Selecting a suitable yacht to undertake serious ocean voyaging or a circumnavigation requires" that a certain amount of informed thought should be given to the choice of this vessel." These wise words are a quote from Arthur Beiser, who is a long standing OCC member and the author of two editions of "The Proper Yacht", which were published respectively in the 1966 and 1978. Both editions provide a very comprehensive analysis of the factors, which need to be taken into consideration, for a yacht to qualify for the designation proper yacht together with descriptions of designs, which in Arthur's words, more or less qualified for the term - 38 in the first edition and 58 in the second. I have a cherished and very well thumbed copy of the first edition, which Arthur very kindly autographed for me, when I met him in the Isles des Embiez back in 1982.

A good starting point for anyone contemplating the acquisition of a yacht for the purpose of undertaking serious ocean voyaging is to first acquire a copy of one of these editions and then make a thorough study of the contents. By the end of this process I am sure that you will find that you will have a much clearer idea of the type of yacht that will suit your own requirements. It is also worth reading what Arthur has to say in his chapter on "The Proper Yacht", which is included in the OCC publication - "The First Fifty Years" by Tony Vasey. When Arthur was asked by Adlard Coles to produce a third edition in the early 1990s, he declined to do so because of the lack of suitable modern examples to include in it!

I would like to think that our Malo 42 - Sofia would qualify for the designation proper yacht. She is a good looking, solidly built heavy displacement ocean cruiser, which has served us well on our circumnavigation. However, were we to undertake a similar venture in future, we would almost certainly look for a larger and faster vessel particularly in light airs. During our circumnavigation we encountered a significant number of couples, who were successfully managing yachts in the 50 foot plus range and in some cases as large a 60 feet. Modern sailing handling equipment now makes handling this size of yacht a reality for couples, who constitute the majority of ocean cruisers. That said, my personal preference would be for a ketch rig, as this keeps each individual sail more manageable in size and provides for more options in the event of bad weather. However, while ketch rigs were once commonplace, they are now a rarity on modern cruising yachts. The exception being the French Amel range. We have encountered a considerable number of Amel ketches on our circumnavigation and I can see why they are so popular with their owners, as they are well put together and designed with serious ocean cruising in mind.

In my view performance is an important factor for two reasons. First it reduces the time spent on long ocean passages. A 3000 mile passage undertaken by a yacht that can average 200 mile days will be 6 days shorter at 15 days that a yacht which can only manage 140 mile days taking over 21 days. A yacht with the capacity for faster passage making is also better able to escape from or avoid unpleasant weather.

Another aspect of design, which in my view receives insufficient attention from most manufacturers is accessibility and ease of maintenance for items, which require regular maintenance such as engines, generators and water makers. On Sofia the Yanmar diesel is located behind the companionway under the cockpit. When we acquired her the only access to the engine was by removing the companionway steps and an access panel in the port side aft cabin. Unfortunately the oil and fuel filters are located on the starboard side of the engine and unless one had extremely long and agile arms changing the filters was far from easy. We solved this problem by fitting an another access panel in the starboard aft cabin, which now provides direct access to the filters. In my view Malo should have installed this at the outset. We also discovered that in order to change the salt water pump impeller for the engine cooling system one had to remove the forward port engine mount! We have now had to undertake this operation four times during our circumnavigation. Needless to say we feel that more careful and thoughtful design by Yanmar and Malo at the outset could have avoided this situation.

A related issue concerns access to important elements of the yacht's construction such as keel bolts and chain plates. In Sofia's case neither are readily accessible. In order to access the keel bolts one would have to dismantle a substantial amount of joinery in the saloon and then remove the forward water tank. Access to the chainplates would also entail dismantling a substantial amount of joinery. In the case of a grounding, collision or dismasting, which are not unknown risks on a circumnavigation, quick and straightforward access to either or both of these elements will be important; particularly as one could be many miles away from the nearest yard or repair facility. We did not address this issue when we were looking over Sofia with a view to purchasing her. We would certainly do so now. While access issues may not be at the forefront of one's mind when acquiring a yacht for ocean cruising experience on our circumnavigation indicates that they are worthy of careful consideration.

Another aspect to which we would pay more attention is the layout of the accommodation and the availability of stowage. We have been aboard many fine cruising yachts during our circumnavigation - Oysters, Hallberg-Rassys, Najads Rustlers and Bowman to name but a few. The common characteristic is that they all have too many berths and too little stowage space for the plethora of equipment and spares required for a circumnavigation given that for most of the time there will only be two people on board. Virtually all had at least one accommodation cabin taken over for stowage use. In our case on Sofia both the port aft cabin and the stand alone shower stall next to the forward owners cabin are used for this purpose.

If one is in the fortunate position of being able to afford a new build most quality yards may permit a degree of customisation in the accommodation layout. In which case my advice would be to trade berths for a proper work bench and purposely designed stowage bins. Few modern designs include a purpose built oilskin locker with adequate ventilation and heating close to the companionway, which I would certainly recommend. I would also focus on a galley designed with use on passage as its primary function and a suitable single sea berth for use by the off watch member of the crew while on passage. However, the likelihood is that one will be faced with or inherit, if purchasing second hand, a fixed layout and the question then is how easily can it be adapted to suit the requirements of a couple engaged in ocean cruising.

I appreciate fully that all designs are a compromise and each potential owner will have their own set of priorities and budgetary constraints. However, I am sure that following a careful perusal of Arthur Beiser's sage advice in "The Proper Yacht" one would make a more informed choice.

Jonathan Lloyd

SY Sofia