Atlantic Crossing In Robert Baker's Orca

[Reef_Earliegh]

I have been looking for an small, economical coastal cruising boat for the shallow anchorages and harbors of the Mediterranean. I live on a CCA boat in the US. I know what it would take to prepare my current boat for the trip. Though it would not cost a lot to upgrade, there is still the chance of dismasting or the dreaded catastrophic hull failure miles from the nearest boat yard. It's as simple as a modern sailboat gets, thought it is still complex and pricey to repair.

I have it in my head that a surf boat like Orca built to my modified plans would make a nice "sneak-across" boat in the tradition of ...those guys that sailed dories and such across great expanses of water. I've added a full deck, a very low house, a self bailing cockpit, external ballast and a bit of keel drag, a little more area of rudder, a longer and more shallow centerboard; keeping in mind weight and deviation from the original construction and balance of the boat. It's a work of art.

The sprit rigged cat ketch does seem manageable, though I would imagine a trisail from the main would work better in overly strong winds.

After all, isn't a large confused sea just so much high surf?