Don’t fall for
deceptive beauty
I
have, over the years, had the pleasure of
being involved in the design of a number
of boats, buildings and equipment. All have
benefi ted from an incisive design brief born
of many hours of thought. The spirit
of my competitive boats, inspired by brutal
simplicity, can be summed up by their
cockpits whose sole function was to serve
the winches. My back needed a given height for
maximum power and to negate injury. In the case
of Aqua Quorum, my Vendée Globe boat, we made
the cockpit large enough for corporate hospitality
but reduced its volume during
the race in case a breaking wave
swamped it. We extended the
coach roof over the forward
end of the cockpit to offer a
safe cuddy out of the elements.
A cruising cockpit, I have since
learned, has a far more complex
brief to satisfy. A brief that seems to have eluded many a
designer, particularly when it comes to more classic
lines; a blind spot highlighted by an elderly couple
loading their stores during my morning coffee. Being of
independent spirit they preferred to do battle on their
own, reducing me to a paternal and impotent eye over
the rim of my mug. Frustratingly they were being put at
risk by that graceful overhang to the transom. He was
over-balanced on lifting something heavy as the dinghy
disappeared under the overhang. Meanwhile his wife,
struggling to assist, couldn’t fi nd a solid stance on the
pinched side deck, let alone somewhere to put the
stores. It was awful to watch as we refl ected that this
daily task was probably putting them at greater risk
than at any other time at sea. I fi nd I am developing a
jaundiced eye when it comes to classic lines.
With health and safety in mind, particularly as a
cruiser, I look at the aft end of the boat as the most
dangerous. It is a sailing hub that manages frighteningly
high loads, barbecue area, dinghy hoist, embarkationplatform, MOB recovery area, solar panel support, sun
shade, steering position, entertainment area, paddle
board store and much more. A plethora of needs which
have to coexist, ideally in visual harmony. A tough brief
which, I have found over many a sundowner in other
cockpits, is frequently missed as I clamber round a vast
wheel only to sit knee-to-knee with every task, even as
simple as passing the peanuts, preceded by a
choreograph of sympathetic movement. Goodness
knows what it would be like in an emergency where fl uid
ergonomics are required to serve a rapid reaction.
We have a wide transom on Pearl which gives the
cockpit breathing space for
competing needs as the boat
morphs through its various
guises from sailing to
entertaining in a tranquil
anchorage. There are four areas
starting with a Vendée-style
shelter, followed by a comfy
seating area for four which has a strong table with
robust hand holds. The steering area is a no man’s land
between the relaxed seating area and the busy aft
platform. It has two wheels offering an unobstructed
walkway, windward steering position and a clear view
for docking. All winches are accessible and we can sit a
further six people, making a total of 12 for entertaining.
Our broad transom offers an arch wide enough to
encompass the dinghy and outboard. It is easily hoisted
and is high enough to maintain access to the platform.
Essential during man overboard and convenient for my
morning swim. Indeed, I am able to launch and retrieve
my paddle board under the dinghy. These may appear to
be seemingly small benefi ts but when multiplied by daily
routines they are worth their weight in gold.
This complex design brief can be met. So, when you
fall in love with a boat’s lines make sure you temper any
lust with a tape measure and functional pragmatism.
You don’t want to fall out of love with a beauty that has
no more to offer than being pleasing to the eye.A cruising cockpit has
a far more complex
brief to satisfy
COLUMNPETE
GOSS