Chica Blue — A Cuttyhunk 41 Born in Cornwall

The boat

A traditionally lined ketch with a fibreglass hull, the Chica Blue is a Cuttyhunk 41 — a blue-water cruiser designed by Alan Pape and built in Cornwall. Sturdy, seaworthy and dignified, she is made for offshore sailing, carrying the functional elegance of the great British cruising tradition.

Her secrets

The Chica Blue is a Cuttyhunk 41, a traditionally lined blue-water cruiser designed by the British naval architect Alan Pape and built by John Sears Ltd. in Falmouth, Cornwall. One point is worth clarifying, as it is often confused: the design is Pape's, while the construction belongs to the Sears yard. First launched in 1974, the model took its name from Cuttyhunk Island in New England, and soon earned a solid reputation as an offshore yacht.

Conceived for serious ocean sailing, the Cuttyhunk 41 pairs a long-keeled hull — full-bilged, with a skeg-hung rudder — with robust construction: a fibreglass hull, teak deck and wooden superstructure, giving her that unmistakable "modern classic" character. She is a stable, safe boat, able to face heavy seas with the nobility of the great traditional cruisers.

The Chica Blue was built in 1974, one of the early examples to come from John Sears's hands. Rigged as a cutter-headed ketch — two masts and a double headsail — she offers a versatile, easily handled sail plan, equally suited to the long passage and the unhurried cruise.

Today the Chica Blue keeps that tradition alive: the fibreglass yacht with a wooden soul, born in Cornwall to cross oceans, finding in the classic-yacht gatherings of the Mediterranean the perfect stage to show off her timeless lines.

Technical specifications – Chica Blue

• Name: Chica Blue

• Model: Cuttyhunk 41

• Class: Classic

• Rig type: Cutter-rigged ketch

• Designer: Alan Pape

• Builder: John Sears Ltd. (Falmouth, Cornwall, United Kingdom)

• Year built: 1974

• Hull length: 12.50 m (41 ft)

• Length overall (with bowsprit): ~14.95 m

• Waterline length: 9.45 m (31 ft)

• Beam: 3.96 m (13 ft)

• Draught: 1.83 m (6 ft)

• Displacement: ~13.4 t

• Ballast: ~4.8 t

• Hull: Fibreglass (GRP)

• Deck and superstructure: Teak and wood

• Underbody: Long keel, skeg-hung rudder

Highlights

• A Cuttyhunk 41 designed by Alan Pape and built by John Sears Ltd. in Falmouth, Cornwall

• A traditionally lined blue-water cruiser: long keel, fibreglass hull and wooden deck

• Cutter-rigged ketch — versatile and seaworthy, built for offshore sailing

• A "modern classic" launched in 1974, true to the great British cruising tradition

• A regular at the classic-yacht gatherings of the Mediterranean