A boat for safe sailing in Brittany
Anne-Hélène lives in Crozon-Morgat, Finistère, with her 11-year-old son. She spends her summers on her boat, sailing up and down the coast of Brittany.
A solo sailor, she was looking for a boat that would give her the confidence to sail with two people, as her son was only 8 at the time. After owning a Love Love and then a Sangria, she chose a 29-foot 1982 Westerly Consort. "I was looking for a 30-footer to sail alone with my son. Dad is a merchant marine captain and works all summer. I'm taking the opportunity to rent out my house and settle aboard my boat for the summer season. I needed a boat in which I felt comfortable. Except that in France, the models are more of a racing-cruising type. But my program is all about safety, cruising and habitability."
Advice from an English friend
Anne-Hélène turned to a First 30, but it was too hectic. When she couldn't find a boat to suit her needs, she contacted a friend in England. A former coach with the English Sailing Federation, he sent her a photo of a Westerly Konsort, telling her it had everything she was looking for. She explains: "I had never heard of this brand. I had preconceived ideas. I went to a Konsort owners' association website and found an advert in Arradon, Morbihan. The boat was dry at Crouesty and belonged to a former BBC cellist."
Her ex-husband visits her outwardly and validates the model. As Anne-Hélène explains, "Westerly sampling, even if it's twisted, it doesn't break." She went there with her son, who visited with stars in his eyes. After browsing with the owner, she's charmed. But she only had a budget of 10,000 euros, and her 1982 boat built by the English Gosport yard was advertised at £15,000, or 17,500 euros. In the end, the deal was struck for 15,000 euros. Anne-Hélène and her son will own Windrush in 2020.
A fully equipped houseboat
Inside, there's a forepeak with two berths, an aft cabin on the port side with a coffin berth, and a saloon with a galley down below. His model is an improved version, so the toilet includes a shower, but no sink unit. The sink is opposite, next to the closet.
Fully equipped with electronics, she also has a hydrovane. As for the sail set, Windrush sports a very full 80s genoa, a mainsail, a light downwind sail, and a cruising suit, ancestor of the asymmetric spinnaker, which she has not yet tested. Anne-Hélène explains: "I bought a sock last year to test, but I'm alone on board. I have to figure out how to do it. I also have a low forestay, but no sail to rig on it. It's not my sailing program anyway."
A sailing program for solo moms
In 2021, mother and son sail down to Hoedic. In 2022, they discover Jersey, Guernsey and Sark. In the summer of 2023, they plan to return to Hoedic. At 11 years of age, 4 to 5 hours of sailing is more than enough. As Anne-Hélène explains, Windrush is a two-boat yacht, making it easy for them to land: "In Hoedic, at Port Lacroix, the old harbor on the other side of the island, you can relax. It's protected by two dikes. It's also a good place to meet people. People used to come and talk to us when we were beaching."
A downwind boat
Proud of her boat, Anne-Hélène has nothing but good things to say about it: "It's not an upwind boat, but it's not a disaster either. I overtook a First 30.5 in Audierne Bay with 15 knots of wind. She's a 5-ton keelboat, with a very strong sample. Downwind, she's great! She's a wide boat, 3.25 m. With her two keels, she's very flat on the water, so we go fast. She's very stiff under sail, with a fairly high, very sturdy mast. Before reefing, you can sustain 20 knots without shuddering or being out of shape. She's an English boat, and they're sailors. They cruise. Westerly boats are equipped for cruising. They're designed to be seaworthy. The English Channel is her playground, even alone on board!"
What an advantage!
When asked about the advantages of her boat, Anne-Hélène is unequivocal: habitability, safety thanks to the very deep cockpit. The sheet rail is aft and the boom goes over the head. She adds: "She's a very seaworthy boat. I have confidence in her. "As for the downsides, it's much more complicated to find any, as Anne-Hélène amuses herself in conclusion: "It doesn't go as fast as a Pogo, that's for sure! But I don't find it a disadvantage. I love my boat."
In the end, the only drawback was rather logistical. The port of Morgat is not equipped to transport the biquilles, and Anne-Hélène is obliged to use the crane, which is billed twice, once for taking the boat out of the water and once for putting it on the quay. She has also been thinking about a solution for leaving Windrush in the water as much as possible, testing para-fouling, a biocide-free graphene-based varnish.
