A much admired designer steps aboard
Issue 68 : Sept/Oct 2009
Please join me in welcoming Robert Perry as a regular contributor to our pages. Bob is no stranger to Good Old Boat. He’s been a regular reader, occasionally writing letters to the editor, and he was the author of a profile of Bill Garden published in September 2003. In his new role, he will continue a series of articles on sailboat design and construction begun a decade ago by Ted Brewer. Ted figures he’s had his say on just about every aspect of sailboat design, although he’ll continue to write his boat comparison pieces, such as the one on page 32.
Bob will bring his own perspective to the complicated subject of the design compromises that have affected and continue to affect this mesmerizing pastime we call sailing. His own passion for boats and the career that ensued began with a month-long voyage from Australia to North America with his family. He was 12 when his parents chose to relocate to Seattle. The next turning point was when he developed a talent and a passion for mechanical drawing. Then there was the chance to join the Corinthian Junior Yacht Club, the opportunity to crew on other sailors’ boats, and the good fortune to get to know and race with Bill Garden.
There followed many wonderful opportunities to work with others who influenced his thinking, or at least kept him from starving: Jay Benford, Nathan Rothman, Dick Carter, Ted Brewer, Yves-Marie Tanton, Mark Lindsay, and Chuck Paine. Before long, Bob was influencing their thinking as well when he developed what is now known as the “performance cruising” movement that introduced the concept that offshore cruising yachts could benefit from being able to sail fast. There is much more about Bob Perry’s life and times, past thinking, and current projects on his website and in his newest book, Yacht Design According to Perry: My Boats and What Shaped Them.
To his credit are many of the sailboats in these series: CT, Tayana, Valiant, Esprit, Nordic, Norseman, Lafitte, Cheoy Lee, Islander, Freeport, Baba, Tashiba, Passport, Tatoosh, Saga, and Mirage. He was among the first group of 15 leaders in our field recognized by the Cruising World Cruising Hall of Fame in 1989 and he has been garnering other awards throughout his career. The real trophies, however, are those out there sailing, whether voyaging offshore or coastal cruising . . . the good old boats of his design that are passionately adored by their owners.
Bob told an interviewer with the Sailing Anarchy website, “Sailing is not my hobby. It’s not my passion. Yacht design is my life. I have other hobbies to keep me sane.” I hear he’s a fabulous musician and something of a wine snob. He sails a 26-footer when he can. I imagine he’ll draw upon his other special interests as he strives to make yacht design understandable for “the rest of us.”
Since he first put pen to paper under his own name to design the Hans Christian 54 in 1974, Bob Perry has been a real force in the world of good new boats. Now that so many of them have achieved oldness, we are delighted to welcome him aboard.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
