Photo credit: Alison Langley
On the passage of her 20th anniversary we look back at one of our best-loved boats: the 50-foot Spirit of Tradition Sloop Hoi An.
Hoi An’s history began when we were the in-house design team at Brooklin Boat Yard. In the fall of 2000 we had just celebrated the launch of the first two boats to our W-46 design, and Marc Heilner saw the press releases. A member of a long-time summer family of neighboring Blue Hill (although living in London at the time) and thinking about a sizeable sailboat to enhance his family’s enjoyment of their waterfront home under construction, he contacted us to learn more. The classic Spirit of Tradition styling of the W-46 appealed to his aesthetic bent, but as we discussed other features he was hoping to include, we rapidly learned that the W-46 wasn’t right for him. So we used that design as a jumping-off point, and drew a slightly larger boat that could include a more cruise-oriented accommodation. The concept drawing grew to first 48 feet, and then a little more, settling out at an inch under 50 feet.
Photo credit: Alison Langley
What did we gain with that extra length? Everything got slightly more roomy, allowing us to add a quarter-berth and nav station to starboard and an ergonomic U-shaped galley to port. A symmetrical saloon included fold-up seatbacks for wider sleeping berths beneath, and an extended and lowered cabin trunk permitted standing headroom in the head. Forward we placed a conventional vee-berth with filler in its own cabin.
The longer, slightly beamier hull contributed greater stability, so we were able to add mast height and sail area, while a longer waterline added top-end speed. The larger yacht retained the elegant and proven moderately-high-aspect fractional sloop rig and below-deck jib furler of the W-46, in a slightly taller planform. With jib tack brought inboard and at deck level, we cleared the stemhead to serve as a tack point for a masthead asymmetrical spinnaker well clear of the forestay for plenty of power reaching and running.
Marc’s brief for the boat included equal parts daysailing (solo or with a friend or two), fully-crewed club racing, and cruising, so We paid careful attention to balancing those often conflicting desires. We added deck and mast hardware to handle a symmetrical spinnaker for all-hands racing. The deep cockpit includes all sail controls for daysailing, and an electric winch on the cabin top for the main halyard. Laminated teak seats make luxurious perches at bow and stern pulpits. Below an engine-driven compressor powers a deep, well-insulated refrigerator with side-opening and top-opening vacuum-insulated doors, and a water heater uses engine heat or shore power to provide hot water to sinks, shower and deck wash.
In the early years Marc’s work schedule kept him away from Maine for all but a few weeks a year. During those weeks he daysailed pretty much every day, and also tried to work in some family time racing with his two sons. For years he would race all three days of the classic-boat circuit culminating with the venerable Eggemoggin Reach Regatta on Saturday, then Sunday morning would roll right into five or six days racing Down East Race Week—and Hoi An (named for the Viet Nam birth village of their daughter) collected more than her share of silver in both CRF and PHRF. As years went by and kids grew up and got full-time jobs, racing declined and daysailing increased, especially following Marc’s retirement. Now Marc and Pam are in Maine for five months each year, and Hoi A goes sailing pretty much every good-weather day, often with a daughter, son, or family friend aboard if they’re available, and singlehanded if not.
In 2010, Marc realized a lifelong dream: Hoi An entered the Newport Bermuda Race, with Marc, two sons, and several friends aboard, including Bob Stephens of SWD. She did her owner and designers proud, completing the 635-mile course in 94 hours and standing up very well to the sometimes rough and windy conditions. When final results were in, she corrected to fourth in fleet of 185 boats.
The return trim from Bermuda aside, cruising has eluded Hoi An: the family has found it hard to leave the comforts of their coastal Maine house for overnights. Perhaps as they settle into retirement, they will find time to get away for more than daysailing.
Looking back, Hoi An has fulfilled every need her owners originally sought, and she’s exceeded her design envelope in venturing into serious ocean racing. Twenty years later, she’s still a resounding success.
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