Sagitta Performance Cruiser
From-Multihull International, March 1992
By Geoff Hales
I had the
opportunity to sail Sagitta from Plymouth a few days after the Boat Show.
So far this boat had sailed from Plymouth and on the Solent and made passages
between. Not a huge mileage, but Richard and Lilian are confident that
it meets their aims; after a brief showing against the Banshee they are
happy that it is indeed a faster boat. While the open bridgedeck versions
of this 30ft class are unmistakably Woods' designs and the same shapes
can be seen in the hulls of the Sagitta, the bridgedeck accommodation
is curvaceous and similar in style to some French designs. Some might
argue that it looks something of a hybrid but it is a tribute to their
design skills that Richard and Lilian have made the shapes blend together
so well and of course the curved coachroof
provides a great deal of strength and extra headroom for very little weight.
In return, we discovered, it means that access to and from the mast is
tricky once the boat is bouncing at sea, a problem common to all similar
coachroofs. You may say that access to the mast shouldn't be required
often and it is true that one of the aims of the design was that one could
reach and work everything at the foot of the mast from the forward end
of the cockpit, but turning blocks are still required and
winches and jammers are still in place on the coachroof itself, so that
while the mast is within reach nothing useful seems to have been gained
by achieving this. And anyway, however hard you try not to go to the mast,
there will always be occasions when you have to get there whether it is
for reefing or simply stowing the mainsail. Perhaps the deck arrangements
could be made more efficient to make mainsail handling easier.
On Deck
There are deck lockers just forward of the coachroof windows and the whole
of the forward part of each hull is also devoted to storage with access
only from the deck. Working around the boat proved straightforward with
cleats well placed and ample safety precautions. She also proved easy
to board which some of the more curvaceous catamarans are not. The cockpit
is huge - fully 12ft across and more than 6ft front to back, in fact,
it's longer fore and aft than the inside of the saloon coachroof. This
is very attractive for entertaining in harbour or taking a very large
party sailing in the warm. But otherwise it is larger than could possibly
be useful at sea, in fact crossing from one side to the other when tacking
caused one to look for something to hold onto while making the long trip
across.
The lifting rudder system and the daggerboard arrangements are the same
as the Woods have used on earlier designs and proved just as satisfactory
and straightforward.
Under Sail
Our sailing opportunity in Plymouth coincided with a southwesterly 25
to 35 knot wind (and sometimes a bit more) which provided good testing
conditions to see whether she did indeed slam and how the boat felt in
a strong wind and a moderate sea. However, the experience was somewhat
spoiled by rigging which had stretched more than could be adjusted so
the mast didn't get the support it would like and the jib luff looked
horrible. One can only guess what the performance would be like under
normal conditions; we all know how expensive headstay sag can be when
on the wind. That said, the boat certainly performed very well, she was
going up wind with two reefs in the mainsail and a few rolls in the jib
at a comfortable 8 knots plus while feeling as though she was not doing
any more than 6. The motion was remarkably pleasant, only occasionally
was there a sound of a slam underneath and most of the time that seemed
to be a wave hitting the inboard side of the lee hull, not the actual
bridgedeck slamming at all. There was certainly no discomfort out in the
cockpit, nor indeed inside when we tried the saloon for comfort. Some
heavy spray came up onto the forward coachroof occasionally but there
was no feeling at all that the boat was under any pressure. Helming was
a delight partly because the boat handled so very easily and felt responsive
without any pressure on the helm and partly because one could sit on a
comfortable cushion on a slatted seat and lean against a comfortable backrest
with a spray dodger outboard. The view is excellent and you're nowhere
near tbe edge of the boat, there is another two feet of hull further outboard
again. Richard demonstrated well just how easy sail trimming is, with
everything to hand on the coachroof between tbe two saloon doorways. The
daggerboards proved equally easy to work from the same place. All the
Harken deck gear performed to the expected high standard and tbe Dolphin
sails set well.
Under Power
The Woods considered a two engine layout but have settled for one Yamaha
9.9hp electric start 4-stroke outboard which has proved satisfactory with
manoeuvering in Port Solent lock proving straightforward. The engine is
mounted on a lifting tray in what appears to be the centre of three cockpit
lockers and has been fitted with lines to the rudders which successfully
assist handling. Certainly it seemed amply powerful and delightfully quiet
during our experience.
Accommodation
Tbere are accesses port and starboard to the saloon with a lower washboard
in wood and the top half in perspex. This provides a nice arrangement
as far as draughtproofing is concerned but it also provides the dilemma
of where to stow all the boards when they are not in use. Hinged Bomar
hatches are provided to further ease access and increase headroom in the
step area.
The interior is unusual by modern yacht standards - there is no varnish
to be seen and one is immediately struck by shiny white everything, bulkheads,
worktop surfaces and sbelf areas are very high gloss white, very well
moulded or painted or panelled. This has been offset by yellow - a yellow
edge surround to the worktop areas and all edges of the bulkheads - again
very high gloss epoxy coating. Similarly the cushions are yellow, unusual
in having covers in pvc rather than a soft but water tolerant polypropylene
(= wool lookalike) fabric. Richard and Lilian have used an interior design
company, Marine Concepts, to produce three different interiors for the
Sagitta. The other two are more traditional.
Predictably tbe saloon
seating and table area can convert to a large dinette while the table
is the exception to the yellow and white style having a mottled blue and
metallic surface. Distinctly hi-tech and unusual for a boat built in Cornwall.
Furthermore, tbe table is in two separate pieces, each on a support so
that either or both parts can be set up as a cockpit table. The mast support,
just abaft tbe table, acts as a convenient handhold when walking across
the saloon, when a slight
crouch is required.
In the aft end of each hull is an amply wide double berth with a curtain
across the forward end of it, far enough forward clear of tbe berth to
allow changing room. There is useful locker space outboard, abaft the
curtain and forward of tbe bunk cushions. Forward of the steps down into
tbe starboard hull is the galley area which is extremely roomy and neatly
laid out with lockers, drawers and fiddled shelves, some of them using
higher spaces which would otherwise be wasted. An eye level oven and grill
is an attractive feature set in the forward end of the galley area while
a two-burner hob, draining sink and deep sink are outboard On tbe port
side, forward of tbe steps down into that hull, there is a small navigation
area outboard with a fold-down shelf which could be used as a table in
an emergency, but would really be rather inadequate, small and poorly
supported for the job It would be much simpler to carry the navigation
kit up to the main saloon table and simply use this space a nav gear storage.
Forward is a roomy heads compartment with hot and cold water while forward
of the heads again is a good, big oilskin drying locker.
Headroom in the hulls is good throughout but the only ventilation comes
from small hatches on the outboard sides of the hull which obviously can't
be opened if the wind is on that side. In the saloon the forward centre
window opens and, of course, the two hatches over the entrances.
An owner who wanted more berths could achieve this by arranging access
forward from the heads and the galley to provide a single berth in what
is now the forward storage areas in each hull which looked bigger than
the boat could ever need.
Conclusion
Overall the Sagitta proved a comfortable boat at sea with an easy motion
even in the prevailing lumpy conditions and easily ran up to 14 knots
on a reach despite not increasing the sail area once we came off the wind.
She tacked positively in the open sea and handled easily under power.
Tbe accommodation plan provides exactly what the Woods intended so that
altogether she makes a very attractive boat.
