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SCAUREND II
40' Valiant Cutter
25th May 2003
 A
whirlwind! About 3000 miles, more or less, since Friday afternoon.
All to pursue this dream of mine – this time, inspect, sail,
and survey Stigandi. Where is Stigandi? Why, Seward, Alaska, of
course! So, leave Friday, fly to Vancouver, rent a car, pick up
Mike (my surveyor) in Bellingham, drive to Seattle, get up at 3:30
on Saturday, fly to Anchorage, rent a car, drive about 150 miles
to Seward! We did this, and, we arrived at 11:30 in the morning,
and started the survey – Stigandi was out of the water, hull
clean and looking – well – tired. Rob and Kelle were
just finishing the hull when we arrived – nice couple –
Kelle a teacher, Rob an Engineer.
Mike was at the hull with his hammer and chalk; I was looking at
Stigandi as a whole. As I said, she looked tired – hull blistered
and dirty, the white was faded; all woodwork faded, shedding its
varnish, and flaking; several chips in the gel coat that wasn’t
properly faired. Soon Mike was finished, and Stigandi went back
into the water – she looked much more comfortable there, and
the below waterline blisters were no longer visible – we all
got on, and Kelle put the sandwiches and drinks away, Rob took us
out under power, and Mike and I began our digging around.
The life of a surveyor can be tough – Mike had his head in
the bilges, hands and fingers digging through every nook and cranny.
I was turning on taps, electronics, heaters, radar, radios and even
an old Loran”C”! We lifted cushions, pumped the head,
tapped the hull, turned on the refrigeration, checked the oil, turned
on lights, listened to the VHF, tried the auto-pilot, and did our
best not to miss anything. Soon, we had the engine running warm,
took some oil from it, the transmission and the V-drive. In a few
hours, we were finished below, and moved topsides – it was
time to hoist the sails!
 Mike
kept on looking, tapping, and making notes; I took the wheel while
under sail – we had the main, jib and stay sail flying, so
was Stigandi – she sails beautifully, both to and off the
wind. It was a cool day, and soon my hands and fingers were numb
– good old Reynauds! That was OK, as we were able to drop
the sails, and turn on the auto-pilot; again, Stigandi handled well,
and the auto-pilot did what auto-pilots are intended to do –
keep us on course. Now it was time to check the steering; Mike climbed
below, into the lazerette, the better to see what was happening
below – the photos should be priceless!
Just a word about Mike. Mike is perhaps the best surveyor in the
Bellingham area – especially with respect to Valiants. He
was one of the Vice Presidents of Uniflite during the construction
period of Scaurend II. I first met Mike years ago when I bought
Scaurend – he did its survey then – I don’t recall
the outcome of the survey, but it could not have been bad, as I
– we – got 13 years of wonderful sailing from her, until
she went to a new owner in April of this year. The bonus of this
survey with Mike, is the fact that we had to travel to Alaska together,
and bunk in together as we went up to do the survey – we –
have discovered much in common, and, I have no doubt, will continue
to see each other in the future. A bonus was the fact that he and
his beautiful wife, Chris, were in Alaska a few years ago and Mike
was able to provide an ongoing commentary as we traveled from Anchorage
to Seward and return – it was a lot of fun!!!! Mike has his
business, Mike McGlenn, Marine Surveyor and Consultant,
in Bellingham, and can be reached at any time at: mikemcglenn@msn.com.
Give him a note; ask him what he thought of our trip!!
Soon we were finished and had enjoyed a sandwich, potato salad,
and a drink – all courtesy of Kelle – me, I doused Kelle
when she went forward to wrap the sheets – nice guy –
she is a sport! In fact, she was kind enough to point out to Mike
and me the three mountains that are a backdrop to her bikini pics
– great mountains, great pics!! We took Stigandi into her
berth (after a few valiant trys by Rob), and then sat and talked.
Soon all of the details were complete, equipment included quickly
finalized, and then Mike and I had to leave to return to Anchorage.
I told Kelle and Rob that I would have to await Mike’s report
before a final decision was made – they understood. Now, some
two weeks later, Stigandi (soon to be Scaurend II) is mine. It took
a little negotiation and tweaking, but Rob and Kelle and I, got
to where we are both comfortable – “shook” on
the deal, and closed it.
So, what is next? Well, several things, but most important of all,
is to get her down to her slip in Bellingham (Gate 9, NE15) and
start the needed maintenance. The trip will be breathtaking and
a wonderful warm-up for Vic Maui – at this time, I figure
we will do it between 15th and 30th of July. Her first log entry,
from the survey, will appear right here on these pages, and will
continue as long as she and I continue this “romance”!
I “stumbled” upon Valiant 40s, and am glad that I did
– all of that is said in the article below I have found to
be true and correct. More importantly, from the very moment I stepped
onto one – Tatoosh – at the docks of Discovery Yachts
– I have been totally comfortable. I am sure all who come
to visit will be as well. And, come to visit you must! Scaurend
II will welcome you warmly, and will be a safe and comfortable “home
away from home” for you – simply name the date, and
the route, let me know, send a photo, and your name will hit the
“Crew” page, and you will come and join me, and whoever
else may be present at the time.
So take a look at the photos here, read the comments about Valiants
generally, and if you are really interested, or simply want to keep
abreast of what is happening in my pre-sailing and post-sailing
life, tune into the Valiant
Owners Group. I will be contributing there from time to time,
and they will maintain a link to this Web site at all times!
So, that is it for now. This is how Stigandi became Scaurend II,
and my new home-to-be. Come and share it, enjoy it, and relax!
1997 — SAILBOAT HALL OF FAME
Valiant 40 was inducted into the American
Sailboat Hall of Fame at ceremonies held January 11, 1997
at Sail Expo Atlantic City. The Valiant 40 is touted as the
boat that introduced, 24 years ago, the sailing world to
the
term...
 PERFORMANCE
CRUISER
Before the early 1970s, loads of teak, varnish, leaky
skylights, long keels, big rudders and enormous undersides
with enough wetted surface to require three gallons of antifouling
defined the offshore passage-making cruiser. Enter upstarts
Nathan Rothman and Bob Perry, and a different concept in offshore
boat design began rolling out of the Uniflite factory door
in Bellingham, Washington: the Valiant 40 with its trademark
canoe stern.
What began as a challenge to design and build a fast, comfortable,
safe cruising yacht, a vessel capable of long-distance deepwater
voyaging, evolved into one of the most popular yacht designs
ever produced. The cut-away forefoot, modified fin keel with
external lead, and skeg-hung rudder reduced wetted surface
area. Performance was terrific in comparison to more traditional
designs, and comfort was not sacrificed.
Between 1975 and 1979, Seattleites Bill and Mary Black on
hull number 107 (the seventh boat built), Foreign Affair,
became the first sailors to circumnavigate on a Valiant. “Safe”
and “comfortable” were words they often used to
describe the trip. Two Valiant 40s then entered a difficult
singlehanded transAtlantic race. In the 1976 OSTAR, Francis
Stokes aboard Mooneshine, hull number 122, became the first
American in a monohull to finish. He sailed it very hard,
mostly to weather, and didn’t loosen any teeth in the
process — despite the contention of contemporary skeptics
that you needed a full keel to tame any sailboat upwind in
a seaway. He did it again in the same Valiant four years later.
His success with the boat encouraged Dan Byrne in hull number
101, the first Valiant produced, to enter the inaugural 1982-83
BOC Challenge singlehanded around-the-world race. Dan and
Fantasy completed the difficult 27,000-mile race with its
two deep Southern Ocean legs. All of these cruising and racing
achievements punctuated the design and building accomplishments
of the Rothman-Perry-Uniflite team. That was all I needed
to choose a Valiant 40 for my first singlehanded circumnavigation.
 Uniflite
built 159 Valiant 40s from 1975 to 1984, when Rich Worstell,
a Valiant owner and dealer, bought the molds. After producing
some 40s in Washington, he eventually moved the operation
to Texas. The first “Texas” Valiant 40 was hull
number 267. Sometime during the Uniflite operation, between
hull numbers 120 and 249, resin mixtures were changed to include
a fire-retardant additive. Although conclusive proof was never
established, there was a high correlation between the fire-retardant
additive and the blisters that later developed on boats between
those hull numbers. Blisters developed on most (but not all)
of the boats produced between 1976 and 1981. Lots of those
“blister” boats are out there with happy owners.
Blistered boats represent great dollar value, but may also
require costly repairs.
All the 40s have similar sailing characteristics. Early keels
are slightly longer than later ones, all the ballast numbers
are close to being the same, and Spar-tech in Seattle built
most of the rigs. A variety of portlight, hatch, engine, pump
and tank manufacturers have been tapped over the years, and
many different types of deck gear used, but the interior has
remained the same. A functional, comfortable (at sea or dockside)
combination of aft “stateroom,” U-shaped galley
with terrific storage, traditional main saloon with a bulkhead
table or permanent cruising fold-down job, outboard pilot
berths, head with separate shower, and V-berth forward make
for happy cruising.
Most deck arrangements are the same, although a few early
boats had longer booms and end-boom sheeting — a nuisance
bordering on dangerous for the unaware helmsperson during
a gybe. A mid-boom traveler was introduced with a shorter
boom and slightly taller rig, which is much more convenient
for many reasons. The cockpit is comfortable and secure.
A Valiant 40 is capable of consistent 165-mile days without
a crew willing to expend lots of energy. With conventional
windvane, cutter rig, good sails and a bit of attention to
trim, a consistent and comfortable 6.5 to 7.5 knots is the
norm on a breezy passage. There is just enough bow flare to
keep the deck reasonably dry, and loads of forward buoyancy
to keep the bow from pearling. In over 30,000 miles of singlehanded
sailing I never needed to worry about the integrity of my
40; it handled an amazing and sometimes overwhelming variety
of conditions. Rumbling along on a deep reach with a big following
sea is something to experience from the Valiant’s safe
cockpit. |
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