Cabo Rico Custom Yachts, Inc.- News and Updates

"As you near a Cabo Rico, the thing that strikes you first is the impeccable workmanship, the quality....... The next thing you notice is the clipper bow.

Now some, yours truly included, used to think clipper bows an affectation, a new boat trying to look like a classic. I was made to see the light after sailing a cold-molded wooden ketch designed by Bruce King for himself and his wife. The thing flew. We bought it after the third tack. Even with a modest genoa we still continually sail past nasty and aggressive looking modern things built uncompromisingly for speed.

A fine technical/historical explanation of why this is so, was given to me by Scott Steward, a Naval Academy graduate who is almost as enchanted by Cabo Ricos as is the company's co-owner and CEO, Fraser Smith. Scott is cruising aboard his third Cabo Rico, which he has already single-handed up and down the east coast, on a maiden run of 4,500 miles. No slouch he. In his five years of cruising he has been through much of what the sea can dish out, including a voyage in a CR 45 down the west coast from Seattle to San Francisco in up to 50 K winds, doing 13 knots under triple reefed main and staysail.

His enthusiasm for the boats is based on rich experience, not a dreamer’s lusting. He calls Cabo Ricos, ‘Fabulous offshore boats, .... Partly from the clipper bow, partly from the hull shape, they have a smooth, powerful gliding motion. They’re not boats that scare the hell out of you, unlike some light boats I have sailed that terrify the owners, where exhilaration soon becomes high anxiety....The boats have a true compound curve clipper bow, attesting to Bill Crealock’s long personal experience offshore.

‘The clipper ships which evolved in the mid-nineteenth century have set and kept nearly all ocean passage records. The only boat ever to beat Flying Cloud’s record from New York to San Francisco via Cape Horn was a racing catamaran. No mono hull has ever beaten a cargo vessel that sailed the seas in 1850.* Until that time, cargo ships were touted for their load-carrying capacity, not their speed; but with the opening of the American West and particularly the gold rush, it became very profitable to get people and cargo out there in a hurry. This meant a long trip around Cape Horn as well as crossing the calms of the inter-tropical conversion zone twice, with every wind and sea condition known to man. Records suddenly became money. The fastest ships could charge a premium. *(Note: record books are being re-checked prior to press time. ed)

‘At this point, the Masters of vessels began to be asked for input on how to make the boats go faster. So boats became sleeker, longer, lower to the water with taller rigs. The compound curved Clipper bows were thus born to part the waves in a very smooth fashion. Once it parts the waves, the flair in the bow keeps it up and the boat glides powerfully on.

`I have been in seas taller than the spreaders and never buried the bowsprit. The medium displacement gives the boat enough mass, enough momentum—which is a product of its mass and its velocity—to keep driving on through.

Now it’s true that if you want to race and don’t give a damn about your crew, you can go through steep waves and end up a bit faster, but a heck of a lot wetter. That might be fun for an hour or two but it gets old very fast on an offshore cruise. As Scott adds, ‘The boats are so stable underway, that it’s easy to let go the wheel and walk around. The motion is very predictable; it doesn’t play games with you.’ And when you’re out there on a vast, capricious ocean with your family you dearly love, that’s exactly the kind of boat you want.

Perhaps the secret of Cabo Rico's enduringly pleasing designs is best expressed by Bill Crealock's firm belief that, ‘The best human design usually follows nature.’

What makes a body move well through the water has simply not changed since bodies and water began. Perhaps what has finally changed is our comprehension of them."






It is with the kind permission of Mr. Ferenc Máté that we reproduce this portion of his newest, soon to be released, book of World's Best Sailboats. © Copyright Protected.
"As you near a Cabo Rico, the thing that strikes you first is the impeccable workmanship, the quality....... The next thing you notice is the clipper bow. Now some, yours truly included, used to think clipper bows an affectation, a new boat trying to look like a classic. I was made to see the light after sailing a cold-molded wooden ketch designed by Bruce King for himself and his wife. The thing flew. We bought it after the third tack. Even with a modest genoa we still continually sail past nasty and aggressive looking modern things built uncompromisingly for speed. A fine technical/historical explanation of why this is so, was given to me by Scott Steward, a Naval Academy graduate who is almost as enchanted by Cabo Ricos as is the company's co-owner and CEO, Fraser Smith. Scott is cruising aboard his third Cabo Rico, which he has already single-handed up and down the east coast, on a maiden run of 4,500 miles. No slouch he. In his five years of cruising he has been through much of what the sea can dish out, including a voyage in a CR 45 down the west coast from Seattle to San Francisco in up to 50 K winds, doing 13 knots under triple reefed main and staysail. His enthusiasm for the boats is based on rich experience, not a dreamer’s lusting. He calls Cabo Ricos, ‘Fabulous offshore boats, .... Partly from the clipper bow, partly from the hull shape, they have a smooth, powerful gliding motion. They’re not boats that scare the hell out of you, unlike some light boats I have sailed that terrify the owners, where exhilaration soon becomes high anxiety....The boats have a true compound curve clipper bow, attesting to Bill Crealock’s long personal experience offshore. ‘The clipper ships which evolved in the mid-nineteenth century have set and kept nearly all ocean passage records. The only boat ever to beat Flying Cloud’s record from New York to San Francisco via Cape Horn was a racing catamaran. No mono hull has ever beaten a cargo vessel that sailed the seas in 1850.* Until that time, cargo ships were touted for their load-carrying capacity, not their speed; but with the opening of the American West and particularly the gold rush, it became very profitable to get people and cargo out there in a hurry. This meant a long trip around Cape Horn as well as crossing the calms of the inter-tropical conversion zone twice, with every wind and sea condition known to man. Records suddenly became money. The fastest ships could charge a premium. (Note: record books are being re-checked prior to press time. ed) ‘At this point, the Masters of vessels began to be asked for input on how to make the boats go faster. So boats became sleeker, longer, lower to the water with taller rigs. The compound curved Clipper bows were thus born to part the waves in a very smooth fashion. Once it parts the waves, the flair in the bow keeps it up and the boat glides powerfully on. `I have been in seas taller than the spreaders and never buried the bowsprit. The medium displacement gives the boat enough mass, enough momentum—which is a product of its mass and its velocity—to keep driving on through. Now it’s true that if you want to race and don’t give a damn about your crew, you can go through steep waves and end up a bit faster, but a heck of a lot wetter. That might be fun for an hour or two but it gets old very fast on an offshore cruise. As Scott adds, ‘The boats are so stable underway, that it’s easy to let go the wheel and walk around. The motion is very predictable; it doesn’t play games with you.’ And when you’re out there on a vast, capricious ocean with your family you dearly love, that’s exactly the kind of boat you want. Perhaps the secret of Cabo Rico's enduringly pleasing designs is best expressed by Bill Crealock's firm belief that, ‘The best human design usually follows nature.’ What makes a body move well through the water has simply not changed since bodies and water began. Perhaps what has finally changed is our comprehension of them." Back to July 20, 2002 Back to Cabo Rico 56 For further information about this and other Cabo Rico Custom Yachts, please contact us using the information below or Contact Us using our information request page. Cabo Rico Custom Yachts* 4301 N.E. 30th Terrace Lighthouse Point, Florida 33064 USA Mail to: Box 215 3907 North Federal Highway Pompano Beach, Florida 33064 USA Sales Contact: Fraser Smith Telephone: 954-462-6699 Fax: 954-783-9360 E-Mail: info@caborico.com