This
family started with GAZELLE, a 42’ ocean cruising schooner. I designed and
built her for my own use, and wrote an article for RUDDER Magazine, called
“My Ideal Blue Water Cruiser.” This article has been reprinted in
COASTWISE AND OFFSHORE CRUISING WRINKLES. With a family of five aboard, I
needed enough room to sleep them plus a guest because usually one of the
children would bring a guest aboard. My
original intention was to go out for 90 to 120 day voyages and still be able
to enjoy her as a day sailer and weekender. These were secondary to the
primary purpose, which was ocean voyaging. Over 700 of these vessels that we
know about have been built, mostly in steel and some in aluminum. I did a
round bottom version for wood construction, and a number have been built to
these plans. As to rigs, the one shown on the drawing has been the most
popular, i.e., the junk-rigged schooner; however, several have been built as
gaff ketches and gaff schooners.
