Archambault 40

 

All the usual necessities are here, but the interior is cheerful rather than ornate. I like the blue and white striped upholstery; the fabric reminds me of the smock worn by the French matelot from several decades ago. He would also wear a beret and a Gauloise would be hanging from his lower lip.

A lot of the interior is moulded; this boat will be easy to keep clean. It will also be comfortable in its uncluttered way.

ON DECK
The cockpit is the heart of a race boat. It's the heart of any boat, really, because if it doesn't work ergonomically it can drive you nuts and risk your life. And you can lose a race.

The Archambault 40's layout works fine. The mainsheet traveller is right aft, behind the skipper. The sheet winches are amidships, on mouldings, which project from the sides so the crew can get weight in the perfect position to wind. Secondary winches are on the coach-roof. The mainsheet is split and controlled by winches on each coaming behind the helmsman's position.

The steering wheel is big, mounted on a moulded pedestal, which also provides the skipper's foot support when he is seated. When standing his feet are held firm by terrific non-skid.

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There are moulded foot supports on the centreline at the forward end of the cockpit, and down aft they out towards the sides so, when going upwind, a crewman positioned behind the helmsman is well supported while working the backstay.

The fact that our crew, a number of whom had never been on the boat before, successfully tacked and gybed the boat in a good breeze without once getting into a muddle proves that the cockpit works.

"Some of them are dinghy sailors", said Pacific Yachting's Glenn Coulton, "who have never handled a spinnaker pole before". A sign of the times; this is the era of the bowsprit and the asymmetric spinnaker. The Archambault 40 is fitted with a bowsprit/prodder, but Steve chose not to nominate it when the boat was measured for its IRC rating of 1.118.

SAILING
Newcastle's Cruising Yacht Club is in the suburb of Wickham, which used to be at the daggy end of town, but nowhere in Newcastle is daggy any more. The marina is still growing and the clubhouse has yet to be built, but sailing from here is a joy. From the marina you sweep down a foreshore, which is urban beautiful on one side, neat industrial on the other. In a matter of minutes you are past Nobbys Head and in Stockton Bight. Modern Newcastle is a beautiful city, given new life by two disasters — the earthquake of '88 and the closure of BHP and the subsequent reinvention of the city and rebirth of the harbour and foreshore.

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