My first long ocean voyage, a circumnavigation of the globe, had more in common with voyaging in the immediate post-war years than it did with contemporary ocean sailing. My husband Seth and I made that voyage in the first years of the 21st century; therefore, if we had been much wealthier, we could have sailed in a style not greatly different from what is common today. As it was, our experience would have felt familiar to such iconic voyagers as the Smeetons or the Pyes.
Our sloop was built in 1968, to a 1954 design. Specifically, she was an imitation of the famous Sparkman & Stephens yawl (winner of three consecutive Bermuda Races), although she was a sloop rather than a yawl. Despite being 38ft (11.6m) overall, and 27ft (8.2m) on the waterline, she displaced 24,000lbs (10,900kg). She had a relatively shallow-draught keel, with a centerboard that could be lowered for upwind performance. She was low to the water, had sweeping overhangs a narrow stern and a small cabin with a traditional layout. Her chart table was expansive and her bunks were narrow. Although her hull was GRP, she had a solid mahogany cabin, coamings and toerail; her ports, stanchions, and
