Right thinks me - we have a forward cockpit from where we can do just about everything, everything boaty that is - so what is everything boaty you ask. Well its got to be everything in the way of handling the boat. This includes sail trimming, helming, anchoring etc.

One of the things I spent sometime thinking about was how to control the mainsail, with the mainsheet of course, but how to do this from the forward cockpit. I know some forward cockpit designs have a conventional traveller across the rear beam and a couple of winches in the rear cockpit to control said items, but thought it unwise to have the mainsheet terminating some distance from the main helm. I could have engineered into the design a means of mounting a car and traveller across the top of the cabin top, with the sheet running over the top to the forward cockpit - but there was bound to be problems with this approach, getting the cabin top stiff enough, I mean, these engineering challenges were not unsolvable, given that a few other designs do the same thing, but I thought if I could avoid it I would.

What I decided in the end was to have 2 sheets one to either end of rear beam, each with probably a triple purchase and running forward inside the boom down to the foreward cockpit - similar to reefing lines if you like. I went with this idea until I was about to order the rig, then once again changed my mind and now am going for a traveller track - controlled from the rear cockpit - only need one winch needed (40:1) and the main sheet coming forward to the cockpit - I think !.

Anchoring

Easy - Is done by pressing a switch to crank up or crank down the anchor, the chain locker is directly in front of the mast, so easy to watch the chain and keeps the weight close to the Centre of Gravity. Anchor switch is located inside the boat ajacent to the inside helm. I have a Lewmar remote control anchor switch too, so the progress of the chain in or out of the locker can be observed and problems anticipated before they happen, this should avoid the need for a anchor switch on the deck - time will tell. I have a CruzPro Chain counter, display is next to the inside helm so I know how much we have out - handy for mooring in the Med, so I have been told. Experiences to be yet had I suppose.

I did spend a lot of time thinking about which main anchor to use, now for been just been a few bits of steel welded together they do tend to cost a heap of dosh. Looked at a few and read heaps of reports, and then in the end went for what I wanted which was a Rocna 40kg and the main anchor. Others I considered where the Manson Supreme, which was when I priced it about the same cost as the Rocna (gone up in price by at least 40% since I started construction) the other was a Lewmar Delta, about half the price of the Rocna. I am - at this point in time going to buy a Lewmar as my second / standby anchor.

Other Controls

Planning to have the Centreboard controls come to the forward cockpit, keeping the aft cockpit clear for lounging and drinking.
Deck is constructed of 25mm DuFlex and is very stiff with no flex detectable.

Winches

All self tailing. I have an electric 58 Anderson and a 58 Holmatro aluminium STA for all the halyards these winches also handle the mainsheet and the reefs. Location either side of the mast, originally I was going to go on the mast to save turning blocks but it all got too hard. All the hard to pull lines (main, spinnaker and screecher halyards) are handled but the electric winch. Then 2 Lewmar 54STA that handle the Genoa, spinnaker and screecher sheets.

All clutches are Lewmar D2's and I have plenty of these, 8 are located on the mast and to handle the high loads of the halyards I have aluminum cleats located on the mast to releave the load on the clutches.