Yacht Forum UK

I have been power boating for the last 4yrs but now with the kids grown up my wife and I want to slow down a bit and spend more time boating ie: overnight stays.
I have absolutely no sailing experience but will be pretty much all inland waterways that I am familiar with. The boat I am looking at is a Westerly Griffon 26. The price seems good compared to internet searches. It has passed a recent survey and is generally in excellent condition with all the extras.
The question is how do westerlys sail ? would you reccomend them for a beginner for ease to sail etc. All opinions welcomed.

Well at the time of posting 31 views and not 1 posting ?.
Nobody has an opinion for someone buying their first sailboat. Or even a simple not familiar with the boat but best of luck.
Not the most encouraging respons for a new member to the forum. Have to be totally honest and say its discouraging at best.
I went ahead after a test run and bought the boat but I really think I should be sspending my time now looking for other forums.

John.

Hi John

Bit late but you can't go wrong with a Griffon. Very capable boats and versatile with twin keels. Certainly a boat you can grow into as you get more experience. Build quality of Westerly's is generally bulletproof so you can just spend money on keeping her altogether or on any things that make your sailing easier. Look to join the Westerly Owners Association for technical backup and lots of other benefits. Only £15 a year and well worth the money. They have regional meets and musters, including your neck of the woods (I think). As a fellow Westerly owners, I may be slightly biased but your choice of boat seems spot on. You'll soon find yourself pushing the cruising boundaries and you are at least doing it in a capable little cruiser.

Enjoy the sailing

Rob

Hi Discus,
Thanks for the reply. Went out for our first run yesterday and had 8-9hrs of the most relaxing boating I've had in a long time. Although conditions were excellent it seems a very stable boat and we are now planning a couple of days away. Have taken your advice and joined the westerly owners association.
Thanks again for the reply,

John.

Hi John

That's exactly why so many people buy a Westerly, rewarding sailing for little effort. The Griffon is a solid boat and quite heavy for its size so won't scare you when conditions go south a bit. Sounds like your first run was a good one - always good to hear. Good luck with the away days!

Rob

Hi lartamax, sorry you didn't get any replies at first - I've only just seen this thread for the first time for some reason.

As Discus says, a Westerly is an excellent choice for so many reasons - not least the fantastic support network of the owners association - of which we are members also.

Our first boat was a Centaur - very similar to yours I imagine (not too sure of the differences) and it was a fab first boat - looking after us in some hairy conditions (for us) from time to time. It inspired us to stick to Westerly when we upgraded to our current boat (a Westerly Tempest) that we now live on.

Best of luck with your boat - feels like summer has finally arrived now! Keep us posted on your experiences!!

Thanks for the reply. Hope you enjoy the Tempest. We have just had our first overnight stay on the Griffon and it is a very comfortable and spacious boat. Definately a good buy. Wind picked up a bit on the way home but it didn't bother it at all. Still remained very steady and much smoother than our previous 23ft cabin cruiser. Not to mention the savings on fuel.