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Voyager 60

I never grow tired of looking at expedition-style yachts, probably because I have a terminal case of wanderlust. I also find them worthy of study because the good ones bristle with interesting details, many of which assuage the natural insecurities a yachtsman experiences at sea.

The Voyager 60, drawn by Earl G. Alfaro, has reserved a high spot in my hierarchy of long-range cruisers.

“Shippy” or “ship-like” most frequently appears in articles about these oceangoing yachts. Although the terms have fallen into early cliché-hood, they certainly capture the appeal most yachts of this type have. Sea boats, by nature, have lots of freeboard to give them reserve stability when they roll and to keep the decks dry in a hard chance. Ships do, too.

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Substantial bulwarks rim the decks to help keep the sea where it belongs and the crew where it belongs. The aesthetic benefit of bulwarks derives from the scuppers and hawseholes cut into them. These break up the monotony a naked sheerline sometimes creates on a high-side yacht. The side decks are wide and well protected, so no one has to feel unsafe.

Voyager 60’s sheer sweeps gracefully aft to a logical break a little forward of amidships, then begins a most subtle rise to its terminus at the transom. Alfaro continued the foredeck’s line aft via the handrail, which ties together the opposite ends of the hull.

Another contribution to the whole is how Alfaro continued the lower part of the sheerline forward to the stem with tumblehome in the foredeck bulwark. The rub rail, boot top and portholes-interesting details-further distract the eye from the mass of topsides.

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Sometimes a yacht’s stern makes or breaks an impression of her. The Voyager 60 delights viewers with a rounded tumblehome transom and a clipper bow. She’ll look as fine going away as she does bearing down.

The superstructure’s many elements come together in the way Alfaro used his angles of rake, forward and aft. The segment of the transom above the rub rail rakes forward at exactly the angle that appears in the terminus of the upper deck. An identical angle graces the buttresses between the decks. Lines drawn from all the opposing rakes will eventually converge in the sky, which is good.

Belowdecks, the master stateroom amidships will have the easiest motion in a seaway, but more impressive is the amount of space devoted to hanging lockers-two very large ones.

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Although the Voyager 60 will benefit from hydraulic stabilizers to damp roll, even moderate roll at anchor or under way disturbs my sleep, so I love the transverse berth in the portside guest stateroom.

A seagoing galley and spacious saloon on the main deck add to this yacht’s appeal as a long-range cruiser. Her three large guest staterooms mean owners can welcome family and friends.

Contact: Earl G. Alfaro, (912) 898-4703; slaega@peoplepc.com.

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