When we returned from our circumnavigation, we had developed a short list of requirements for our next boat. These requirements reflect our preference for offshore passagemaking and remote landfalls over gunkholing and more civilized coastal sailing. Hawk has been conceived of, designed and equipped with four words in mind: simplicity, strength, self-sufficiency and short-handed. At least two of those words apply to each of our key requirements that follow.
1. 
Hard dodger. We both dislike canvas dodgers. When you most need their protection in heavy weather, soft dodgers should be folded away and lashed securely. We knew several people who lost them to rogue waves or gale-force winds. Our fanaticism on this topic led us to sail all the way around the world without any dodger at all, which in turn put a hard dodger at the top of our list for the next boat. Aside from the obvious benefits of any dodger, a structural hard dodger protects the most vulnerable hole in any boat, the companionway, and keeps it watertight even when we’re taking waves over the deck. After 2,000 miles of offshore sailing aboard Hawk, neither of us can understand why every new production boat designed for offshore doesn’t come equipped with one.
2. Aluminum construction. Beth wanted the strength of a metal hull where we might encounter icebergs, whales and containers; Evans was most concerned with creating a watertight boat. We chose aluminum over steel because of the reduced maintenance and the simplicity of a bare aluminum hull, then had all the deck hardware welded on to virtually eliminate deck leaks. Two watertight bulkheads in the bow and one in the stern offer a first line of defense against a collision or a lost rudder. While aluminum welding takes more skill than steel, we’re seeing many aluminum fishing boats which bodes well for finding a competent welder if necessary.
3. Windward performance.We value sailing performance in general, but we’re not racers
and not inclined to push for the last tenth of a knot. Most boats perform well enough to satisfy us on the trade-wind routes where fully three-quarters of the time we had the wind aft of 110 degrees apparent. But few traditional cruising boats sail well to weather, which we did one-third of the time whenever we left the tropics for the temperate latitudes. Those we spoke to who had sailed in the higher latitudes found wind ahead of the beam well more than half the time, over Force 7 about one-third of the time. Given our itinerary, we decided the next boat had to be capable of efficient passagemaking to weather in 20-to-30-knot winds and the accompanying seas. That translated into Hawk’s 7/8th fractional rig and high performance underbody -- and the discovery that she’s far happier going to windward in those conditions than we are.
4. Passage-friendly interior. We’d done enough passagemaking on Silk to have a clear idea of what was necessary to make the twenty-first day at sea as comfortable as the first, and unfortunately, we see less and less focus on this in today’s offshore production boats. A passage-friendly interior includes dedicated sea berths for each regular crew member, a U-shaped or aisle-way galley, a head or wet locker at the base of the companionway, a large chart table protected from spray, easy engine access even underway and several comfortable places to sit at any angle of heel.
As designed, Hawk met almost all of these criteria. As built, her aft port cabin contains two bunks with boards and lee clothes which we use on passage, and the aft starboard cabin functions as a dedicated engine room complete with worktable, vise and access to the entire starboard side of the engine.
5. Short-handed control. The vast majority of voyaging boats are crewed by couples. The complexity of organizing crew and dealing with a third personality aboard never appealed to us, and most people we knew who tried it eventually ended up without crew or back ashore. At 47 feet, Hawk’s size just exceeded our preferred maximum. We’ve paid a great deal of attention to sailhandling, a topic we will consider at length in a future column. Of equal concern was maneuverability under power. Our worst arguments on Silk came as we bounced off shiny yachts when trying to dock after a long passage. Hawk’s generous spade rudder and fin keel allow her to turn in her own length and back up straight, not an insignificant advantage when entering unfamiliar marinas or small boat harbors. Docking has become just another task aboard, not a dreaded necessity.
Every boat is a compromise, and Hawk is no exception. In our first three months of cruising, we have on occasion questioned some of our decisions: when we have to raise the 750-square foot mainsail for the third time in one day or when our close to seven-foot keel keeps us out of an idyllic cove. But so far, we’re pleased with the compromises we’ve made.
B.L.
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