Twin-keelers under 23ft
➜arrangement to starboard (convertible to a
double berth) make the saloon very
civilised for a boat of this size. And the
extensive internal mouldings make
everything easy to keep clean and tidy.
There’s also a quarter berth plus two more
berths in the forepeak (along with a small
enclosable WC compartment).
Back in 2006 to 2007, a young
Norwegian adventurer called Øystein
Djønne and one crew proved the 22’s
ability to cruise long distances by sailing
all the way to New Zealand.
The longest legs were from the Canaries
to Barbados (2,926 miles covered in 27
days) and from the Galapagos to the
Marquesas (3,100 miles in 29 days).
And this was the twin keel version rather
than the sportier fin keeler. It goes to show
what these little boats can achieve
provided they are in sound condition, well
equipped and skilfully sailed.
The extended Leisure 23 and later
revamped 23SL, designed by Frank Pryor,
attracted even more buyers. Increased
ballast and overall weight also add to her
stability.
The active owners’ association is the
final bonus offered by these great little
Leisures. About two thirds of the 600
members own 17s and 22/23s and there
are also owners as far afield as Canada,
Australia, Kenya and Malta.
Hurst Marine offers a wide selection of
Leisure spare parts and replacement
mouldings. It’s a great association
supporting great little yachts, and there’s
also a separate association run by
enthusiastic Dutch owners.
Hurley’s a looker
Another superstar 22 footer hit the sailing
scene back in 1966. The Ian Anderson-
designed Hurley 22 came with either fin or
twin keels and was not only a seaworthy
little yacht – she was as pretty as a picture.
With an LWL of 17ft (5.18m), beam of 7ft
5in (2.26m) and draught of 2ft 6in (0.76m)
with twin keels or 3ft 9in (1.14m) with a
traditional long keel (some with a spade
rudder; others with a skeg) she was a
huge success –1,203 were built between
1966 and 1990.
Her accommodation is less spacious
than the Leisure 22’s. With her long
cockpit, graceful low sheer line and short
coachroof, this is inevitable. Quite simply,
the Hurley is a different type of yacht,
having a good enough performance to
have won coastal and offshore races in
her day. However her two settee/quarter
berths, twin berth forepeak and simple
galley are ample for a small crew that
revels in the pleasures of pure sailing.
Hurley 22s have also covered long
distances. In 1979/1980 Margaret Hicks
covered 13,000 miles including the AZAB
79 (Azores and back), the Mini Transat
1979 (Penzance-Tenerife-Antigua) in which
she came 24th and a cruise of the
Caribbean and return journey across the
Atlantic. Her Hurley 22 Anonymous Bay
was modified to 21ft (6.4m) to comply withthe Mini Transat rules by slicing off a
section of the bow.
Then Margaret embarked on a Pacific
cruise. After arriving at Pape’ete in Tahiti she
set off on the short passage to the island of
Moorea – where a local fishing boat veered
off course and crashed into Anonymous
Bay at high speed, cutting her in half. Poor
Margaret said: “One moment I was sitting
in the cockpit admiring the view, the next I
was in the water swimming for my life”.
She was awarded a court settlement for
the loss of Anonymous Bay but never
received a cent. However, by way of
consolation, she did receive the Ocean
Cruising Club’s Rose Medal for the most
meritorious short-handed voyage.
If you fancy a smaller sister, the Hurley 20
is also a cracking little yacht. With a fin (3ft
3in/0.99m) or twin keels (2ft 7in/0.79m) she
weighs 1,030kg with a ballast ratio of 44%.
And thanks to a 7ft 9in (2.26m) beam
she’s spacious, packing in four berths.
One owner, Alastair Buchan, wrote of his
twin keel Hurley 20: “She was the biggest
boat I could afford and still pay the
mortgage.” After his first season on the
west coast of Scotland he headed for the
Caribbean. During a fiesta-fuelled
passage down the Spanish coast he
reckoned that transatlantic passage
making “did not involve shedding spray
off my specially stiffened upper lip or
sailing 3,000 miles non-stop from one
drama to the next. It was more a party
interrupted by the occasional sail than an
ocean crossing.
“Members of the ‘Blue Water tribe’
swapped gossip and news in one marine
oasis after another and best of all it was fun.”
The Hurley 20 was one of the smaller
yachts in the ‘tribe’, taking heavy weather
in her stride and covering the 2,100 miles
from the Cape Verdes to Barbados in just
over 21 days. Alastair and Minnie then
made it back to Hartlepool safely and in
one piece. What an adventure.The Hurley 22 proved a
worthy long-distance racer
and cruiserOne Hurley 20 was sailed
across the Atlantic to the
Caribbean