Cavalier 26 (Quarter Tonner) in Queensland's Whitsunday Islands.
UPDATE:
A couple of years after I wrote this post the Whitsunday Islands were hot by another cyclone, this time, cyclone Debbie swept through and among other things, tore a huge floating office structure off its moorings.
When it broke loose, the 500mm anchor ropes dragging behind it tore a few other vessels from their moorings, among them, Shepherd Moons. I first learned about the damage when I saw an article about the cyclone in the U.K newspaper, The Daily Telegraph (from memory) and immediately recognised my yacht, lying on her side in the mangroves in the photograph.
During an inspection the next day I cut my hand in the wreck, and a few days later I was rushed to Townsville hospital suffering a very severe (llife threatening) infection.
Eventually, Shepherd moons was recovered and scrapped. A sad end to a wonderful sailing yacht.
Because there are quite a few old Cavalier 26 yachts for sale in Australia and New Zealand, instead of deleting this blog, I will consider modifying it with whatever information I can think of for people who are looking for information on what the Cavalier is like as a small cruising yacht.
Cavalier 26 yacht
Thursday 12 November 2015
Sunday 24 May 2015
Shepherd Moons - Cavalier 26 Yacht (by Ross Devitt)
The Cavalier 26 has a pleasing hull shape |
A masthead Rig with strong standing rigging |
A slightly tubby look that belies her easy movement |
The keel is a substantial lump of steel, set low to provide good headroom inside |
Keel shape keeps the weight at the bottom a bit like a bulb would |
The rudder shape provides precise steering with a nice light feel in all conditions. |
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. |
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! |
Next time we'll explore the topsides and insides.
Cheers,
Ross Devitt.
Sunday 4 August 2013
Thursday 21 March 2013
Shepherd Moons is still languishing on the mooring. It is almost the end of another cyclone season here in the Whitsundays. We have been lucky again this year, but there is still time for one late cyclone to surprise us. It was three years ago today that cyclone Ului devastated Shute Harbour. Right near the end of the season.
Mid April a friend is coming up to help me get Sheppy slipped, cleaned and antifouled, fix some repairs from two years of neglect and take her for a couple of weeks sailing. It will be the first time she has been off the mooring since July 2011, because of my health problems. Hopefully I can use my boat and the islands to stabilise my health.
I am looking forward to getting back out there and beginning to write again.
Mid April a friend is coming up to help me get Sheppy slipped, cleaned and antifouled, fix some repairs from two years of neglect and take her for a couple of weeks sailing. It will be the first time she has been off the mooring since July 2011, because of my health problems. Hopefully I can use my boat and the islands to stabilise my health.
I am looking forward to getting back out there and beginning to write again.
Tuesday 11 September 2012
Introducing Shepherd Moons
The Cavalier 26 is a Quarter Ton IOR class racing yacht designed in the late 1970's. All quarter tonners are relatively small inside by today's standards, because of the design limitations of the racing rule. This rule led to an interesting hull shape with a distinctive sloping transom that, while it wasted space, meant that a following sea very often passed by as it broke. The Cavalier is stable in two metre high, breaking beam seas, though it doesn't feel quite as stable as say a Seaway 25 trailer sailer.
My Cavalier 26 was built around 1980 I believe, and originally fitted with a small diesel engine and a leg that protruded below the boat. At some time in her life the engine and leg were removed, the hole more or less patched and another hole cut in the lazarette area. Again, this was apparently deemed to be a bad idea, so somebody removed that motor, did an even rougher job of filling the hole, and built a bit of a pod on the sloping transom. Just prior to my purchasing the boat, the two stroke 8hp motor had been removed and an aging 9.9hp Yamaha four stroke that weighs close to sixty kilograms was hung from the bracket on the stern. A forward control unit was mounted sideways on the taffrail and this is how she was set up when I inspected her.
This was in May 2010. A couple of months before my lovely old Seaway 25, Volcano had her bottom torn out in cyclone Ului when it seems another boat may have broken her off the mooring. I was not in good enough health to rebuild her, so I decided to spend the money that would have cost on finding another quarter tonner, preferably a trailable. I spotted the photo of the Cavalier in a marina window. The lines were right, the price was right, and I decided I could learn to live with a keel. That last observation is the only regret I have had since buying the Cavalier 26.
The Cavalier was parked up a mangrove creek and I didn't bother to take her for a sail before I bought her. I raced yachts for years, and owned one of the best quarter ton designs ever built. I thought I would learn the Cavalier soon enough. I did a deal with the broker for a cheap marina berth while I was doing some necessary repairs and modifications, then brought her around and had her lifted out into the boat yard.
First Sight |
This was in May 2010. A couple of months before my lovely old Seaway 25, Volcano had her bottom torn out in cyclone Ului when it seems another boat may have broken her off the mooring. I was not in good enough health to rebuild her, so I decided to spend the money that would have cost on finding another quarter tonner, preferably a trailable. I spotted the photo of the Cavalier in a marina window. The lines were right, the price was right, and I decided I could learn to live with a keel. That last observation is the only regret I have had since buying the Cavalier 26.
The Cavalier was parked up a mangrove creek and I didn't bother to take her for a sail before I bought her. I raced yachts for years, and owned one of the best quarter ton designs ever built. I thought I would learn the Cavalier soon enough. I did a deal with the broker for a cheap marina berth while I was doing some necessary repairs and modifications, then brought her around and had her lifted out into the boat yard.
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