Design and Specifications
Holy Grail is a "concept" boat, designed by Charles Wittholz and Mike Kaufman for owners, (Captain) Howard and (Admiral) Stephanie.
The concept was for a serious cruising boat capable of world sailing in comfort and with speed. The list of vessel requirements for the designers to consider was long and very detailed. She had to be safe in the heaviest weather, able to cruise to very remote areas, without the need to refuel or re-provision but twice a year. She needed to be able to carry vast quantities of food, fuel, water, tools and spare parts to be completely self sufficient. The boat was designed to be easily sailed by two people, or even one if necessary.
Construction is of all welded aluminum, fully round bilged with minimum draft of 5' 8" empty or 6' 2" fully laden. Technical details: 1/4" plate on 3/8" sawn aluminum plate with 2" welded flange 16" apart. Around the keel, plate thickness is increased to 3/8" and 1/2" on the keel. Almost seven tons of lead are in the lowest 12" of the wing shaped keel, while the remainder is an integral diesel fuel tank of 350 gallons. There are five separate and removeable water tanks totaling 310 gallons.
Holy Grail is a cutter rig - single mast able to carry three sails, mains'l, stays'l, and jib. She also has a full complement of light and downwind sails.
Sailing History
After launching in British Columbia in 1991, Holy Grail voyaged with Howard and Stephanie about 40,000 miles before returning home to Kona, Hawaii. They cruised the Baja Peninsula and the west coast of Mexico leisurely to Zihuatanejo, and then sailed 2700 miles south to Easter Island, home of those famous mammoth stone sculptures called "Moai." Next stop 1100 miles west to Pitcairn Island, home of the decendants of Fletcher Christian and the "Bounty" mutineers.
The voyage continued west through the most remote regions of French Polynesia - the Gambiers, Rapa, and the Austral Islands, before reaching Tahiti and the Society islands. For the next two years, they meandered back and forth through the central South Pacific from Tahiti in the east to Samoa in the west, Tonga in the south to the Phoenix islands in the north, finally sailing on to Fiji, Vanuatu and Australia.
After several years in Australia, cruising the east coast, offshore reefs, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea, it was time to come home. Kona was calling, and the call was loud! Holy Grail dashed from Brisbane to Kona, via New Caledonia and Tahiti, 7000 miles in 47 sailing days through calms and a 55 knot gale lasting for more than three days.
Through all those miles and all those months at sea over the years, there was never a moment when Holy Grail failed to perform beautifully, safely and comfortably. You can experience the joys of sailing, too.
Call today or click here to reserve your date.
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