nimble 20 yawl, cruising and adventuring in the pacific northwest

Turnstone

Ted Brewer designed her, mixing the endearing qualities of classic canoe yawls and Cheaseapeake Bay sharpies, with a little of his own. This all happened a long time ago. Back then Nimble Yachts didn't mind sailboats, so they took on the production of these fine little craft, and called it the Nimble 20. Not many were made.

We bought Turnstone a few years back and sail her in the Pacific Northwest, oftentimes on trips lasting weeks. For reasons of comparison, 'we' are two adults, a grade schooler and a couple of medium sized dogs.

Turnstone is 20' long, made of fiberglass, rigged as a yawl, and draws only 11" with the board up. This unusual shallow draft extends our cruising to just about anywhere there's enough water to float a duck. It also allows us to store the boat on a trailer, and launch from common paved ramps with our small Toyota pickup. Not having to rely on costly moorage fees made this nautical adventure economically within our reach.

This is not a fast boat. So often us traditionalists have to trade performance for seaworthiness and good looks. Turnstone is stable and rugged, with a tack angle of about 50 degrees and just enough sail area for light winds. When the sea is showing teeth, she's easily reefed, remaining wonderfully balanced, all the way down to just jib and mizzen. In the latter configuration Turnstone can point up to a close reach, and feel very safe in most coastal conditions. As an added bonus, she heaves to like a real sea boat.

There are room for three to sleep comfortably, but that's it. I mean, really. No built-in galley, no head, no chart table or hanging lockers. We cook on a portable alcohol stove, bathe in the ocean and use a simple porta-potti for that stuff.

She has a four stroke Yamaha outboard in a well just forward of the mizzen. It is a fine engine of some 8hp, but we use it sparingly. In fact, our trips evolve around wind and tidal current, and not a need to go somewhere. With this as our guiding philosophy, the motor has been sidelined to a mere emergency status.

In such an attitude lies a tremendous satisfaction that has changed our view of recreation forever. It is now possible to be immensely challenged by an activity that consume hardly any resources, doesn't cost more than staying at home and has roots in powerful traditions and a history long and deep.

The moment we start relying on the motor all this is lost. Even with limited use, still having the thing onboard actually diminish our sense of adventure and accomplishment to some degree. Alas, skill and commitment are not yet in place to sever that last link. We are working towards it, though. In 2006 we sailed over 350 miles among the islands of southern BC, and used less than 5 gallons of fuel. Better even than a Prius.

To enhance maneuverability on the many windless days in our area, Turnstone needs a secondary propulsion system. Currently this is a set of 5' paddles, used by the two adults sitting on the cockpit coamings. Going any kind of distance is not really realistic, but a mile or two is good exercise. A long sweep oar, a yuloh and an enormous drifter are items being considered for the future.

Removing the entire electrical system was one of the first improvements we did to the boat. Simplification is the goal. Maintenance prone clutter that doesn't add to the sailing qualities of the vessel will be heaved overboard. We do, however, have a roll-up solar panel used for charging a couple of gadgets: Cell phone, digicam, handheld VHF.Our navlights are LED portables, cabin light a LED headlamp.

Navigation is a fun, intellectual challenge that we won't dull with a GPS. Admittedly. we are relatively new to this ancient art, with just over 1500 miles under the belt. Maybe the future will present us with a piloting situation that can't be solved with a compass, charts and tables, and that common sense called seamanship. So far this haven't occurred.

The places we want to explore rarely have marinas or other dock facilities, so we spend nearly every night at anchor, at no cost. The concept is amazing, if you think about it. Try to park a motorhome anywhere for free, or, on a more modest scale, find a place to tent without getting charged. Nearly impossible, unless you have the skills of a lifelong dirtbag climber or other drifter type.
In a boat you can drop the hook in any sheltered anchorage to your liking and stay..forever? What we saved on electronics has been invested in ground tackle, two fold. This is worthwhile equipment, from a safety standpoint, and we're into it. Turnstone carries three anchors. In the bilge is an old Danforth, the one the boat came with and in my opinion an inferior design. Regard it as the back-up hook. On the bow roller is a 10kg Bruce clone, a truly superior design, with 60' of chain and 28 fathoms of rode. Since we often sail right up on the beach, there's also a 7.5kg claw on the stern with more than 40 fathoms of nylon. An additional 100 fathoms of various cordage are used for tying off to shore or lengthening the scope. One day the Danforth will go on auction and a folding fisherman with lots of chain will take its place.