As someone who suffers every once in awhile from cutting edge and go fast envy, I understand the appeal of wanting to go cruise in something high tech and FAST... Luckily these bouts only last a day or two before the go slow mode returns and all is Happyville!
The point is, I understand...
The truth of the matter is that slow is often faster than that ULDB with the canting keel and all the high tech goodies when it comes to the real world. Don't believe me?
Over the years we have crossed paths with a very large number of Westsail 32's (called by many WestSnails) and they, as a class have a pretty impressive collection of circumnavigations and pretty impressive passages. Built like tanks and conservatively rigged, they have a surprising habit of leaving port with much faster boats and ARRIVING with much faster boats... Hardly makes sense!
In my jaded view of things, I feel that if people would pay a bit more attention to their fairy tales and fables, we'd all be a lot better off as almost all needful knowledge of a practical nature is there for the taking. The fable that makes sense in this case is the story of the Tortoise and the Hare. The Westsail being the Tortoise and for the Hare simply insert whatever go-fast boat is flavor of the month...
It's as simple as that.
Speaking of go-fast flavors of the month... Abby Sunderland's Open 40 on the surface seems a clear winner as it has all the toys in one serious go-fast package while Jessica Watson's S&S 34 (a 1967 vintage design) is so... Well, the word pedestrian does come to mind.
These days an Open 40 will cost you in the vicinity of a couple of hundred thousand for a POGO which, while a great boat, is not really competitive in the sense that Open 40's are meant to be, to four or five hundred thousand for an Open 40 with some serious potential.
S&S 34's on the other hand, can be found for $10K to $60K, a small fraction of what an Open 40 might cost... Fact is, I'll wager that the spar on Abby Sunderland's boat cost quite a bit more than Ms Watson's whole boat and campaign.
The fact that Abby Sunderland has dropped out of the running by stopping for repairs is not much of a surprise as her boat has had various system problems most importantly the autopilot...
Jessica Watson and "Ella's Pink Lady" while somewhat bruised and battered have held up surprisingly well and are now on what I suppose is the home stretch...
Kinda says a lot that!
