Salizanda and Me

Luders L-16

2009-03-09T10:08:00.026+01:00

A recent thread in the Atalanta Owners Association forum concerning WW2 airborne lifeboats led me to research a little deeper. Uffa Fox and Fairey Aviation developed a technique that was later adapted by Fairey Marine in the construction of their boats including the Atalanta 26. The Us adapted the same technique in the design of the A12 Airborne Lifeboat which was used successfully during WW2 in the Pacific. The following photo comes from InTheBoatShed, searched under “airborne”

An article in Wooden Boat Magazine issue 177:46 described a very pretty knockabout called The Luders L-16 which was built using the same construction techniques and the L-16 homepage gives the following brief history.

The Luders 16 Story

In the early nineteen thirties, the Fishers Island Yacht Club was casting about for a class to use for the junior sailors. A. E. Luders, Sr. and Jr. were chosen to design and build this new one-design class. The "Luders Gang" was well known as active racers and innovative designers of racing boats (they even went on to design several America's Cup contenders). The Luders decided that rather than produce a "chunky little boat" similar to many others used by juniors, they would design a miniature version of the then modern International Rule Sloop (such as the Six Meter). About fifteen L16s were built in 1934, and they were raced at Fishers Island until a hurricane decimated the fleet later in the decade. The surviving boats scattered, but interest in the class grew as more and more people saw the sleek little boats.

During World War II, Luders Marine Construction Company began building "molded plywood" life rafts to be dropped from airplanes to downed pilots in the water. This was a new technology using wood veneers and large autoclaves to cure the glue, producing a "monocoque" hull identical in construction to some aircraft such as the famous "Spruce Goose". In 1944, as the war was winding down, Luders began looking for post-war uses for these autoclaves and decided to adapt the L16 design to this new high-tech building process. Thus, the new "hot-molded" L16 Class was born! The L16s were built with five 1/8" thick mahogany veneers. The boats are 26'4" long, 16'4" at the waterline, they have a 5'9" beam, a 4' draft, displace 3,200 lb, and utilize a two-thirds fractional rig with main, 180% genoa, and a spinnaker.

There are often periods of doubt in my restoration of Salizanda. In the blogspot Knockaboutsloops, there are some pictures of the beautifully restored Luders L-16 “Fiona” which provide me with the strength to continue.

Motor and Electrics

2009-03-01T20:54:00.049+01:00

I discovered all I know about electrics at the age of seven when I stuck my finger in the back of a tube radio. However, local regulations for our local sailing area along with many other local authorities for inland waters in Europe, prohibit IC motors. So I was faced with the reality of pulling the diesel motor and installing an electric propulsion system.

I work on a very tight budget so having an engineer install a system for me or even buying a turnkey system was out of question. If I had had access to broadband and the profusion of technical forums that followed before starting on this project I would have saved myself a great deal of pain and money. So by the time I discovered groups like the electric boat forum I had already made many mistakes and amassed a collection of unusable junk.

My present system comprises of the following components;

6- 12v. 105 AH Marathon M12v105 FT. Lead-acid batteries from Exide. connected in two parallel banks of three connected in series giving me 300 ah at 24v.

Curtis 1205 controller with Albright SW80 main contactor and SW182 changeover contactor, controlled by Curtis ET-103M(marine) 1-5v Electronic throttle

2:1 Kw running 2600 rpm at 24v series wound industrial motor driving the existing 11 x 9 inch RH prop through multiple v-belts at a 2:1 reduction. I could run this up to 48v but decided on 24v because of the availability of components.

I want to spend as little as possible on this system as I consider it a test bed for future development.

There is still an enormous amount of work to be done before I can test the system in the water but I am even at this stage, a convert to electric propulsion. The environmental benefits are now clear to most people but the availability of full torque at min. rpm makes manoeuvring at close quarters much easier. Anybody with experience of trying to manoeuvre into a tight berth with boats for and aft and wind and tide will know what I am saying.

The main disadvantage is energy storage (batteries) but our economic recession will spur rapid development of new battery systems, LiPo4 or others necessary for the new generation of transportation. The development of fuel cells and the ability to rapidly recharge batteries coupled with other developments will quickly usher in a new age of transportation both on land and water.

The Cockpit. Part 2

2009-02-17T17:50:00.020+01:00

The final design of the cockpit was controlled by a number of factors.

The Atalanta rudder is controlled by cables running over sheaves around the aft cabin, leading to a bearing shaft through the aft cockpit bulkhead to a whipstaff tiller. The bearing, of course, was seized. Faced with machining a new bearing I looked at alternatives and decided that with the centre cockpit my logical choice was hydraulic wheel steering. I have hands on experience with most systems and concluded that, even with the limitations, it was the way for me to go.

The diesel motor had to go, even though it had just been rebuilt. Local regulations prohibit IC motors on all but service vessels on many recreational inland waters in Europe. So it’s sails, oars or an electric motor. Even the luxury of a hybrid, that is a diesel with an electric motor, is denied. The installation of an electric motor and a large battery bank changed the design criteria of the engine room space and the cockpit. Access to the sensitive electrics and electronic controls was required from the aft cabin while access from the cockpit sole was substantially reduced.

I have always liked bridge decks. It makes a smaller target for rogue seas, creates a comfortable seating arrangement and working space as well as usable space below decks. So, to me, they appeared to be a logical progression following the changes required by the engine refit.

There is never enough storage space in the cockpit and as I considered the pilot berth under the chart table and starboard cockpit seat impractical, I decided to build port and starboard cockpit lockers. I have designed them to be watertight. I hope they remain so. The working surfaces which are the lighter coloured areas will be finished at the end of the project with 6mm teak decking caulked with sikaflex

I had many misgivings about diverging from the original design and feel that there are many who will disagree with my decisions but I like and stand up for what I have done and had lots of fun building it.

Keel Structure Repair

2009-02-14T19:27:00.011+01:00

It has been said of the Atalanta, that it is an engineers design which is not surprising as Fairey Marine, the builders, built and designed wood framed aircraft before and during WW2. One of the more famous being the Swordfish torpedo bomber
The main structural element consists of a main bulkhead on which the mast is stepped and two 480 lbs pivoting ballast keels are hung. The keels are positioned either side of the accommodation which leaves it free of the usual obtrusive centerboard casing. They are cantilevered out from massive steel brackets which are bolted through the main bulkhead.

This wonderful piece of engineering had been sadly neglected on Salizanda and refused all means of persuasion to come apart. As it was essential that the keels be lowered out of the boat, the resulting work caused extensive damage to the keel casings, necessitating an extensive rebuild to both the keel support system and the keel casings. This was definitely not part of the plan.

Article on the Atalanta

2009-02-08T16:17:00.003+01:00

Gavin Atkin has written an interesting article on the Atalanta which has been posted on InTheBoatShed

The Cockpit. Part 1

2009-02-05T16:47:00.018+01:00

This blog has not followed the restoration schedule, but I felt it needed a break from all the doom and gloom. The cockpit repairs were actually carried out following the hull and deck repairs.

The cockpit was a mess. The little bit of rot in one corner grew as the material continued to crumble beneath my fingers until I realized that the whole cockpit structure including both bulkheads fore and aft had to be rebuilt.
I first removed all the fastenings possible. The heads of most of the screws I tried to remove had disintegrated and I found that all the patent methods of removal I tried were not practical either in terms of time or due to the damage they caused to the surrounding material. So I used my apple core method: I used the smallest hole saw, 14mm, with the pilot drill removed and the drill held in a mobile drill stand to keep it vertical and steady. I then removed a core with the screw in it and plugged the hole with a hard or softwood dowel set in thickened epoxy. If the hole was cut in a finished piece as in the shear strake, I inset the dowel far enough that a 15mm hardwood plug could be used to finish it.

Using the Fein multitool with assorted cutting heads, I cut out whole sections and as the cut was so fine I was able to use them as accurate templates. Both bulkheads as well as most sections of the cockpit were removed in this way and saved me a great deal of time and sorrow.

Colour on the Thames (1935)

2009-01-31T11:33:00.007+01:00

In my preamble I stated that this blog will not be exclusive to the Salizanda restoration or just to boat building but will also serve as a platform for other maritime activities.
I found this delightful film of a journey down the Thames filmed in 1935, posted on one of my favourite blogs InTheBoatShed. This short film along with many others worth browsing can be found in the British Film Institute National Archive
Not only is it beautifully filmed but it is also a rare glimpse of an epoch when the Port of London was at its zenith and “the sun never set on the British Empire”

The Topsides

2009-01-28T16:26:00.022+01:00

I really wanted to have the topsides clear. I’d seen an Atalanta 26 before with clear topsides and fallen in love with it, but with all the patches, blemishes and paint filled gouges, I realized that it would not be possible.
Then I discovered a veneer company in Vienna called “Liechtenstein” This place was a wood lover’s dream come true. An Aladdin’s Cave; a vast hall filled with stacks of the most beautiful and exotic wood veneers imaginable. From that moment there was no stopping me.
They did not have Agba from which the hull was built but that was no problem as I had already set my heart on Sapelli Mahogany and immediately bought enough 1.5mm veneer to complete the topsides.
It was a long job but the material was a joy to work with; flat, straight grained and malleable. I set up the bandsaw and ran the material through in 10cm strakes. I did find that on the tight turn of the bilge aft that when I did the fitting, I needed to run the hot air gun over the veneer as I gently eased it round the curve. It would then retain the curve and twist and would glue easily in position.

I had already removed the rubbing strake in order to repair damage at the hull to deck joint so I started the veneers at the hull/deck joint and ended them at the waterline which I had previously marked. Each strake had the edges planed and was dry fitted before it was glued.

When the whole laminate was completed it was sanded and then coated with three coats of clear epoxy, sanding between each coat.

At this point I replaced the shear strake. This time I bedded it in thickened epoxy. I realize that it is harder, though not impossible, to remove if damaged, but it does protect an extremely vulnerable joint between the hull and deck.

The final finish will be either be a tough two-pack polyurethane varnish, with UV filters or if thebudget allows, with Coelan.

Salizanda in Norway, 1970, Part 1

2009-01-26T14:26:00.001+01:00

Cruise in South Norway
An Account of the cruise by Major-Gen. W. Odling, CB, OBE, MC and his wife in A150 "Salizanda" written by Margaret Odling.

Originally published in "Atalanta Owners Association Bulletin", 1970-71

“Going to sail in Norway? My dear fellow, you're far too old. It's too deep to anchor there and you have to shin up wet rocks and tie your line to a ring.” So said a friend (who had never been to Norway) to Bill, my husband. This was rather frightening but the charts were worse; studying them it didn't look possible to steer a safe course between the rocks. However we determined to persevere, and on Saturday 20th June 1970 we motored Salizanda into Felixstowe docks at 10 a.m.. Her mast was down and firmly lashed on deck. We tied up to the quay alongside the cargo boat Ariosto (about 1000 tons) which was unloading timber. By 3 p.m. it was finished and Sali was hoisted on deck and beautifully chocked up on a bed of straw bags. This is, the third cargo boat she has traveled on and we always find the dockers and ship's crew so helpful and interested.
Having seen her securely stowed, we caught the ferry to Harwich harbour and thence to Parkeston Quay where we boarded the Winston Churchill for Esbjerg. There we entrained to Copenhagen and flew into Oslo airport at 11.30 p.m. on Sunday 21st June. The temperature was 84. The next morning we visited the shipping agency and heard that the Ariosto would not dock until 6 p.m. and that Sali could not be unloaded until the following morning. This is the snag of this method of traveling. Cargo boats always seem to be delayed.
So we spent the day sightseeing in Oslo and were particularly thrilled to see the Viking ships. The temperature was well in to the 80's. It was the hottest day of the holiday. We met our crew who had made their own way to Oslo: Estelle had sailed with us the previous year in Denmark, Eva was the young one, but a grandmother all the same.
At 6 p.m. we were in the docks watching the Ariosto tie up. We none of us wanted the expense (and Oslo is expensive) of a night in a hotel, so Bill asked the mate if we might sleep on board Sali. He consented at once, so after dining ashore, we had the rather amusing experience of going to bed in a yacht on a cargo boat and being very careful not to throw anything overboard.
We were up at 6.30 a.m. next day Tuesday 23rd June, Sali was launched and the mast shipped by the ship's derrick in no time. We motored to a nearby petrol raft and there cooked breakfast.
At 10.30 a.m. we cast off under power as there was no wind and our cruise really began. Our plan was to sail south down the Oslo Fjord and then turn into the leads or skerries continuing along the coast southwest towards Kristiansand. From the first day the scenery was beautiful but each day outdid the last. To begin with the rocks were not much troubles to navigate. At the head of the fjord we were sailing in the shipping channel which was well marked and wide, but later on, when we turned into the leads, they became a real worry. One of us had to read the chart the whole time and know exactly where we were. Of course we had studied the Norwegian Pilot before we started but even so we found the method of marking rocks and shoals and channels very confusing.
Our first day was very hot with little wind. We stopped for lunch and a swim at a small jetty. We were still rather rather nervous about how we were to tie up for the night, but that evenlng we found a
jetty at a small village called Saetra Pollen. The next night we tied alongside a short quay at Soon, and the third night we entered a mole at Aasgaardstrand where we had a line to a post at the stem and a kedge out at the stern. So it wasn't difficult after all. It was quite a long time before we discovered the rings in the rocks. One day we noticed a large white circle painted rather nigh up on a rock. In the middle of the circle was a big iron ring and we realized that this was for the use of ships very much larger than ourselves.
On our third morning, June 25th, we had our first strong wind. We wanted to cross from Soon, on the east side of Oslo Fjord, over to the west coast. It was raining and the visibility very poor, and when we left the shelter of the coast the wind rose to Force 6-7. We were heavily reefed with No; 2 jib. We mounted the compass and the crew kept a good watch for the islands we had to pass. The rain stopped about 11 a.m. and from then it was an exhilarating sail as the sea was not unreasonable. In the afternoon the wind dropped and the sun came out and we sailed into Aasgaardstrand. That evening a Norwegian man came aboard and worked our chart for us, showing the channels we should take down the coast. Later we found his route needed checking. Most Norwegians living near the coast own motor boats, there are not many sailing yachts and consequently in their eagerness to help they sometimes forget that masted boats won't go under low bridges and cables. This particular Norwegian recommended that we spend the following night at an island which was so small it was only marked as a dot on the chart.
June 26th was brilliantly clear and we sailed at 9.30 a.m. (no tides so one starts when one's ready) with wind Force 3, down the west coast. At 11.30 a.m. we left the Oslo Fjord and turned in through the Torgersogabet into the skerries, the channels that weave in and out of the rocks and islands that lie off the Norwegian coast. The scenery is always enchanting. Many of the islands have a cabin or chalet built on them as a holiday home, their only means of access is by boat and all fuel and food has to be taken to them. They may not have mod. cons. but the Norwegians love them - and what a marvelous holiday for children.

To be continued.............

Salizanda in Norway, 1970, Part 2

2009-01-25T11:55:00.001+01:00

Cruise in South Norway, Part 2
An Account of the cruise by Major-Gen. W. Odling, CB, OBE, MC and his wife in A150 "Salizanda" written by Margaret Odling.

Originally published in "Atalanta Owners Association Bulletin", 1970-71

In the skerries the wind is very flukey as sailing inland (as it seems sometimes) one is sheltered from winds in the fjord or open sea.
Having passed through the Gap we motored along a narrow channel to Torisberg where we watered, bought petrol and did a little sightseeing. It is an old town. At 5 p.m. we returned down the channel and branched off to find the tiny island recommended as a lovely haven for the night. It was our first attempt at picking a course on a chart pitted with rocks and islands. I had the chart and was giving directions It was all right to begin with as we threaded our way between islands and spotted the red and black posts where they should be, but then the wind freshened to Force 6 and it got colder. Cosy islands covered with trees were left behind and we were amongst bare rocks. We seemed to see wave breaking over submerged racks all round is, and I lost my place on the chart. We got cross with the Norwegian: 'Fancy sending us to an area like this. Let's go back.' At last we spotted the island - a bare lump, it looked very inhospitable. We lowered the main and decided to have a glance at the other side before turning back. As we rounded the tip we saw the tiniest bay between one barren rock and another completely sheltered. Two small cabin motor boats were there and there was just room for us. We edged in on the motor, dropped the anchor in 5 feet of water and then happily spent a busy time taking lines to the rocks to secure Sali fore and aft. On the starboard side there was a convenient big boulder to tie to, but the port rock was smooth. We noticed that the skipper of one of the boats, had hammered some pitons into a crack in the rock And secured his line to them. He kindly let us use them too. At the next opportunity Bill bought some outsize nails for future use.
The next morning 27th June, in glorious sun we walked over the little island in our swim suits. One rock had painted on it: 'Port Ami 1902', and we were told some Frenchman had landed there in that year. We had a lovely sail that day and spent the night in a cove near a holiday camp.
The weather broke the next day, and it started to rain after lunch; it poured in torrents. We found a jetty, tied up to it, put the polythene cover over the cockpit, went below and played bridge.
June 29th it was still raining, but it was warm with no wind. We motored to Sandefjord where we found a smart marina. Sandefjord used to be the biggest whaling harbour in the world and is now a prosperous small town. It has an impressive bronze sculpture showing a sailor poised to harpoon a whale which is upending his small boat and crew. We said goodbye to Estelle and Eire, here as they had to return home. It rained on and off ill day. Whenever the rain stopped people came to talk to us.
We woke next morning June 30th to a sunny windy day. At 1.30 p.m. we set sail for Starven where we were to pick up our next crew. At the mouth of the fjord I played out a fishing line we had bought in the the town. It had 8 hooks on it. We are not fishermen, but in two minutes there were SEVEN enormous mackerel on that line, although we never had any success again. With a wind Force 2 - 3 we sailed gently to Starven and tied up in a half-finished marina sited, as we found later, the wrong way. Next to us was a Swedish yacht. We plied the skipper with questions about sailing in Sweden.
After supper the wind began to rise and it started to rain. It turned out to be a very rough night with the wind blowing Force 6 on our quarter. Bill dozed in his clothes and kept putting out more lines to hold us to the jetty. The Swedish yacht came adrift and had to move. A helpful thing about nightwork in Norway is that it is light; it was only dark for 1 ½ hours each night while we were there.
The 1st July was alternately quiet and great gusts of wind and rain. Our new crew Smij and Helen arrived in a rainstorm just before lunch when we had expected them just after. They sat in the cabin, steaming, gladly sharing our small meal. When they were in their sailing clothes they helped move Sali to a mole where she was head to wind. Then we walked to see the impressive Naval War Memorial and the old Naval buildings. At 10 p.m. the wind was Force 6-7.
The next day we wanted to make a long sail out to sea to avoid a bad rocky stretch of the coast. We had trouble getting weather forecasts. Our little wireless told us nothing we could understand and the Norwegians seemed not to bother with them. However the next morning the Swedish skipper told us the forecast was Force 5 dropping to Force 4. So at 10.30 a.m. we set sail and we made a very good passage. Although there are no tides there are currents along the coast, and this day we were swept along by one. After lunch we turned into the leads and were again in beautiful scenery. We had to start the motor rather quickly at one point as we entered a very narrow gorge between two islands with steep high sides which blanketed the wind completely.
That evening we arrived at Kragero, the first of the 'white' towns. The houses are mostly white, of clapboard construction and the towns are a tourist attraction. But even so, to us, they were not overcrowded. Kragero had a very goad fish shop near the quay where we could buy fresh salmon, smoked eel and, of course, mackerel.
On 3rd July we spent the morning on make-do-and-mend. After lunch we made a short sail up a steep-sided-bay for 11/2 hours to a small village called Kil at the head of the narrow gorge. It
was idyllic. A gang of children, obviously on holiday with nothing to do, helped us with our mooring lines, practiced their English on us and told us the best path to take for an evening walk.
The next day we had an easy sail to Risor, a beautiful town. Next to us in the town harbour was a motor boat called Druen. We passed the time of day with the owner and his wife and young son, Thomas.
The 5th July was sunny and windy. After launching in a very pretty inlet near Risor we made passage for Lyngor. We had to go out to the open sea again and were surprised to find the wind Force 5 - 7 and the sea tremendous. We had the sun in our eyes and found it very difficult to sight the particular beacons and markings we needed for our entry into the leads again. When we were sure; we had the right ones we entered the leads and immediately were in calm waters and an archipelago.
Approaching Lyngor was like motoring up a high street. The channel was straight and the two or three tiny narrow islands either side were crowded with houses. We anchored off Udden Island and our next door neighbours were Druen and a sea plane. We invited the skipper and crew of Druen aboard.
The next day was grey with some rain. It improved by the evening when after some sailing and some motoring we arrived at Tuedestrand. There was a long quay and who should be waiting to catch our line but the skipper of Druen. That evening they gave us coffee.
We had a very pleasant sail on 7th July entering a big bay in the evening. At the far end was a very small village called Naresto with a very small quay. Half of it was owned by a retired sea captain who made us very welcome. He showed us his boathouse and his house and we sat on the quayside listening to his war stories. We were joined by our friends from Druen who had walked from a nearby fjord to join us. It was a particularly happy evening.

Salizanda Born Again

2009-01-23T19:38:00.026+01:00

I bought Salizanda as a project boat because I wanted to get my hands dirty again but if I had realised the extent of the project I would never have ……. But that’s hindsight.

After I had stripped off all the fittings (carefully labelling everything) and the paint, I concentrated on repairing the hull and deck damage. I was aware that the deck was damaged at each stanchion base, caused by inadequate blocking on the underside but I hadn’t calculated on the stb.beam shelf, stemhead apron and stemhead together,of course, with all the deck in that area, or water egress at the king plank rebate on both for and aft decks, or the crushed planking at the turn of the bilge to stb. caused, no doubt, by a serious grounding. And so it went on; the water tank was like a sieve causing extensive rot to the surrounding planking.

Faced with the prospect of a long repair job and having tried the conventional wisdom of scarfing in each 1.5mm laminate with a min. 1:10 scarf which unless you are a model maker, doesn’t work, I developed the following system.

Here I introduce the first of my “essential restorers tools” the Fein MultiMaster; in this case fitted with a circular HSS cutting blade with a dished centre so that the blade sit flat on the surface. It oscillates and the cutting edge uses Japanese saw technology and will also cut through any fastenings in the way. The damaged area is marked out and a wood straightedge is secured on the cutting line and by keeping the flat of the blade against the straightedge, a fine, vertical cut, approx. 1mm wide is ensured. The corners are finished with a Japanese dado saw. If there is a frame or stringer in the way it is very easy to control the depth of the cut.

The first laminate which is the inside, is set in as a plug. The edges are supported by pieces of softwood wrapped in packing tape and screwed from the outside. If there is a curve to the hull the backing pieces should be cut to fit. It’s always better if a frame or stringer is running through at this point as it is used as a form.

The veneer is then glued in. All surfaces to be glued are first coated with clear epoxy and the with thickened to fill gaps and stapled to the supports. I always use stainless as I find them stronger and can be removed without breaking off.

When the epoxy is hard enough the staples and screws are removed, and then I use my next “essential tool” A top of the line router with a micrometer depth adjustment to 1/10mm. With the depth set to the outside of the laminate I have just glued in, I cut the laminates back 3 to 4 cms and glue in the next layer, making sure that there is enough thickened epoxy between the laminates and staple as necessary. This process is repeated until the the final layer is complete. What I finish up with is a stepped patch through the laminates which I feel is far stronger. It is then faired using an orbital sander to clean it up and then longboarded to make it fair.

A few pointers:
The Baden Powell Rule. “always be prepared”. It’s sods law that if anything can go wrong, IT WILL. I always do a rehearsal including screwing and stapling everything in place. There is nothing I hate more than being up to my eyeballs in epoxy with the minutes ticking by and the thing won’t go in!
Think through the whole process before and gather all the tools and material that you need and lay it out like a surgeon preparing for an operation and think of all the possible things that can go wrong and how you will deal with them.
I use gypsum or drywall screws dipped in soap. Quick and easy and if you don’t leave them in too long they will come out.
I cut a sheet of 3mm cheap plywood into 3cm strips which I then use and re-use for a multitude of purposes. In this case they are covered in packing tape and used as backing for the staples so that that staples do not damage the hull or whatever I am glueing.

Atalanta 26

2009-01-22T16:25:00.006+01:00

The Atalanta is a light-displacement, twin drop keel 26 ft yacht first built in the 1950s, designed by the famous Uffa Fox and built by the same craftsmen who built the Mosquito and other wooden aircraft of the Second World War. The design with the hull constructed of hot molded Agbar mahogany and its fine entry leading to a flat runoff aft enabling it to surf at 9 knots, was way ahead of its time. At the time when it was build it cost a small fortune as much as a new house then. Its production ended in the early 1970s when mass-production GRP yachts became a cheaper option. But Atalantas because they were not susceptible to osmoses have outlived many GRP yachts; in fact, from 186 boats built, 130, including the first one built the "A1", are still sailing,
It is a beautiful yacht but not a mere ornament, it performs well and can sail in shallow water or across the Atlantic. As it is a trailer-sailor you can keep it at home and avoid paying mooring fees.