By Jeff Williams

As I write this, the trade winds are sweeping across our deck bringing the smells of tropical salt air and the sounds of a steel band from the nearby shore. We’re anchored just off Saba Rock adjacent to the Bitter End Yacht Club at the extreme eastern end of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. Not unusual for cruisers like ourselves to spend some time here. What is unusual for a live-aboard though is that today we started sailing from St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, cleared customs in Tortola, and then continued sailing upwind almost 40 miles to reach this spot - and we had fun doing it! A lot of the credit goes to our boat, a J/40, "Gryphon".

It was a full day of non-stop twenty knot winds straight on the nose today. We averaged over seven knots even though we had two reefs tucked in the main and were using the non-overlapping #3 jib. Along the way we overtook boats with ten feet more waterline length than ourselves, and in general outpointed every sailboat that wasn’t motoring! No doubt, every boat is a compromise, but days like today make us feel like we chose the right options when we picked Gryphon for our traveling companion. (Or did she pick us?)

When we started looking for a cruising boat my wife and I knew that we wanted a boat that would sail well and sail fast. From previous experience, we were unconvinced concerning the conventional wisdom of heavy, full-keeled cruisers. Our last boat was exactly that, and while comfortable and roomy, she couldn’t get out of her own way. Tacking through 120 degrees is no way to get to weather.

We also wanted a well found boat that we could trust in blue water. A stripped-out racer might get us to the bar first, but having the mast still standing at the end of every passage was considered a key benefit. A cored hull and deck, built by a reputable builder, and proven over a number of years though various models and designs would be evidence to us of the quality and workmanship we desired.

And of course, we needed a boat that would be affordable given the size and accommodations we wanted. In general we restricted our search to boats between 37 and 45 feet, with 40 feet being the target length. Forty feet meant some semblance of security for us in open water and anything longer just meant larger bills for larger sails, longer rigging, heavier ground tackle, and naturally, larger dock or haulout space. Two cabins, a decent saloon and dining area, a workable galley, and a proper chart table were also important considerations. Additionally for offshore work moving about in the saloon had to be easy and secure.

All of these factors together pointed to the J/40 as our idea of a great liveaboard - besides it’s a lot more fun to go fast than slow!

Our broker, Rich Hill of Hill and Lowden (Marblehead, MA) had been extremely patient with us as we searched for our new boat. He understood the basic parameters of our search and had shown us Baltics, J-Boats, and Swans among others. Still, for almost a year the J/40 remained our benchmark as we compared each new offering to that design. Then, one day in February 1997, Rich called to announce he had found the J/40 for us! It’s name was Gryphon and it was living in Florida at the time. Coincidence had us in Miami for a layover during a flight the following week, so it was a simple matter to rent a car and drive down the Keys for a look. She was beautiful, and within a month she was ours. We had the boat trucked to Rhode Island, close to our home and jobs, and we began the process of fitting her out for what we hope will become a circumnavigation.

When we took possession of Gryphon, she was basically set up as a weekend cruiser. The hull, spars, and rigging were sound, and the equipment was functional but minimal. Built in 1986, Gryphon was hull #6 of the J/40 lineage out of TPI in Warren, Rhode Island. She has Kenyon spars and a Volvo turbo-diesel auxiliary. Since our plans included living aboard for several years, there were many changes that we wanted to make before we could call her home. We enlisted the help of Paul Dennis and the crew at Warren River Boat Works also in Warren, RI. Paul is trained as a naval architect and had worked for TPI and for Freedom prior to establishing his own boat yard. He was very familiar not only with J/Boats in general, but with many of the specific components, materials, and techniques used in their construction. Throughout the next year and a half he would prove to be an excellent source of ideas concerning the improvements we wanted to make, and all the staff turned out to be quality craftsmen that could turn those ideas into reality.

The project list for Gryphon eventually grew to over one hundred specific items. These could be generally categorized either as maintenance and repairs or as upgrades and new equipment. The boat was over ten years old, and although she had been hauled out for many of those winter seasons, much of her equipment and fittings were showing their age. The aluminum stanchion bases were starting to crack, many of the port lights leaked, and the hatch hinges were worn and the glass crazed.

The standing rigging appeared sound, but it was original and it used swaged fittings. We replaced most of the wire and added upper and lower Norseman fittings. A inner-forestay was added to carry a stormsail. The root of the forestay was attached to a reinforcement in the bow that served the dual purpose of anchor locker divider and collision protection. The bottom was completely stripped down to the original gelcoat and even though we found absolutely no evidence of osmosis blistering, four coats of epoxy barrier were added before the bottom paint since soon the boat would be in tropic waters twelve months a year. Steve Thurston of Thurston/Quantum Sails (Bristol, RI) built the new stormsail and a fully-battened main. Ground tackle was upgraded to include 200’ of chain and a 22 kg. Bruce anchor.

The equipment upgrades were numerous - electric windlass, liferaft, stern arch, refrigeration, watermaker, macerators, hydraulic autopilot, single-sideband radio, inverter, etc., etc. With all the new electrical loads, the battery and charging systems needed to be thoroughly upgraded. Two 8-D absorbed glass mat batteries were installed for a house bank and a separate Group 27 gel battery was kept as an independent battery solely for starting the engine.

All of the electrical upgrades presented a unique problem. Since a J/40 only carries about 40 gallons of diesel fuel, on long passages it would be impossible to rely solely on the engine for charging the batteries. We installed a high-output wind generator and solar panels. All are permanent fixtures requiring minimal attention and able to work in all but the roughest conditions. The engine alternator was upgraded to 100 amps so that when the engine was running we would get maximum energy from each precious drop of fuel.

We also made changes to make the boat homier. Bookshelves were added in the main saloon, new storage enclosures were built for otherwise unused spaces, a seat was built for the stand-up chart table, and new cushions were made for the settees. Reading lights were installed over the bunks and fans placed in strategic spots. Because so much time is spent outside in the tropics, a dodger and bimini and a teak sole grate and folding table were added to make the cockpit more comfortable.

In all we spent eighteen months fitting out Gryphon to be our new home, balancing time spent sailing with time spent working. In the end we had the boat we wanted And, oh yes, we raised the waterline five inches.

June of 1998 provided a unique opportunity for an honest, offshore shakedown cruise for us and Gryphon - the 1998 Newport/Bermuda race. We’d had several passages under our own keels, including Raine’s transatlantic, but nothing significant on Gryphon unless you counted motoring in the fog to Block Island. We entered the race in a Cruising class since our racing experience was virtually nil. We joined U.S. Sailing and had Gryphon rated by the new Americap handicap system. The ORC Category 1 classification required careful attention to boat preparation and safety equipment.

The race itself turned out to be more of a test of patience as the winds were the lightest in twenty years. At various points during the race the crew swam, polished stainless, and went whale watching. We chased squalls to get wind and water. We practiced the art of light-wind sailing, wandering from wind ripple to wind ripple. Finally with less than 36 hours left in the official race (the finish line closes at noon on the Friday after the start of the race), the winds filled in from the southeast and we were able to beat to the finish line with an hour and a half to spare. Of the 13 boats that started in our class only five finished the race, the others having to withdraw in order to motor to Bermuda. In the end we placed fourth in our class! And the class winner - a J/36! No doubt our success in the race was due in great part to the light-wind performance of Gryphon and of J/Boats in general.

As it turned out, the real shakedown came on the return to Newport a week later. The trip that took six days during the race took less than four on the return. We had 30+ knots for almost 24 hours and the seas built to twelve feet. Gryphon handled all of the conditions encountered with aplomb. It was always easy to balance the helm, changing down to the #3 and reefing the main into the deep third reef. When conditions lightened, the reefs were shaken out of the main and we went from #3 to #1 to asymmetrical spinnaker. We reached Newport on the afternoon of July 4, three days and twelve hours after leaving Bermuda. Gryphon performed as flawlessly as permitted by her neophyte race crew. The shakedown was a proper success!

The remainder of that summer was spent in final preparation for cruising. The last few system enhancements were made and a full inventory of spare and maintenance items was added. Finally in September we moved out of our temporary apartment and onto the boat. As we unpacked boxes of clothes, food, and books we faced the realization of another tradeoff we made in choosing this boat - there’s not a lot of storage! Since we hope to entertain friends and guests at times, it was important to keep some space open on the boat and not turn the second cabin into a storage locker. As we whittled away at the piles of t-shirts and old Cruising World magazines, we slowly organized the boat and in the end have achieved a comfortable balance of convenience and frugality. Cruising on a live-aboard is a minimalist life in terms of possessions and "stuff". The fulfillment of this lifestyle is measured through experiences, travels, and people and not in accumulation of physical belongings. And with a J/40, that’s a good thing!

Our route to the Caribbean started with a coastal passage down Long Island Sound, then through New York City (very strange to have waypoints like "Brooklyn Bridge"), down the Jersey coast, up the Delaware and down the Chesapeake. The trip threw a real mixed bag at us, from 15 on the beam to 30 on the nose. Mid-November we set off from Norfolk for our second trip this year to Bermuda. This time there was wind. And plenty of it. We followed a cold front offshore, starting with 15-20 out of the northwest. The weather calmed just long enough for us to cross the Gulfstream and then filled in again from the southwest. By the time we neared Bermuda, the seas were 12 feet, the winds 25-30 with squalls. We landed in St. George’s less than four days after we left the Bay - better than 7 knots average! Gryphons can fly!

A week in Bermuda and we were off again. This time the winds were a gentle 10 on the beam and for 36 hours we had a great beam reach in relatively flat seas. Then, 36 hours of motoring to get through the large high pressure area that has dominated the South Atlantic this season. Finally, the trades filled in, big time. Before long we were down to the #3 and the deep reef again. The final 24 hours into the BVI were once again 12 foot seas with the occasional breaking crest. One in particular caught us in the middle of the night, knocking us down almost to horizontal, and filling the cockpit. Storm ports saved the interior of the boat, and the new 3" cockpit drain emptied the water immediately.

We arrived in the BVI around sunset, six days after leaving Bermuda. All in all, Gryphon’s performance was excellent. She handled light, moderate, and strong winds easily. Proper helm balance is essential to a comfortable ride and we found the need for reefing was just like voting in Chicago - reef early and reef often. Sea conditions were never worse than 15 feet, but again the boat handled the conditions well. Gryphon’s light weight and deep fin keel make her very responsive and maneuverable in all conditions and it was possible to steer around or through the worst of the waves. She pointed well in rough seas, although with low freeboard the cockpit was sometimes wet. The dodger and weather cloths did much to protect us. At times her responsiveness gave a ride that was, shall we say, lively leading to that natural conclusion - fish feeding.