Shepherd Moons - Cavalier 26 Yacht (by Ross Devitt)

The Cavalier 26 has a pleasing hull shape

First, my apologies to the people who come to this page from time to time.  I began writing a couple of blogs as the result of being forced out of work by some serious injuries, followed by other health problems, including a brain lesion.  Then I found it was just too difficult.

A masthead Rig with strong standing rigging

I recently began receiving questions about my boats, the Whitsunday islands and my Philippines interests.  So I have begun slowly getting into the habit of trying to think again.

A slightly tubby look that belies her easy movement

For those interested in Cavalier Yachts, or who have found one of these boats for sale, I will try to update this blog to the point where it is a bit of a hand book.

The keel is a substantial lump of steel, set low to provide good headroom inside

To that end, we'll begin with a look at an old, neglected Cavalier 26 as she was when I first had her hauled out in 2010.  Friends will recall that I lost my Seaway 25, 'Volcano' when cyclone Ului ripped through the Whitsundays on March 21 that year.  She was sitting on her mooring, riding the storm nicely when as far as we can tell, a much larger vessel was torn from her mooring and swept through taking Volcano with her.  Poor old 'Cano got some holes in her sides and her bottom torn out.  She is now repaired and better than new, but at the time I had no way to repair her because of my health, so I bought the yacht JORUM.

Keel shape keeps the weight at the bottom a bit like a bulb would

My yacht before Volcano was called 'Enya' after an Irish singer.  I had planned to rename Volcano but she was so well known and liked that I broke with my rule of always changing my boat's name (for good luck).

The rudder shape provides precise steering with a nice light feel in all conditions.

So JoRum became my next yacht in the 'Enya' theme.  I went through a list of Enya songs, then searched the International Registry and the Aussie registry.  Orinoco, and Orinoco Flow were taken, Caribbean Blue also and some of my other choices.  But one tune I had always liked was available.  Shepherd Moons.  And the name has a meaning.  There are moons close to the amazing rings of the planet Saturn.  These moons are what astronomers believe interact with the rings and keep them in their place.

Be sure to have a good look at the rudder on old Cavaliers.  This was not expensive to fix, but I'm glad I scraped away the antifoul after tapping it with a hammer.

So they are called 'Shepherd Moons'.  My Cavalier 26 was to take over from a series of earlier yachts keeping me in my beautiful Whitsunday Islands.  Sadly, a year later all that was to change, and I am still stuck in the city.  But for that first year, Shepherd Moons became my new home.

Wide decks, a big fore deck and a comfortable interior all work together to make the cavalier easy to manage single handed.  I have serious injuries to my ankles, spine, wrists, shoulders and some other areas.  I had to sell Enya because I kept falling overboard - at ANCHOR!! and having to be rescued.  Volcano was bought because as a Quarter Tonner she had huge side decks.  Shepherd Moons adds full interior head room, something the Seaway 25 did not have.

Cavaliers came with a diesel engine but many now have an outboard hung off the stern.  The old Yamaha 9.9hp 4-stroke swings a 12 inch prop with a 9 inch pitch at 3:1 gear ratio. Works well!

I added a MUIR horizontal anchor winch because I am no longer able to haul up chain and rope by hand.  The Muir has a clever design with the hole for the winch handle offset.  This means the gearing can be adjusted over 8 settings depending how you insert the handle in the socket.  Set on the very outside there's great leverage for hauling up chain from depth.  Set on the other side so the handle crosses over the winch, you make little circles faster.  Ideal for pulling up rope from the shallows.  If you choose the right chain and rope the muir will handle both through the one gypsy.

Next time we'll explore the topsides and insides.

Cheers,

Ross Devitt.