Thistle — Waarschip Fin Keel Sloop

1984, Waarschip 1010, 33’

With the help of Vermont boatbuilder Charlie Beyer, and Internationally recognized yacht designer Jim Donavan, Thistle has received a modernized rig and rudder, new paint and varnish by the talented Rowan Ongarro of Newport RI., new sails from Vermont Sailing Partners, new electronics, reconfigured keel and a host of other “Go Fast” improvements  making her a serious competitor on the race course and just plain super fun to sail in any situation or conditions.

Successful sea trials / first race were carried out on Lake Champlain in 15-25 kts of wind. During this race Thistle sailed a true up wind – down wind course approximately 30 miles beating and 30 miles dead down wind.  She was very comfortable and dry upwind and nothing less than exhilarating off the breeze easily breaking into planning mode with long surfing sessions in the waves. Thistle loves to surf!  At the end of the day Thistle was on the podium with a sweet victory made even more satisfying given that she sailed with a crew of just three.

Since that successful reintroduction to the New England racing scene Thistle has sort of stayed hidden away like the proverbial  “hot rod stored in the barn and only driven by a little old lady on Sundays” except that each year on the first Saturday in August she has come out of hiding to race in the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta and each time proving that she’s got what it takes to garner podium finishes racing in the hotly contested Spirit of Tradition class in the ERR and certainly able to have equal success in any racing venue she enters.

Hull, Deck and Cabin Construction and Features

• Fin keel with balanced spade rudder underwater configuration
• Clinker style bottom and topsides Bruynzeel mahogany planking
• Raked stem, low freeboard, low profile cabin house, self-bailing cockpit  and reverse / sugar scoop style transom
• Marine plywood full and partial bulkheads.
• Laminated mahogany stem, longitudinal stringers, frames, floors, keel grid, keelson and mast step
• Laminated mahogany deck and cabin beams
• Carbon fiber reinforced deck bean at mast partner
• Mahogany marine plywood planking, decks, cockpit, cabin sides and cabin top
• Hull planking overlaid with fiberglass cloth set in epoxy
• All wood surfaces sealed in epoxy prior to painted finish surfaces
• Varnished mahogany taff rail, toe rails, cockpit coaming tops, main sheet traveler base, bridge deck foot braces, cabin backs, fronts and sides, sliding companionway hatch, cabin top handrails, mast partners and forward king plank.
• Topsides: Pigeon Gray
• Transom: Pigeon Gray
• Boot Stripe: White
• Decks and Cabin Top: White
• Cabin Sides: Varnished mahogany
• Cockpit: White with Pigeon Gray non-skid seat tops and sole.
• Bottom: Bottom currently stripped in preparation for new anti-fouling applications

Deck Hardware

Decks

• Inspection port on center line of sugar scoop floor / step
• Stainless steel mushroom / low-profile vent on centerline of aft cockpit seat / lazarette
• Stainless steel backstay tangs at port and starboard aft quarters
• Stainless steel stern quarter rails port and starboard (aft)
• Stainless steel life line stanchions port and starboard (sheer aft to fore)
• Stainless steel bow rails port and starboard (fore)
• Double (upper and lower) Dynema life lines port and starboard
• Lewmar opening hatch on fore deck
• Wichard folding pad eyes port, starboard and centerline  on foredeck
• Antal 230 Roller bow cleat
• Stainless steel bow chocks
• Low-profile, stainless steel doarde vent cowl at bow
• Carbon fiber and aluminum bow chock
• Cabin Top and Sides
• Sliding companionway hatch aft on center line
• FRP hatch garage
• Lewmar opening hatch forward on centerline
• Varnished mahogany hand rails port and starboard
• Cabin vents port and starboard on cabin front
• Fixed port lights port and starboard on cabin sides

Spars and Rigging

• Aluminum Mast (black)
• Carbon fiber boom
• Carbon fiber spinnaker pole
• Selden boom vang
• Keel-stepped, single-spreader, fractionally-rigged sloop rig configuration
• 1x19 Stainless steel wire standing rigging (shrouds and stays) with turnbuckle adjusters
• Stainless steel backstay tangs, shroud chain plates and head stay fitting with dual tack hooks
• Modern low / no stretch running rigging (halyards and sheets)

Sail Control and Trim Hardware and Equipment

• Decks
• Running backstays with deflectors
• Running backstay winches: Antal XT162, two-speed, self-tailing, (2ea) port and starboard cockpit
• Spinlock turning blocks with 3-stage cams
• Harken main sheet and main traveler systems on bridge deck
• Harken 57 turning blocks port and starboard outboard of bridge deck
• Harken fore guy cam cleats port and starboard at aft end of cabin sides
• Harken headsail sheet tracks with adjustable cars and Harken 45 blocks
• Multi-directional, custom Harken / Antal headsail trim system (in-out / up-down)
• Wichard folding pad eye with Harken #40 Blocks on center line forward (fore guy lead)
• Cabin Tops
• Headsail sheet and halyard winches: Karver Compact 45, two-speed, self-tailing, (2ea) port and starboard cabin tops
• Spinlock SAX rope clutch / deflector (port)
• Spinlock STX rope clutch / jib halyard (port)
• Spinlock STX rope clutches / mast head spinnaker halyard (port
• Harken cam cleat / fore guy (port)
• Harken / Antal can cleat / vang (port)
• Spinlock STX rope clutch / fractional spinnaker halyard (starboard)
• Spinlock STX rope clutch / spinnaker pole topping lift (starboard)
• Spinlock STX rope clutches / spinnaker pole fore guy (starboard)
• Harken cam cleat / fore guy (starboard)
• Harken / Antal can cleat / vang (starboard)
• Net line bags in cockpit (3ea) for head sail sheets, backstay adjustment tails and main sheet
• Winch handles / Harken (4ea)
• Winch handle / Holt (1ea)

Sails and Canvas

• All sails by Vermont Sailing Partners of carbon fiber / mylar composite cloth with bags or turtles
• 2020 Main – Carbon GPL 10
• 2020 AP Jib – Carbon GPL10/GPL 05
• 2020 Heavy Air Jib – FleX 14 (Carbon/black aramid) with Lite Skin finish
• 2020 Fractional Spinnaker – (AirX) 700) 
• 2022 Masthead Spinnaker – AirX 600
• 2024 Light air 155% Genoa – Challenge Super Series GP 12/GP 09  
• Mainsail Cover

Propulsion, Drive Train and Fuel Systems and Equipment

• Volvo-Penta ignition panel with tachometer and engine status alarms
• Single-lever throttle and transmission engine control on port cockpit wall
• Fuel shut-off on port cockpit wall forward
• Enclosed engine space / box with Sound-Down sound insulation
• Volvo-Penta model D-1, 2-cylinder, naturally-aspirated, freshwater-cooled, 27 HP diesel engine
• Sail-Drive with Bronze 2-bladed propellor
• Stainless steel “Fuel” deck fill in cockpit sole
• Fuel Capacity: 6 Gallons
• Polyethylene fuel tank
• Racor fuel filter
• Stainless steel fuel tank vent aft starboard cockpit
• Fuel Gauge: Graduated bamboo dip stick

Steering Systems and Equipment

• Custom designed carbon fiber rudder
• Varnished, laminated mahogany and ash tiller
• Forespar tiller extension

Electronics and Navigational Equipment

• Simrad VHF radio
• B&G V7 GPS chart plotter
• B&G sailing instrument displays port and starboard on cabin back outboard of companionway>|
• GPS antennas port and starboard on aft side decks
• Autohelm tiller autopilot

Electrical Systems and Equipment

• 12-Volt DC ship’s electrical system
• Two (2) heavy duty marine batteries stored in fixed battery boxes
• Separate battery banks for engine start and ship’s systems / circuits
• Two (2) rotary style battery master(on-off) switches
• West Marine 12-Volt circuit panel
• Battery charging by way of engine alternator
• Blue Seas SI ACR automatic charging relay

Interior Arrangement and Features

• As befits a racer / day sailor like the Waarschip 1010 the interior spaces of Thistle are focused more on the necessities of storage and the physicality of sailing and less on long term creature comforts. That being said Thistle can be a comfortable fast-cruiser for a couple or small family and with the addition of a few more pipe-berths could easily provide dormitory space to accommodate the full racing crew for overnight racing or multi-day regattas.
• The interior spaces are wide-open  to view from bow to stern. Interior hull sides along with deck and cabin top overheads are painted white and are accented nicely by varnished mahogany knees, bulkheads, joinery fronts, molded settees and cabin soles. This “wide-open view” also allows one to easily access all deck hardware and visually witness recent work done in the way of carbon fiber hardware backing plates and addition of life line stanchions.
• Presently there are two pipe berths just forward of the main cabin space for sleeping accommodations but (as mentioned above) two additional pipe berths could be added in the forepeak and two more aft in the quarter berth locations port and starboard outboard of the cockpit well.
• Being a wide open boat the below decks spaces are easily kept fresh and dry even when closed up tight by natural ventilation form fore and aft dorade and mushroom style deck cowls and even more ventilation can be had while aboard by opening the two large Lewmar opening deck hatches. These deck hatches provide a considerable amount of natural light as do the fixed port lights in the cabin sides and when the sun goes down artificial light is provided by a number of overhead dome lights in the main saloon and sleeping areas. There is no galley and there is no head. A cooler with sandwiches and liquid refreshments works quite well in this regard as does a multi-functioning bucket

Ground Tackle

• Fortress anchor with appropriate chain and rode

Dewatering Equipment

• Whale Gusher manually operated bilge pump (cockpit location)
• Thirsty Mate manually operated bilge pump

Safety Equipment

• Navigational lighting (deck level port, starboard and stern lights)
• PFD, Type IV, horseshoe life ring (1ea)
• PFD’s, Type II, life jackets (4ea)
• Wichard safety harnesses and tethers (4ea)
• Jack Lines
• Fire extinguishers (2ea)
• Flares
• Wooden Plugs
• Horns (2ea)
• Whistles
• Orange Flag
• 1st Aid kit

Additional Equipment

• Comfy Line life line padding on upper lifeline (aft) port and starboard
• Comfy Line life line padding on lower life (max beam) port and starboard
• Dock lines (8ea)
• Aere inflatable docking fenders (2ea)

Optional Equipment Available For Purchase

• Custom Double-Axle Triad Trailer