The Boat

Bristol 27 Specifications

Models: B-27 Standard 1966

Designer: Carl A. Alberg

Builder: Bristol Yachts

L-O-A: 27' 2"

L-W-L: 19' 9"

Beam: 8" 0"

Draft: 4" 0"

Ballast: 2575 lbs (internal lead)

Displacement: 6600 lbs

Sail Area: 340 sq. ft.
Engine: Yamaha 6hp

The boat is a great 27 footer.  You can check out the basic lines and description at.

http://www.sailingmagazine.net/component/content/article/556.html

http://www.bristolowners.org/27/bristol27.html

The boat is all set up for simple, single handed cruising.  The bow has a double forestay so that you can have either a genoa(large jib) or the working jib ready to launch at any time, it can also be used to run wing on wing downwind with two jibs.  There is a good spinnaker that is used frequently and is ready to fly.  The main is set up with 2 reef points.  There is also an autopilot that does a good job of steering the boat when you need to walk around or go below.    

The electrical system is powered by 2 solar panels on the stern.  The panels provide power to a series 27 and 24 battery.  Electronics are mostly handheld but there is a VHF, depth sounder, autopilot, interior and navigation lights, propane shut off switch, small inverter, interior fans, and miscellaneous other items.

Down below the interior has been modified with a home built icebox, sink, 3 burner stove with oven, and double bunk.  The icebox is well insulated and holds ice for 7 days even in the summer.  The Seaward stove is a stainless steel beauty that is hooked up to a propane tank in the aft lazarette. The sink has foot pump water that is supplied by a 10 gallon hard tank and a 15 gallon soft tank in the bow.  There is a double bunk forward and a single bunk on the left side of the cabin.  

The boat has a Johnson 6hp 4 stroke engine with less than 20hrs in a well in the stern lazarette.  This engine was purchased in November 2007 and has less that 20 hours on it.  The boat also has tools and spares, a fantastic Delta anchor and 2 danforth anchors, an inflatable Kayak, sail covers, lots of extra lines, and miscellaneous gear.

I love this boat and sailed her through the Sea of Cortez over the last 15 years. The boat is set  up for someone who is looking to sail and explore Baja or Mexico on a small budget.  The Bristol 27 is an extremely well built boat with thick hand laid fiberglass and is very seaworthy.

So Many Adventures

Interior

Photos of the interior of the boat. I love looking at these photos and dreaming of being aboard. I love how comfortable she is. I know where everything is, I built most of it and installed the rest. When I bought her 15 years ago the boat was empty and I put together a simple interior. Now she is my retreat. I know that I can always go back to her and she is ready for new adventures.

Dual Forstay

These are pictures of the dual forstay or headstay on our Bristol 27. Each headstay is attached to a side of the anchor roller. It has worked really well for us as you can quickly change jibs in variable wind conditions even if you don't have the money for a roller furler. You do loose some pointing ability with this set up but since this is a cruising boat we don't worry about that too much and being able to carry the jib in more conditions makes up for the loss of performance.

There are bungee cords on the pulpit so the jibs can be secured when it is down. This set up works best when you have double jib halyards.

Here you can see one jib on the starboard and the other jib rolled on deck on the left.

This photo shows the two jibs on deck with the anchor running through the roller in the middle.

Getting the bow roller modified by a welder in La Paz so we could use it for attaching the dual headstays.

Northern Sea of Cortez

I am excited for Baja. Next week I am going to visit my Bristol 27 in San Carlos, Mexico. Haven't been there in over a year and have been missing the cruising life. I will only be down there for a few days but it will still be glorious.

A few pictures from the last trip to warm things up.

A close reach across the Sea of Cortez to Guaymas and San Carlos.

Steve checking out the entrance to Ensanada Grande.

At anchor in Ensanada Grande.

Dream of sailing

It is freezing in NYC and I am dreaming of sailing . She is such a simple boat and such a pleasure to sail. I love that we are going on year 15 of sailing her together and she is still a ton of fun. I think one day we will want to trade up to something bigger and nicer especially if we are going to make longer passages. A bit more water, and a better galley will be necessities on long trips, but we both struggle with the fact that this little 27 footer is so comfortable, seaworthy, affordable, and easy to sail that any boat will have a lot to live up to.


Honeymoon Cove on Isla Danzante.

La Paz Adventure

I have wanted to go sailing in Baja for a while now so I took two weeks off in November and flew down to La Paz for some sailing with Dave.

I flew into San Jose Del Cabo on Monday, Nov 5^th and took the bus to La Paz.

Tuesday: Dave flew in and wished me a happy birthday. We ran some errands, had some dinner and got the boat ready to launch.

Wednesday: We launched the boat with a new outboard and ended up anchored in the middle of the channel when it died 100 yards from the dock. We spent awhile trying to get it started until Dave was smart enough to check the manual and find that we had forgotten to turn on the fuel valve to allow fuel into the carburetor. After opening the valve, the new 6hp four-stroke purred, and we motored over to Marina de La Paz.

Thursday: We were up and headed out the channel. We decided to keep sailing and made it about halfway down Isla Partida before stopping for the night. I chose an anchorage with southerly protection for the nightly Corumel winds but they died after dusk, and instead we bounced all night on chop from the north.

Friday: At dawn, we had nice wind to Los Isolotes and had fantastic snorkeling with the sea lions and a group of Ecology students from University of Denver. After playing with the fish for a couple hours, we headed to Bahia Candelleros for the night. Again, the Corumel wind failed to appear, and instead, after dark, a light chop came in from the north, causing us to bounce around all night. However, as the sun set we had gorgeous calm sunset, and when it was dark were able to spot what looked like a nebula in the eastern sky.

Saturday: Was a mellow sail down along the west side of the island. We went swimming with a giant school of Yellowfin Tuna, were attacked by little flies, saw a bunch of turtles and a couple of dolphins, and were followed by a group of large powerboats who decided that we knew the best spot to anchor. That night, the powerboats came and crowded us until after dark when the Corumel wind finally decided to fill in and threw up a steep onshore chop. The powerboats left for more soporific anchorages, and we spent a restless night bouncing on the big chop.

Sunday: We spent the day at Bahia Ballandra and Palaya Tecolote. At dusk, we sailed around the corner to our favorite anchorage that was glass calm all night and only had one other boat. In the evening, there were thousands of fish jumping all around us, and we were lulled to sleep by the owls calling to each other along the shore.

Monday and Tuesday: We sailed back to La Paz and tried to coordinate getting the boat hauled out. I had contemplated having the boat repainted, but it seemed to be all the local shops could manage just getting an appointment to haul the boat.

I ended up choosing to haul at Berkovich boat yard at the entrance to La Paz, and Wednesday morning I powered over early in the morning. I dropped my stuff ashore then took the boat out to a mooring, cleaned her up, swam ashore, changed, and headed to the bus station. I caught the 12:30 bus to Cabo where I flew to LAX on Alaska Airlines and then caught the red-eye to JFK.

Overall, it was a great week. I had a blast sailing with Dave. He put up with my crap and was always willing to sail even when there was no wind. I can't wait to go back!