on our list of critical items. Physical space is an obvious element of a galley. We do not need an expansive industrial kitchen, but by the same token it should be large enough that you can open the oven while in the galley (a recent boat we looked at required that you step into the main companionway to accomplish this task). Next we turn to refrigeration and ask a variety of questions: “Is the refrigeration box large enough to accommodate cold stores for a long passage? Is it accessible without gymnastics or yoga positions? Is there good separation between refrigeration and freezer compartments?” Last and perhaps most important is there adequate pantry space co-located with the galley. All these things contribute much more to the just right feel of a galley than fancy stoves, microwaves, spice-racks and lovely cabinetry.
The sea is full of rhythms for those who can take the time to hear the beat. A boat is no different and in many ways echoes that beat. When passage-making it is critical to fall into a comfortable, maintainable pattern of work, eating and sleeping. If this rhythm is broken, bad things happen. A boat with a well-designed cockpit, nav-station, sea-berth and galley insure the rhythm of passage is like a symphony. We are still looking for this orchestra to conduct. When you hear that loud “Ah” you will know we have found Makara.