First Shakedown Cruise

Jerome's Sailboat Pilgrim

Pilgrim at anchor in upper Spa Creek, Annapolis, with Truxtun Park in the background. This is where Jerome anchored between our two shakedown cruises. Click on the picture to see a bigger version; use your browser's "back" command to return here.

Pilgrim is a 1989 Tayana Vancouver 42, a well-respected blue-water cruising sailboat designed by Robert Harris and built by Ta-Yang in Taiwan. The Vancouver 42 is available as a center cockpit, aft cockpit, or pilot house design; Pilgrim is the aft-cockpit version. All the versions are "double-enders", with a curved and pointed stern.

Below, the accommodations are spacious and very well finished. There are three separate cabins: an aft cabin with a double berth, the main saloon with two large settees (which can serve as berths), and the forward cabin with a double V-berth. The saloon also has a large folding drop-leaf table.

There is a spacious galley with lots of countertop and storage, a double sink, three-burner propane stove, microwave, and a large refrigerator/freezer with both engine-driven and AC-powered compressors. The sink has hot and cold pressure water plus two foot pumps for fresh and salt water. Out in the cockpit, there's a vented locker containing two 20-lb propane tanks that supply the stove.

The head is exceptionally nice, with a spacious compartment for the toilet and sink plus a separate compartment for a stand-up shower. There is a separate black water holding tank for the toilet and gray water storage tank for the shower drain. There are two stainless steel freshwater tanks with a combined capacity of 150 gallons. The hot water heater operates via AC power or an engine coolant heat exchanger.

The interior is beautifully finished in teak and spruce, including the interior of all lockers. There is abundant storage throughout, with numerous lockers and drawers. There are numerous opening ports, hatches, and dorades to provide excellent ventilation.

The electrical system is robust, with a house bank capacity of 660 amp-hours, a powerful combined inverter / shore charger, an energy management system, and an external Honda AC generator. Electronic devices include a pole-mounted Furuno radar, SSB radio with backstay antenna, Garmin GPS with full nautical charts, built-in and handheld VHF radios, depth sounder / knot meter, and sailing instruments (wind speed and direction).

Propulsion is via a 44-hp Yanmar diesel and feathering MaxProp. Fuel capacity is 120 gallons in two separate tanks. The steering system includes a Navico hydraulic autopilot with weatherproof controls at the helm.

On deck, the deck-stepped mast has a large fully-battened mainsail with three reef points, lazy jacks, and zipping sail storage pouch; the sail plan includes a furling jib and a self-tending hanked-on staysail. Most lines are led aft to the cockpit, which is outfitted with self-tailing winches and line stoppers where appropriate. There are mast pulpits and a boom gallows.

Ground tackle includes CQR and Fortress anchors, rope/chain anchor rodes, and a Lofrans Tigress electric windlass with power up/down that can be controlled from the foredeck or cockpit. A pressure washdown system is included.

The large cockpit has a comfortable helm with easy access to the GPS, autopilot, depth sounder, and sailing instruments. A folding teak cockpit table easily accommodates several people. Weather protection is provided by a small companionway hood and a large roll-up cockpit awning.

There is a hard-bottomed inflatable dinghy mounted on sturdy stainless steel davits at the stern, with a 6-hp four-cycle Tohatsu outboard motor stored on the pulpit, and an outboard motor crane to deploy the motor.

The layout of a typical aft-cockpit Tayana Vancouver 42. Both the forward and aft cabins have doors, not visible in the drawing. Just aft of the port settee is the nav station. The drop-leaf table opens up on both sides, although we normally only used the leaf on the starboard side. The white dot in the center of the table is where the mast support post is located (the mast is deck stepped). Note the stand-up shower, entered from inside the head. This is a wonderful luxury on a sailboat. The big blank area aft is a very large equipment and storage area. You can enter this area from below by swinging aside the companionway steps, or from the cockpit by climbing into the starboard cockpit locker.

Looking forward from the cockpit, taken when we were anchored on the Rhode River. You can see the boom gallows with rolled-up cockpit awning and the companionway hood; just forward you can see the new Harken traveler. The leftmost winch serves the mainsheet, then comes the reefing winch with the reefing lines, outhaul, and vang on stoppers. To the right of the companionway hood is the main halliard and the staysail sheet, although we usually raised the main using a mast-mounted winch.		Looking aft at the cockpit while we were sailing on the bay; from the angle of the mainsheet, the boom was probably right over my head.

A view of the bow while we were anchored on the Rhode River. There's a dual bow roller, although normally only the CQR working anchor is carried on the bow roller. The second anchor rode is made ready to accept the Fortress storm anchor, stowed elsewhere. You can see the anchor chains leading below the closed covers of the windlass locker, which also contains the washdown hose. In the lower-right corner, you can see the flaked out staysail and its halliard.		At the bow looking aft. The self-tending staysail is flaked out on its boom. Note the dual mast pulpits—it's hard to see, but the Fortress storm anchor is secured to the right-hand pulpit. The left-hand pulpit can accept a small ladder so we can climb high enough to access the headboard on the mainsail. The side decks are wide and uncluttered, and it's easy and relatively secure to walk around on deck. At the extreme right, you can see the red jug with gas for the generator and outboard motor. Both motors are four-cycle, so you never need to mix oil (although you do need to check the crankcase oil level).

The story continues after two more pages of pictures.