The Yacht

Loquax is a 60 foot 'ultra-light' cruiser

Custom designed and built in Shropshire, England, in 1992. Now just under 18 metres in length, Loquax is a very strongly built, fast, ocean-going, light-displacement sloop, built of continuous lay-up GRP that has now logged close to 50,000 sea miles. Don't let the words light-displacement fool you. On the centre-line her hull is 37mm thick solid GRP.

On-going improvements and renewals

Loquax has been undergoing some changes since she joined The Ocean Sailing Club. She was hauled out in Port Stephens and all her anti-fouling paint was removed, right back to the original gel-coat. Even her osmosis-resisting epoxy paint was stripped off and three new layers of epoxy were rollered on before the latest anti-foul was applied.

While she was out of the water, all her bronze skin-fittings were replaced and new sea-cocks fitted before she was re-launched. Incidentally the surveyor reports her hull thickness measured at the skin-fittings was: 18mm of solid fibreglass on her topsides, 25mm below the waterline, increasing to 37mm on the centreline.

With her standing rigging replaced over the last 3-4 years, her Coursemaster hydraulic self-steering to make it a more relaxed voyage for her crew. a new roller furler and forestay, a new SOLAS 8-person life-raft, life-jackets, harnesses & tethers and all new man-overboard equipment, she has been brought up to the UK's MCA class XII standard for ocean sailing unsupported, off-shore.

Last time we were in Whangerai, she was hauled and painted and we expect to
the same again this October while we are over there.

For her 2017 cruises, she got all new running rigging, a new larger, "Ian Short" Genoa which, with her code zero reacher and prodder has improved her light wind sailing.

It is hoped that shortly she will start carrying AIS for better safety.

Specification

Inventory