Mid-winter read: Cruising World review of the Contessa

Cruising World
March 27, 2012

Pocket World Girdler: Contessa 26

A posse of young adventurers made the Contessa 26 a legend.
"Classic Plastic" from our April 2012 issue.

by Ryan Langley

For a boat to become legendary, it doesn’t have to be particularly
fast or of groundbreaking design. It only needs that special spark
that captures the sailing world’s hearts and minds long enough for it
to go down in history. A number of boats with that quality come
quickly to my mind—the S&S 34, Flicka 20, Swan 38, Valiant 40—but none
holds the same place in my memories as the Contessa 26.

I grew up reading of feats accomplished aboard Contessas by Tania
Aebi, Brian Caldwell, and John Kretschmer, so when the Australian
adventurer Jesse Martin asked if I’d like to deliver his Contessa 26
from Grand Bahama, in the Bahamas, to Panama and through the Canal, I
jumped at the opportunity.

The Contessa 26 was drawn up in 1965 by Jeremy Rogers, who’d built
Folkboats for a number of years, and David Sadler, who had ideas on
how to improve the design. They took the classic Folkboat, modified
the keel, added more sail area forward for racing performance, changed
the layout and deck structure, and built it of fiberglass instead of
wood. Four decades later, the popular and widely loved vessel is still
safely taking sailors to the far reaches of the globe.

Right away, the Contessa 26 proved itself a strong, seaworthy vessel.
It performed well in the Round Britain and Ireland Race and the OSTAR
solo transatlantic race, but the brave little boat really became
famous when 18-year-old Tania Aebi chose the design for her solo
circumnavigation in 1985 and her adventures in Varuna were published
in Cruising World. In 1996, Brian Caldwell sailed a Contessa to become
the first to circumnavigate under the age of 21.

The Contessa 26 is good-looking, with low freeboard and a narrow beam.
For such a small boat, it has a large cockpit, which is nice for
having guests aboard and daysailing but a potential danger when filled
with water at sea. When sailing, the Contessa heels over quickly, but
it soon steadies up and can carry full sail in up to 20 knots of wind.

It doesn’t take much wind to get the boat moving, and it can
comfortably make 120-nautical-mile days on passages. After sailing the
boat upwind for 300 miles through the Bahamas, I’ll admit that its
upwind performance isn’t impressive, but it makes up for it with its
ability to survive almost any storm.

  The single-spreader sloop rig could easily be converted into a
cutter with running backstays and an inner forestay for offshore
performance and safety. On some boats, the halyards and reefing lines
have been led aft to the cockpit for easy handling. For those who
prefer to work forward at sea, the wide side decks and ample handholds
permit safe passage to the foredeck.

Down below, the boat has a V-berth forward and a small head and
hanging locker aft of that. A small galley and navigation table are
positioned aft of the main bulkhead, and two sea berths complete the
accommodations. There’s no standing headroom below, which can get old
after a few days locked up in the cabin at sea, and the poor air
circulation could benefit from added vents, but the boat has
everything a singlehander really needs for long-distance voyaging.

Jeremy Rogers built about 350 Contessa 26s in the United Kingdom, and
another 400 ((actually 352))) were built by J.J. Taylor in Canada. At
listed prices from $10,000 to $15,000, used boats are an affordable
option for sailors who want to safely head offshore on a budget.

CONTESSA 26
LOA    25’ 6”    (7.77m.)
LWL    21’ 0”    (6.40m.)
Beam    7’ 6”    (2.29m.)
Draft    4’ 0”    (1.22m.)
Sail Area (100%)    304 sq. ft.    (28.2 sq. m.)
Ballast    2,300 lb.    (1,043 kg.)
Displacement    5,400 lb.    (2,449 kg.)
Ballast/D    .43
D/L    260
SA/D    15.8
Water    10 gal.    (37 l.)
Fuel    11 gal.    (45 l.)
Engine    Various
Designer    David Sadler/Jeremy Rodgers

Ryan Langley is a 19-year-old adventurer, sailor, writer, and musician
from Port Angeles, Washington.
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