Visit our Popular Forums

JBChicoine · 31-10-2015, 10:05

I’m in the process of researching for a novel, and I need to decide upon a sailboat that will work for my plot. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Here are the basic plot points that I need to work around:

1) The year is 1984.

2) The captain is a 25-year-old Creole woman who grew up living on a sailboat. She also has a US Coastguard certification.

3) She runs the family-owned bareboat cruise business, catering to high-end customers, so I’m thinking something in the 60-70 ft range, but I want as small a crew as possible (easier for me and my readers to keep track of).

4) Grand Cayman Island is the destination, with perhaps some interaction with Cuba.

5) The passengers will consist of the skipper, the guest passenger (who also has some sailing experience), the cook (role played by my main character who can act as a deck hand), and a skeletal crew.

6) Ideally, the boat will sailing out of New Orleans (which is where the skipper and main character meet up)—I’m thinking the Southern Yacht Club would be a good point of departure, unless there is some compelling reason I’m unaware of that would make it impossible.

7) Because the boat is as much a character as the people, I’d like it to be a classic wooden boat. My first impulse is to say a Herreshoff schooner (am I complicating things with so many sails?), but I am open to suggestions.

Also, if there are any considerations that I have not included in my list, please feel free to alert me.

Any photos and or cabin layouts would be terrific. Thanks!

**GordMay** · 31-10-2015, 10:21

Check out ➥ Classic Yacht For Sale- Classic Yachts for Sale-Classic Yacht Brokerage-Schooners-Wooden Yachts-Wooden Boats-Classics for Sale
And ➥ https://www.woodenboat.com/boats-sale?page=5

JBChicoine · 31-10-2015, 10:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by GordMay

Check out ➥ Classic Yacht For Sale- Classic Yachts for Sale-Classic Yacht Brokerage-Schooners-Wooden Yachts-Wooden Boats-Classics for Sale
And ➥ https://www.woodenboat.com/boats-sale?page=5

Thanks for the links! That is where my search started out, and I will admit to feeling quite overwhelmed with the task of choosing an appropriate sailboat. It will probably come down to simply scouring boats for sale and hoping I haven't overlooked something glaring in my ignorance!

JBChicoine · 31-10-2015, 10:40

This boat Classic Yacht VIXEN II For Sale- Classic Yachts for Sale-Classic Yacht Brokerage-Schooners-Wooden Yachts-Wooden Boats-Classics for Sale is lovely, and aesthetically, it's perfect--I'm just wondering what kind of a crew she would realistically require.

Snore · 31-10-2015, 14:13

Bermuda 40 yawl!

A true old classic that can have enough of a back story to be another character. Owned by so and so.... Circumnavigator.

Yet spiffy enough of a boat to fit in with a high end bare boat business.

Sent from my iPhone- please forgive autocorrect errors.

JBChicoine · 31-10-2015, 14:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snore

Bermuda 40 yawl!

A true old classic that can have enough of a back story to be another character. Owned by so and so.... Circumnavigator.

Yet spiffy enough of a boat to fit in with a high end bare boat business.

Sent from my iPhone- please forgive autocorrect errors.

Yeah, at first I was thinking of a larger boat, but since I want to limit my crew size and have to take into consideration that I want the boat to sail out of New Orleans where draft is a serious consideration, a 40ft boat sounds like a much better option--I will Google the Bermuda 40 yawl.
Thank you so much for your response!

hellosailor · 31-10-2015, 15:11

N'Orleans to Cuba in 1985...Unless "interaction" means a Cuban patrol boat comes into international waters and seizes her boat, she's probably going to lose her USCG licensing, among other things. There's a whole long and acrimonious history of Cuban relations to consider before you even think about that part of the story.

Especially depending on exactly what happened in those particular years you choose.

fwiw.

Tayana42 · 31-10-2015, 15:19

Vixen is too big, Bermuda 40 too small. Formosa 51 ketch is just right.

S/V B'Shert

JBChicoine · 31-10-2015, 15:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellosailor

N'Orleans to Cuba in 1985...Unless "interaction" means a Cuban patrol boat comes into international waters and seizes her boat, she's probably going to lose her USCG licensing, among other things. There's a whole long and acrimonious history of Cuban relations to consider before you even think about that part of the story.

Especially depending on exactly what happened in those particular years you choose.

fwiw.

Thanks--yeah, I was concerned about all that, too. I contacted a skipper (who happens to be a young woman, also) who regularly sails to and around Cuba, and even back in 1984, she says that they never encountered any Cuban patrol boats, not even while sailing the entire north shore. Just the same, I think the anticipation of such an encounter would alarm any novice sailor and it makes for good storytelling. Thanks so much for bringing that up!

JBChicoine · 31-10-2015, 15:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tayana42

Vixen is too big, Bermuda 40 too small. Formosa 51 ketch is just right.

S/V B'Shert

Oh my! I just Googled that--Now, this has the feel of what I'm imagining! Thank you so much for the suggestion!

I will need to look closely at the draft, though, given it will be sailing out of New Orleans...

Mr Big · 31-10-2015, 15:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tayana42

Formosa 51 ketch is just right.

Yup! The "Captain Ron" boat...a great choice!

JBChicoine · 31-10-2015, 15:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Big

Yup! The "Captain Ron" boat...a great choice!

Might you know anything about sailing that around New Orleans, as far as draft goes?

Cap Erict3 · 31-10-2015, 15:51

Sail out of the Rigolets.

------------------------------
Looking for another pretty place to work on the boat.

**roverhi** · 31-10-2015, 15:57

Would go with a boat around 50'. Has to be large enough to have a separate crews quarter which is often little more than tiny closet yet not so large as to require a larger crew than two people. Crews quarters were usually in the forepeak which has the worst motion underway. Would want at least two state rooms if you want the boat to have a hope of making any money. These boats were not the 4 stateroom/4 head floating condos of the current charter crowd. Probably had only two heads Back in the '80s most crewed charter boats were still wooden classics that required a ton of maintenance to keep in yacht condition.