Overview
About this vessel
The era of IOR classic sailing yachts was a pivotal time in the sailing world. GREAT EXPECTATIONS (ex. YEOMAN XXVII) was designed by the famous Bruce Farr Yacht Design. She is a Custom 50, design #155, commissioned by Olympic gold medalist David Forbes and built by McConaghy Boats of Australia. She was Farr s first attempt to bring his successful smaller IOR designs to the IOR 50 Grand Prix stage. Since her debut in 1985, she has traveled the world racing and supporting many people with her comfortable cruising interior, excellent sailing abilities and her charm that always brings people together.
As you step onto her open transom you are met with twin wheels, a two-speed winch on each quarter for the running backstays and a primary three-speed winch for the main sheet. This begins the journey back to the glory days of sailing. The center cockpit beckons you forward into the winch farm with four more three-speed primary and secondary winches. While standing here on center stage you can t help but think of charging upwind with 15 people on the rail, racing to be the first to the windward mark.
Now-a-days, GREAT EXPECTATIONS is thriving in her retirement. She still loves charging upwind but now she does it blissfully at 7.5kts with only 8kts of breeze and one competent couple. She has been cruised like this for many years with the previous owners in Alaska and the current owners have done several summer excursions but have yet to venture farther than the San Juan Islands.
The 2022 Quantum mainsail offers better control in windy situations with the ability to reduce sail under the running backstays. For light wind, summer days, the main at full hoist totals an impressive 736 square feet of sail area.
The interior layout is bright and draws you below. The salon area is perfect for a few couples to have dinner and conversation all night. Time and time again GREAT EXPECTATIONS has hosted cocktails after a leisurely sail around Puget Sound or after a blustery day of racing around the buoys on someone else s boat, she always welcomes you home with her toasty interior and warm (or frosty) beverages. Pride of ownership shows but the time has come for the owners to move on and for GREAT EXPECTATIONS to enjoy her retirement under new ownership. She now resides in dry storage at Pacific Marine Center in Anacortes, WA.