Cherubini Staysail Schooner

NARWHAL is an iconic 48-foot Cherubini staysail schooner. Her clipper bow with bowsprit, schooner rig, low freeboard and raised bulwarks aft, along with varnished teak cabin trunk sides, are reminiscent of L. Francis Herreshoff's TICONDEROGA as ably interpreted by John Cherubini. She is a proven performer in near coastal waters, on the racecourse and crossing oceans. Her combination of shoal draft, spirited performance, a well-balanced helm and easy sail handling, along with drop-dead gorgeous lines, make her a true standout.

NARWHAL has a beautiful Aristo Blue hull with a wide white shear stripe, matching single white boot stripe and red bottom. Her cabin top and decks are painted Moondust non-skid with gloss white waterways; cabin house sides with teak eyebrows, trim, handrails, toe rails and cockpit helm seating are in varnished bright teak. Her spars are painted to match the non-skid decks, and her canvas is off-white.

Below decks is a world unto itself: comfortable, traditional and seaman-like with plenty of light and ventilation, and storage befitting a proper cruising yacht. Mahogany joinery with raised-panel bulkheads and hull ceilings painted white in the Herreshoff style frame her living quarters beautifully.

NARWHAL has cruised both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, but in recent times has been U.S. east coast-based. In the last seven years, she has seen only seasonal use in New England, with indoor heated storage the norm, and professional service by Niemec Marine of New Bedford and The Concordia Company of South Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

NARWHAL has benefited from extensive refitting during her present ownership—primarily in 2013–2014—with new Yanmar diesel, refrigeration, A/C and a completely new electrical system with all new wiring and chargers. She is a well-found yacht. There is good reason why this builder and design were included in Ferenc Mate's seminal work The World's Greatest Sailboats.

Accommodations

A large single-berth cabin forward features an overhead hatch for light and ventilation large enough to pass sails through. Next aft to port is an enclosed head with en-suite shower. A bulkhead and door aft provide privacy for the head and cabin forward of the mast.

Aft of the mast is the spacious salon featuring a lovely mahogany table with center storage and matching lift-outs, and folding leaves, with a shallow U-shaped settee to port. A snug offshore-ready pilot berth is outboard to port, with its own non-opening hull port for light and a view. Across from the table to starboard is a straight settee that doubles as an additional sea berth with lee cloth. Outboard and above is an open shelf with another hull port, with hull staving in lighter wood that takes advantage of the full beam of the yacht. Bronze plaques from the Dunhill San Fernando Race in 1995 and the South China Sea Race in 1996 attest to the globetrotting nature of this capable design and the miles NARWHAL cruised in her early years.

The salon features a large butterfly hatch overhead, numerous custom Cherubini-designed and -built opening ports, and raised-panel bulkheads painted satin white with exquisite mahogany and teak joinery in the form of deck beams. Substantial knees, handholds, fiddles, cabinetry and ceiling trim offset the white panels on the overhead, lockers and countertops, all in the Herreshoff style. The soles throughout the boat are teak and holly and varnished bright.

The U-shaped galley is aft to port, set within the salon and offset by overhead custom cabinetry. Large undercounter refrigerated iceboxes are located forward, with beautiful inset tilework depicting the yacht. The sea-going stove and oven are located outboard and the twin sinks are aft. There is plenty of counter space and storage in this working galley. Across from the galley to starboard is another huge insulated icebox with shelf on top. A good-sized hanging locker is just forward, also with storage on top and large shelf above.

Moving aft from the galley and salon, a passageway leads by the master head with separate stall shower to starboard, and through a doorway into the aft cabin and navigation area, with proper forward-facing navigation table and chair on a swivel.

The aft cabin features a large double berth offset to port. This is a lovely space with hull staving and an additional hull port, a wrap-around shelf at the head of the berth and bronze ocean Frigast reading lamps. Inboard of the berth is a large counter top for storage. The cabinetry space forward of the berth allows for built-in drawers and double-fronted hanging lockers behind. There is another large counter in solid mahogany. All of the lockers throughout the yacht have cane doors with wood trim for ventilation and a classic look. There is a small settee at the forward end of the cabin with large mirror mounted on the bulkhead. The aft cabin may be closed off from the rest of the boat with bi-fold raised-panel doors. Ventilation and light are provided by opening ports in the deckhouse. There is a ceiling-mounted compass above the berth, overhead lights and solid handholds, which double as gutters along the cabin trunk base here and throughout the yacht, sculpted to be comfortable to grip.

The navigation station to starboard features a full complement of updated electronics and is situated next to the companionway leading up to the cockpit.

Construction

The hull and cockpit are hand-laid fiberglass with Vinylester resin. The decks and cabin house are wood and fiberglass with painted non-skid on top, solid teak sides and eyebrow, teak handrails and teak companionway hatch hood. The decks feature painted non-skid with high-gloss painted waterways in white. All bulkheads are glassed into the hull and deck on both sides for maximum strength.

Cockpit

The steering area is separated by partial dividers with wide teak coaming boards on top, featuring Lewmar 52 self-tailing winches, one each port and starboard, within easy reach of the helm. Access is excellent under the helm seat to the quadrant and autopilot ram. Large cockpit forward with wide and long seats good for lying down. Wide, raised bridge deck across the front of the cockpit. Teak companionway offset to starboard with smoked Lexan hatch board. Fold-down table, cockpit coamings, traditional spoked wheel, pedestal storage cubbies and helm bench seating, all in varnished teak. Cockpit cushions are Royal Blue Sunbrella.

Rigging

Aluminum double-spreader masts and booms, Awlgrip painted. Mainsail and foresail sheets both lead aft under dodger to winches in the cockpit. Foresail is self-tacking with traveler control lines leading aft. Harken furling headstay reef line led aft to cockpit starboard winch. Navtec stainless discontinuous rod rigging, stainless closed-barrel turnbuckles and Navtec fittings. Removable 1×19 stainless wire inner forestay. Braided polyester sheets and halyards, with 1×19 stainless wire running backstays to braided line purchase system. Mast steps are stainless, mounted on keel. Harken main and foresail travelers; Schaeffer mainsheet and deck blocks; Merriman jib lead cars; Lewmar Spinlock line clutches; Antal line clutches on booms. Stainless tracks on toe rails with pairs forward and additional pairs starting amidship and extending all the way to the stern.