This summer will find me plying the waters of the Inside Passage aboard sailing vessel Opus. Her current skipper is Kevin, who I met as a fellow crew mate on sv Quijote while sailing down the West Coast. Kevin and his wife have owned Opus just over a year. Opus is a C&C (that’s Cuthbertson & Cassian) 43′ racing vessel built in Canada in the early 1980’s. Her home berthing dock is in Point Roberts, WA where I traveled in early May to spend a few days getting to know her.
The blue ‘flag’ above “Kevin….” is where Opus is berthed in Pt. Roberts, WA.
We’ll cross Canadian Customs in White Rock on May 15th.
It wasn’t love at first sight: her deck and cockpit had the look of living in the Pacific NW: mossy green growth and scum in nooks and crannies. There were lumber and tools up top, and down below was a mess of tools, sawdust, ceiling panels removed, leaks to plug, works in progress. One couldn’t get to the head let alone see the throne or the sink , nor were the quarterberths accessible to see what was what. Every counter top was piled with debris, tools, gear. To be fair, Opus was being prepared and I was witnessing the process in it’s dynamic stages. As my work to clean, organize, clean some more, measure spaces, find stowage, etc began in earnest, my imagination set in.
Under the stovetop: one side cleaned, the other yet to be scrubbed.
Scouring the cockpit became a labor of love when she revealed her underlying beauty.
Opus is forty years old. Her bones have traveled untold miles, carrying those onboard to adventure and reward. One can imagine the challenges she’s met from Poseidon, the turbulent conditions she’s endured from Mother Nature. Perhaps worse are the abuses she’s lived through from various skippers and racing crews. A racing boat is not designed for comfort, she’s designed for speed. Generally speaking, it seems racers are on board to race, sleep, eat. Cleanliness and comfort be damned.
But as the floor, the surfaces, the cupboards and stowage spaces of Opus are cleared, cleaned and revealed, the comfort and beauty of her emerge. We can see her gleaming cockpit now, make a proper hot meal in the galley, use the head, have warmth from the furnace, and sleep in cozy berths. We can now stow provisions, tools, spare parts, water and might be able to find them with our inventory lists. There’s still much to do to get her ‘in shape’ but nothing to stop us from meeting our immediate goal: launch date from White Rock, May 18th.
Companionway doors open up to outdoor dining. Such luxury.
Compact, clean, and practical.
We hope to jury-rig the ridiculously deep icebox to reduce the air space and capitalize on coldness for a few select items such as CHEESE and BUTTER!
A note: none of this post speaks to all the hours of work, frustrations and accomplishments Skipper Kevin has put in to ensuring properly working communication systems, mechanical operations, safety plans, etc., etc., etc.
SV Opus at dock in Pt. Roberts