More news years reflections on then, twenty years ago, and now.
It is interesting to note how much smaller most of the boats in SSSS were then. People owned sixteen
and eighteen foot boats, and cruised in them. The twenty-one and twenty-two foot boats were
considered big.
We know that because when new members joined SSSS then they wrote half a page in the S-t-S
about themselves and their boat. Here is part of one new members introduction.
This was reprinted from the S-t-S, June of 1974.
When Vic and I began our search for a sailboat about 38 months ago, we established a list of requirements drawn from our combined experiences. We wanted a boat with a competitive hull, rated at or near a quarter-tonner that would also cruise well. Since there are only the two of us, cruising comfort requirements could be rather narrow, but we did want two good sea berths for over night races and a head that could be reached without displacing sleeping bodies. To further complicate matters I insisted on having an inboard engine.
After several months of looking at boats that met most of our requirements, we discovered the Swiftsure 24 in an article in Pacific Yachting Magazine. A case of love at first sail. We placed our order very shortly after a trip to Vancouver to look at the prototype.
Incidentally, while we didn’t consider it an advantage to deal with a small builder when we placed our orde. We discovered the delightful freedom of being able to alter the interior layout slightly. Something we probably couldn’t have done with a true production boat from a large manufacturer.
The name, Apprentice, goes back to my early days in printing and the knowledge that we would learn much from our first big sailboat. The suggestion was Vic’s and was her assurance that I wouldn’t name the boat after her.
While our racing record has yet to be established, we sailed the boat down from Vancouver after taking delivery and found her most comfortable, despite great amounts of rain and damn little wind. We plan to spend vacations and summer weekends cruising while racing during the week. If we get things sorted out enough to feel we could compete upsound, we might get involved in some bigger races ...
Vic and Bill Sheldon have introduced us to a new class of boat with their recent purchase of a Swiftsure 24. Welcome aboard and good sailing to both of you!