If you ask most yachties where Quindalup is, you’ll quickly realise that not everyone knows about WA cruising’s best kept secret. I have been fortunate enough to grow up in this amazing part of the world and have sailed here since before I could walk.
As I write this, I’m sitting in the cockpit in jeans and a t shirt. Its just past 2200hrs on Monday, February 3rd. We’re 35 miles from Quindalup and 20 from the nearest land. We’ve got 12 knots of breeze from the East and 1m swell. Two reefs in the main and a full genoa. A ship greater than 150m in length is on our port beam as we sail through the night towards Fremantle. My crew, Paul, is asleep in the saloon.
Last time Emigre made this trip, by this point the wind was 25-30knots from the south with 5m+ waves. One had just broken over the back of the boat splashing my crew sleeping in the saloon. We had 3 reefs in the mainsail and 4 in the genoa. Emigre was surfing at 14.8 knots.
Same trip, same boat, different nights. Both a great experience. It always amazes me how well this boat takes the sea. Emigre handles all conditions safely and in complete control. My Raymarine ST4000 tiller pilot steers the whole way.
I’ve always had appreciation for classic yacht deign and while an 80’s yacht is hardly a classic, Emigre shares a lot of features with yachts designed by the greats such as Nathan Fife, Sparkman & Stephens and Alden as well as my modern favourites Hans Christian, Henri Amel & Bruce Roberts. She carries a substantial fin keel with a cutaway forefoot and a sturdy skeg hung rudder, steep deadrise with a rounded hull and no chines. She has a traditional stern which picks her up and pushes her straight in a following swell, and a fine entry at the bow which cuts nicely through the water. All things i appreciate in ‘good’ cruising yacht design. Her hull is made of solid, hand laid fibreglass using polyester rein and the lead keel is integral to the hull design with no keel bolts. She weighs 7.5 tonnes, most of which is below the waterline, keeping her motion smooth and grounded.
Above the waterline Emigre is sleek and traditional with a low freeboard, classic lines and timber trimmings. Most importantly her cockpit is small, enclosed and very safe, something I find important in an offshore cruiser. If the yacht was ‘pooped’ by a following sea, their is only a small area to drain, rather than a big open flat deck. A great feature of the 35 is the ‘cuddy’ that extends aft of the coachhouse which enables the helmsman to sit out of the elements whole on watch and hold the tiller.
Steering is an very important part of any yacht, personally I much prefer a tiller on a yacht under 40ft. The responsiveness and direct link to the rudder doesn’t just provide simplicity and reduce maintenance but give the helmsperson a much clearer picture of the balance of the sail plan while taking up much less room in the cockpit when the anchor is set and a cold beer is in hand.
The coachhouse resembles more modern ‘deck saloon’ designs however its made from solid fibreglass as part of the one piece deck construction.
While I’m completely bias, I do see plenty of things I would change about the design of the Duncanson 35. Theirs no deck access to the anchor locker, no gas locker, limited tankage, no space for a rudder quadrant below deck and limited room on the cabin top for lines. Just to name a few!
I’ve leant a great deal about sailing, seamanship and good yacht design over the last 12 months from my friend and mentor Jon Sanders. His opinions about yacht deign align closely with mine and his knowledge has made me appreciate the truely excellent design that is the Duncanson 35.
That ship that was on the beam not so long ago has just changed course and made for Bunbury harbour. She passed only a quarter mile in front and I had to deviate course to show that I was aware of it’s passing. Part of the fun of having no AIS!
Back to Quindalup.
For as long a I can remember (and well before), yachts have been making the annual pilgrimage to Quindalup. From as far north as Mindarie. In previous years, up to 30 yachts have sailed to Quindalup as part of Fremantle Sailing Club’s Quindalup Cruise, an event that promotes sailing, camaraderie and fun. After a two year hiatus, the Cruising Section Organised the 2020 Quindalup Cruise to be held from the 18th -25th January.
Nine FSC yachts made it to FSC as part of the cruise with a further three visiting Quindalup before the cruise. Cruisers were welcomed by my home yacht club, the Dunsborough Bay Yacht Club, and invited to partake in a cruise to the picturesque Meelup Beach and DBYC’s famous Friday twilight sail.
After a typically bumpy trip south, cruisers enjoyed a taste of Dunsborough’s four seasons in one week. Sunshine, rain, heat, cold, paradise.
Emigre returned to Fremantle after a few months in Quindalup during the early summer so that I could join the FSC cruisers on their trip south. Another excuse for a couple of hundred miles sailing!
Earlier this week I was emailed Emigre’s January summary from Nebo, the boat logging application I use. I was quite impressed with the figures.
In January 2020 Emigre has spent 59hrs 17mins underway, travelling a total of 325.8 nautical miles at an average speed of 5.5knots.
In 2019, she was underway for 171hrs and 50 mins, totalling 835.6 nautical miles at and average of 4.9 knots. Thats a reasonable amount of sailing for a fully time uni student!
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