Boat of the Month, 2021.

- Once in a while, I pick a boat or a boat design that I think is interesting and worthwhile to present, study and publish.

- This is the case for "Away"; a Cat-Schooner with free standing rig. Designed by Michael Pope, who also built the boat.

- I received from him a very comprehensive dossier and I am taking some of his comments for this presentation.

- You immediately notice the treatment of the stern, ending in a fish tail, with a well in between two transoms. This configuration is to deal with dinghy stowage, allowing you to drive, with all aboard into the hull.

- The boat herself, is 44' Long with a Waterline of 42' and a Beam of 10.2'. The light Displacement is 15,000 Lbs.

- She is narrow, an easily driven shape with a long "day run". Point of interest is the treatment of the draft, keel and daggerboard, the later articulated. With a nominal keel depth of 4'-3" and extended to 9'-6" with the board down.

- Stern view. Showing the Dinghy in a stowage position, after being driven into the well and raised with her bottom 30" above the waterline.

- Sail Plan. Advantages: Unstayed masts eliminate expensive rigging.

                                        Divided rig gives lighter sails and smaller individual sail area.

                                        Sail inventory is reduced to 3 sails; the Fore, the Mainsail and a Storm Staysail.

                                        Number of control lines, winches and deck gear are minimized.

                                        No expensive traveller with port and starboard sheets.

                                        Flexible masts and the wishbone choker allow control of sail camber and twist.

- Back to the hull. This bottom view shows a clear intention to reduce displacement volume and to present at 15 Degrees of heel a very slender profile to the water. But he main objective for this configuration is to provide the Dinghy stowage in an easy way to bring it aboard.

- A little side story. My TYD#902.

- This 70', described as a F.R.P cat-schooner with bilge centerboard and a tuna tower, was the lucubration of a client with serious ambition in all directions, including a split hull aft like "Away" as described above.

- But that where it stopped, the customer in question; in the business of building small skiffs, got cold feet when considering the "ampleur" of the project.

- (To be continued).