Up and At 'Em
A California couple's voyaging dreams see the light of day in New Morning, the cruising sloop designed by Chuck Paine and built by Lyman-Morse to take them anywhere they want to go. "Yachtstyle" for our September 2009 issue
The owners' stateroom-used here in the fullest sense of the word-is forward. A centerline island queen dominates the cabin, though there's plenty of room to move about and dress. And there's lots of storage, as you'd expect on a boat designed to be in use 40-plus weeks a year. My two favorite features in the owners' stateroom: the easy-to-install headpiece that turns the bed into a massage table (so Californian) and the etched-glass panel that lets light into the full-size stall shower. Much of the success of the interior, said Paine, is due to the ideas of Jane Plachter-Vogel, the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, designer who contributed as a consultant on the project.
New Morning's hull and deck were built by Lyman-Morse of E-glass and vinylester resin over Corecell foam. Her swept-back carbon-fiber rig with triple spreaders is by Offshore Spars. I found that New Morning, even in light air, accelerated quickly with the full-batten main and 107-percent jib, and it's a sail plan that can be easily tamed if things become dicey. An A-sail is also available to keep things interesting.
On the day we were out, Russ couldn't help but demonstrate the multipurpose lines running the length of each wide side deck. Set one way, they serve as preventers for the boom, but they can also be used, depending on your wishes, as foreguys or to adjust the genoa cars.
So in the end, I had just one overriding question-aside, that is, from "Hey, how much fun would it be to sail this boat to somewhere warm?"
It was this: "What do you call this marvelous and in all likelihood one-off sailboat that's a delightful blend of design excellence, world-class glasswork and joinery, and the whims of two very laid-back but demanding owners?" A Chuck Paine Bermuda 54? A Lyman-Morse 54?
"Building a custom boat is like building a custom house," says Fay, describing what it's like to be surrounded by the fruits of your own ideas. "It's sooo Fay."
No, make that sooo Russ and Fay.
Mark Pillsbury is editor of Cruising World.
Specs
LOA 53' 9" (16.38 m.)
LWL 46' 11" (14.30 m.)
Beam 15' 4" (4.67 m.)
Draft 7' 6" (2.29 m.)
Sail Area (100%) 1,337 sq. ft. (124.2 sq. m.)
Ballast 16,610 lb. (7,534 kg.)
Displacement 44,600 lb. (20,231 kg.)
Ballast/D .37
D/L 193
SA/D 17.0
Water 145 gal. (549 l.)
Fuel 287 gal. (1,086 l.)
Mast Height 80' 00" (24.38 m.)
Designer Chuck Paine
Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding
(207) 354-6904
www.lymanmorse.com
