Boat
| The Boat | Engine |
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At just 26 feet, “Constellation” is a floating island, built like a tank and designed to be all alone on long stretches of deep blue water. She is a Contessa 26′ from 1972… Old, yet strong and reputable. Contessa’s have a long history of ocean sailing, with two popular circumnavigations by Tania Aebi and Brian Caldwell.
I will pat her on the sides like a horse, as we battle dark oceans, storms, fear and solitude. Read more about her intriguing history in this post. |
I was very fortunate to have an excellent engine on board when I purchased the boat. A Yanmar 1GM10, one of the greatest (in my opinion) small diesels ever built. The engine is 10hp, and pushes Constellation along at roughly 4.5kts, 5kts when really pressed. This engine has been a lifesaver on more than one occasion, primarily even powering me for 80hours non-stop across the Bay of Biscay. The name of my engine is ‘August’, and he was born in 1999. |
| Steering | Communications & Navigation |
| At present, I run no electronic steering. My boat is steered by the German built Windpilot Pacific Light, an incredibly well built windvane. The mount was designed by me, and I sincerely hope it stands up to the rigors of the Atlantic! I had severe difficulty across Biscay, due to a lack of wind. No wind = No steering = No sleep. When the wind is up though, ‘Windy the Windpilot’ steers like an absolute dream. |
I currently run a Northstar DSC VHF. I have a NASA SSB Receiver and Iridium satellite phone. For navigation, I use a Magellan handheld GPS (after my Garmin died a horrible death, documented somewhere in the archives), and paper-based charts. I experimented with BSB/Raster digital charts in Brittany, however after Spain, I had run out of the French made digital SHOM charts. I am now back to paper. |
| Safety | |
| I carry an ACR personal EPIRB with onboard GPS, and an Avon liferaft. I wear a life jacket with integral harness at all times outside of the cabin and cockpit (if the weather is heavy, I also strap in once in the cockpit). I have jackstays along the decking, and strap onto the mast when working with the mainsail. I have two sets of wet weather gear, one is a lightweight pants and jacket, and a heavier Fladen survival suit, which provides buoyancy. I wear the survival suit when extremely cold, in severe weather or rain. My VHF radio is coded with my MMSI, however as of today, it cannot provide a fix due to a lack of permanently wired GPS. I also run a Mer-Veille radar detector as an extra safety measure for offshore sailing, which has been very useful. |
More photos here!
