A new navigation program
Jean-Jacques has already sailed many miles, and on sailboats of all sizes, when he decides to change boats in early 2022. As a sailing instructor, he has sailed 9 to 10 months a year for 20 years, made several trips around the Atlantic and had successively a Mousquetaire Club, an aluminum Brise de Mer 31, a steel Trielenn, a Pogo 2, then a Pogo 30. But his sailing objective has changed and he now prefers to take his time and enjoy life on board.
He specifies his research specifications in 3 points: "I wanted to be able to land anywhere, especially not in harbors, especially in Northern Brittany or Ireland, where it was impossible with a 2-meter keelboat. But I didn't want a complex daggerboard system, because I didn't have the budget for a modern boat with a system in very good condition, nor a ballasted dinghy with the problems of setting up the crutches. Which leads to the twin keel. I didn't want a dark "basement". And I wanted comfort with a kitchen, oven, fridge, heating, hot water... to live on board."
From renting to buying
The online searches follow. It is mainly Biloup that comes up. Finally, a Westerly Riviera 35 to rent in Port-La-Forêt emerges from the research. Jean-Jacques visited it, initially for a long term rental. But he was convinced and offered to buy it. He ended up buying the boat for 50 000 euros.
The 1989 boat requires little real investment and Jean-Jacques can immediately take advantage of it. Only some equipment needs to be changed progressively, like the fridge which has just given up the ghost.
A famous sailing boat in the UK
Little known in France, the Westerly brand enjoys a good reputation in the UK. The Westerly Riviera 35 was designed by the naval architect Ed Dubois, renowned at the time, having signed many sailing ships like the Centurion 37 and various racing boats. Produced between 1988 and 1992, 72 Westerly Riviera 35s hit the water.
At 10.54 meters long, the yacht has an aft cabin, with a choice of a private bathroom or a workshop on the port side. In the center, raised, there is a large saloon with a galley along the starboard side and an interior steering position. This one benefits from a very large roof window. Then forward, a large cabin and its bathroom on starboard.
An ideal boat for solo sailing
After spending the summer of 2022 hopping around Brittany, Jean-Jacques is definitely convinced of his choice of the Westerly 35. "It is perfect for coastal sailing, with 1.35 m draft. I have all the detail charts from SHOM and IMRAY. I arrive at the 1st twelfth of the ebb tide and check the bottom with the color. I move slowly and beache slowly, in great places!"
The large displacement and the two keels do not make the boat particularly seaworthy, and it is necessary to adapt the navigation to the weather, concedes the skipper: "The boat is not stiff to the canvas. We are quickly overtopped. I'm making 5 knots of speed in 15 knots of wind. You have to watch the weather windows."
If he has a spinnaker with a sock, Jean-Jacques, when sailing solo, generally prefers to simplify his life and pitch his genoa downwind. Mainsail and furling genoa make maneuvers very easy.
Comfort and equipment
For Jean-Jacques who was looking for brightness, the contract is more than fulfilled: "There is a real pleasant living space. At Les Glénan, standing in the kitchen, I have a panoramic view of the lagoon! And when it rains, you can steer warmly inside." In addition, a canvas allows to close the cockpit between the gantry and the dog house.
Last advantage, with a boat well equipped with 300 W fixed solar panels and 200 W flexible, the electrical consumption is not a problem. The rear gantry easily carries the dinghy while cruising.
If you know how to take your time and appreciate it, the Westerly Riviera 35 is the ideal boat for Jean-Jacques' program!
