Limits To Complexity

by Colin April 1, 2008
The new and the old both have their places

We are now at the final stage of selecting our navigation systems, and as new products are being launched all of the time, have decided to wait until the last minute before committing.

Are Spade Rudders Suitable For Ocean Crossings?

by Colin May 1, 2008
Evidence of crevice corrosion and metal fatigue

As I mentioned in a previous posting, one of the most attractive features of our new OVNI is the protected rudder, which we think is an essential feature for a long distance boat.

A Practical Cruising Rig

by Colin June 1, 2008
An OVNI 435 aluminum sailboat with a roller furling yankee, coupled with a hanked on staysail on a detachable stay. The mainsail is fully battened, using Harken cars and mast track. Single reefing lines lead aft to the cockpit handled by a power driven winch.

Here in Europe the standard rig for most yachts sold as “cruisers” is still the sloop, usually with a large overlapping genoa of 130% or more. That might be fine in sunny sheltered waters with an army of gorillas to help out, but is less than ideal for shorthanded crews sailing in windy and exposed [...]

The "S" Word—Stability

by Colin July 1, 2008
The OVNI 435 aluminum sailboat under jib, staysail and main.

From the first time I saw one, I thought that one day I’d like to own an OVNI for long distance cruising. Living and working for part of each year in France meant that I encountered OVNIs and their sisters from Garcia and other builders regularly, and saw them return battered but proud from distant [...]

Anchoring In The Modern World

by Colin August 1, 2008
A Rocna anchor on the bow of a OVNI 435 aluminum sailboat.

The first sailors anchored using heavy stones, attached to long ropes, and often with an army of slaves to pull them up. Thank God those days are over, and that we now have excellent choices of anchors available, and powerful windlasses to retrieve them.

Sailboat Stability Contradiction

by John August 1, 2008

Question: I recently had an interesting discussion about stability with a cruising yacht owner, and I thought this topic would be of real interest to any high latitude sailor. And I also suspect that you would have traversed this terrain long ago and have an opinion. After the 1979 Fastnet race, the Joint Committee on [...]

Self-Sufficiency In Power

by Colin September 1, 2008
A Superwind wind generator and solar panels on an OVNI 435 aluminum sailboat.

When we were planning our new boat, one of the first aspects we discussed was our preferences for power generation, and our desire to have as much “free” energy input as possible. There were three reasons for this: our desire to avoid the complexity of a diesel generator; our own commitment to renewable power after [...]

The “C” Word—Corrosion

by Colin October 1, 2008
Stainless steel stanchions are isolated in plastic sockets to avoid corrosion on this aluminum OVNI 435.

If there is one simple word that springs to mind amongst the uninitiated in relation to aluminum boats it has to be corrosion. If we had a pound for every time someone warns me against bringing spare change aboard and then dropping it we wouldn’t have to worry about a cruising budget—we’d have money in [...]

Homebuilding A Boat

by John October 1, 2008

Question: I am a novice at sailboat construction, but found a beautiful fiberglass hull on eBay and couldn’t resist the challenge of building my own [boat]. It’s 45’ LOA, 36’ LWL, 5’-3” draft, 14’ beam and 9’-6” depth of hull amidships. The hull is believed to have been built in the early 1970s, but there [...]

Electrical Systems And Aluminum Boats

by Colin November 1, 2008
Electronic panels on an OVNI 435 aluminum sailboat.

All of the yachts I have sailed over the last 20 years have been simple boats with fairly minimal electrical equipment. Not one of them (even up to 80ft) had an autopilot—sail training vessels often don’t, as they are set up to be sailed “handraulically” as we say over here.

What Has Worked So Far—Domestically

by Colin December 1, 2008
An OVNI 435 aluminum sailboat at anchor with portable solar panel against cabin side.

Well, we’ve finally moved aboard and are on our way, and although we haven’t travelled very far yet, or even in the direction we had initially planned, it’s a definite relief to be off. This is largely due to the “summer” the South of Britain has been enjoying—certainly the worst in terms of relentlessly poor [...]

What Has Worked So Far—On The Water

by Colin January 1, 2009
An OVNI 435 aluminum sailboat underway using a Windpilot self steering gear.

Well, now that we’ve had a chance to sail our new home a little, we can give our first impressions on the OVNI as a yacht in her own right, as well as on some of the equipment we have added.

Keeping The Water Out–Details

by Colin February 1, 2009
The custom stainless steel cowl covering the transom engine vent on an OVNI 435 aluminum sailboat.

Having sailed our boat a little, we’ve now embarked upon the finishing-off process. In some cases that means fixing the obvious deficiencies, in others identifying potential problems before they become apparent, and then (hopefully) coming up with the right solutions.

Shoal Draft Voyaging

by Colin March 1, 2009
OVNI 435 underwater hull shape.

On the face of it, one of the main attractions of the OVNI range is their shoal draft and beachability. We’ve all seen the photos: parked on some deserted islet with an impossibly azure sea far in the background. The theory looks enticing, but how far does it reflect reality?

Voyaging Safely On A Small Budget

by Phyllis May 1, 2009
A Vertue 25 at Svalbard

Question: I’ve been dreaming about my Europe to Caribbean trans-Atlantic trade wind voyage for years, but now I’ve decided to do it in the next 5 years time. I know I won’t have the money to buy an expensive boat so I’m trying to figure out what is the minimum budget to do it without [...]

A Rugged Boat For The High Latitudes

by John June 1, 2009

A few weeks ago we met up with our friends Michael and Martina on their beautifully designed and built custom Hutting 54 Polaris. They were kind enough to give me, camera in hand, a tour and to patiently answer my many questions.

Interior Layout And Boat Selection

by John September 1, 2009
1978 A Plan Endeavour 37 interior layout

Question: I am looking at a cross-Atlantic trip and was thinking about a 1978 A Plan Endeavour 37, mainly because of the layout. Would you advise against this boat for such a long journey even with a good survey?

Morgan’s Cloud’s Designers Have A New Website

by John October 1, 2009
McCurdy & Rhodes sailboat Selkie under sail.

McCurdy and Rhodes, designers of Morgan’s Cloud, have a new and very classy web site. The firm is now run by Ian McCurdy, whose father, Jim, was a founding partner and designed our boat.

Boats We Like: The Saga 43

by John November 1, 2009
We sailed offshore next to this Saga 43 for several hours last fall and were impressed by her speed. On a close reach, when the wind was light, she actually pulled away from Morgan’s Cloud. As the wind filled in we had the legs of her, but not by a lot. There is a lot to be said for these modern long water line boats, although, on the flip side, they do not have the reserve buoyancy in the ends that longer overhangs confer.

We have come across a couple of Saga 43s in the last two years. I can’t say we have made a close evaluation, but they do seem like nice boats with good and moderate lines, that avoid the problems caused by excessive beam, particularly aft. The designer, Bob Perry, has a history of wholesome offshore [...]

Limited Production Run Of Aluminum Expedition Sailboats

by John December 1, 2009

Question: I have this notion of building a modern expedition (aluminum) fast cruiser that would include many of your ideas/opinions, not necessarily because they are your opinions but because you and I have reached many of the same conclusions. In considering a project, the thought has become, not to build ONE, but to build a [...]

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