All of you fools are talking about things that don't matter; how stable a boat is, how fast, how well she deals with rough water or light breezes. but it is I, king of the armchair sailors here to ask the really important questions, like:
What is the smallest boat that you think could safely hold someone in a crows nest? I have decided, since I'm apparently not buying a large (read: > 18 feet) sailing vessel any time soon, I might as well have some fun looking around at things which most likely don't exist, and if they do, probably don't sail well.
My fondest memories involve being on the Argus, and riding in the tarred lines underneath the bowsprit, as we hurled through the water at somewhere over 3 kts (ok, it seemed fast at the time
) and I got to thinking about some of the things that made a boat great to me as a child.
The crows nest and the bowsprit, with net were both really big on the list, While we're at it, lets throw in a bow cannon or something of the sort.
If not a crows-nest, then at least ratlines, which I seem to recall as well in my foggy memory. (I'm not entirely sure how much was real, and how much was added later in my mind)
I'm not sure if any boat that could support either could be an individuals boat, or if those only ever existed in the 50+ foot range that I consider the realm of the rich or institutions.
I was looking at some of the Dix steel gaff rigged boats, and pondering, with a tanbark sail, they do look salty (I have no idea how they sail) and I can't help but wonder if his little Hout Bay boats might actually have some combination of sailability and some feel of the salty old boats that made me fall in love as a child.
Anyone know anything about the smaller Hout Bay's, eg, the 30-33 gaff rigged?
Are there other boats out there in working mans land (< 40 feet) that are actually sailable and still feel like that childs wonderland "pirate ship" that probably never existed in the first place?
Just thought I'd ask.
Thanks. =)
-- James
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