Here, we have a stretched version of the schooner
Lucille. Just as Lucille was named after BB King's guitar, Josephine has been named after Mighty Joe Young's guitar...! At 55' Josephine is intended to be a highly classic performance cruising vessel, intended for construction in steel. Displacement is 56,750 lbs on a waterline of 46.5 feet.
Beam is 14' and draft is a slender 5.5 feet.
As with Lucille, Josephine is designed with an easily plated rounded steel hull. The rig is intended to be a schooner very much like the sail plan of Redpath or Lucille. A ketch rig would work equally well however...!
The interior layout options are similar to
those of the 50' Lucille,
or those of the 56' Shiraz, however a number
of other interior arrangements have been preliminarily sketched. Among
them, one is intended to allow a large cabin amidships, or alternately
two private guest suites, more or less as described for the 55'
Wylde Pathaway prototype.
Very much in line with the other vessels in this series, the primary goals with Josephine have been very fast cruising, excellent windward ability, a highly traditional appearance, simplicity of construction, ruggedness, reasonableness of cost to build and maintain... in short, a practical boat that will be a pleasure to sail and to own - and would likely become a family heirloom.
Sail area is generous, and fortunately Josephine has a finely shaped transom, which will be quickly shown to anyone attempting to sail alongside...!
Josephine certainly fits the description
of "the boat in which you'd like to be seen arriving!"
