Robert Perry ( http://www.perryboat.com/ ) is a pretty talented designer of sailboats and in our cruising we have come across a lot of Tayana 37 owners on both sides of the Atlantic who are the very best form of advertising...Very satisfied customers! His various reviews of other designers' work are exceptional and, in a world of designers advancing themselves by trashing other people's work, is a breath of fresh air that he not only appreciates other's good work, he seems to be more than happy to point it out as opposed to stealing it and pretending it's something he just came up with... In short, a gentleman.
But I would be dishonest if I did not admit that for whatever strange reason, none of his designs have ever caught my fancy. I certainly admire a lot of his work but, to be honest, none of his previous designs (to paraphrase the late, great Jim Morrison) lit my fire!
Well, that was until yesterday! I was looking at some stuff and came across a design by Robert Perry called the Far Harbor 39.
The Far Harbor 39 is a boat designed with the idea that you might need to ship it and to have the maximum boat that would fit inside a standard shipping container. With the number of people who ship their boats across the Atlantic growing every year and the costs climbing, it even makes sound economic sense (cents?). Last time I heard (like yesterday) to ship a thirty-six foot boat from the Caribbean to France was currently at $11,000.00 if you booked (and paid in full) six months in advance, a shipping container on the other hand would go for about $5000.
The idea works and I cannot really say why, but the design does Light My Fire... Maybe it is because the shipping container element made Mr Perry get outside the box he was used to working in or, just maybe it was just time that my less than normal likes and Robert Perry's designs would by simple number of his designs "Click" at one time or another.
The fact that I actually like a boat that uses the moniker of "Motor Sailer" is a rare accomplishment as the term usually has me running for the hills... The Far Harbor 39 does not quite provide what I am looking for in terms of the next Loose Moose, but it is certainly a boat that I'd enjoy sailing and does make for successful answer to its design goals.
Whatever the case, this is a pretty exceptional boat and as someone who has sailed a thirty-seven foot boat of similar beam across the Atlantic, this type of boat will sail and be no slouch while she is doing it. The interior is simple and shows just what a great interior you can get if you don't feel the need to have four beds and four ensuite heads in a boat that will mostly be used by a couple.
Pretty cool!
The boat is being built by Container Yachts. Check it out:
http://www.containeryachts.com/
