| It wasn't until I was eighteen that I had my first trip in a | | | | And I bet there'd have been plenty of disagreements |
| racing sailboat. I was crewing (well, I thought I was | | | | about what's right and what's wrong. |
| crewing...) in a club race off Rhode Island. And on that | | | | Evaporation |
| day I caught the bug. I guess I was something of a late | | | | No, designing it for myself was the best thing I ever did. |
| starter compared to many kids these days but never | | | | The yacht conforms perfectly to what I'd had in my |
| a day goes by without my thinking of being out on the | | | | mind for many years. So many years in fact that I 'd |
| ocean in a fast racing yacht. And I certainly never | | | | given up all hope of being able to own such a vessel. |
| thought I'd be producing my own racing sailboat plans. | | | | But it's funny how, once you get hooked on designing |
| Dreams DO come true | | | | a boat for yourself, how all the other minor |
| And last year reality even exceeded my dreams. I hit | | | | inconveniences (like actually building it!) seem to |
| the waves in a boat I designed myself. Yep. From | | | | evaporate. It took over two years to build and, by |
| start to finish. I didn't build it all myself, I had help with | | | | judicious use of second-hand parts and other |
| that but the design was all mine and I'm very proud of | | | | reconditioned kit, I managed to keep the cost down to |
| her. She's thirty eight feet from stem to stern and I try | | | | a manageable level. All members of the family had a |
| to get out in her, with my family, every weekend in the | | | | hand it building it and fitting it out and it's brought us |
| season. | | | | together as a family. |
| How it became possible | | | | There's no doubt about it, from so many perspectives, |
| It would never have been possible without the new 3d | | | | producing my own racing sailboat plans was one of |
| boat design software that's now on the market. I could | | | | the best things I've ever done. I'd recommend it to |
| never have afforded a professional designer to | | | | anybody. |
| produce the racing sailboat plans that I had in my mind. | | | | |