BANDIT: FC 22

My wife said, "Cal, you should write a book and call the first chapter, 'Getting the boat.'" At that point, the boat was in our driveway. I had gotten it from Louisiana. It was far from a simple process. It took two trips. The first trip came after viewing photographs of the boat, emails about the condition, an agreed upon price, and much consideration of other sailboats. 

In fact the viewing of other sailboats had become an obsession of mine. I came to see it as equivalent to reading a detective novel filled with cliffhangers. What are the 10 best boats for me? ("Who are the suspects for this crime?") They have to meet a series of conditions: The draft can't be too deep (under 5'); the length can't be over 40' and preferrably much less as I would be single-handing; the cabin must sleep 4-5 with an enclosed head; she must be able to perform well in a blow; she must be able to sail in light air; the boat needs to be under $50,000 in price; the location can't be California or Seattle but somewhere closer to my home in Georgia; she must be functional in a dystopic world; and finally to be included in my short list this boat must make my heart swoon. That last condition usually resulted from a good amount of wood, traditional lines, and beautiful proportions.

The incredibly absorbing and semi-addictive quality of this process resulted from all the intellectual gymnastics I'd perform as I scrolled across the myriad of available boats listed online. The game only works if I am really thinking of buying a boat. Then it keeps me up half of the night.

Of all the boats, my most favorite became the Falmouth Cutter 22. There were a few problems however. First, it wasn't clear that this boat could sleep 4-5. Second, there was no enclosed head. Indeed, the bathroom methods were unacceptable to my wife. Also, this boat was extremely expensive for its size. But in other ways, it fit the criteria perfectly: a 3.5' draft, excellent in heavy seas, good in light air (due to a 31' sail plan), solid construction resulting in a shape that caused my heart to sing.  Only 41 of these boats were made. A few of the owners had blogs. I read them and became even more convinced.