Overview
About this vessel
NEW STANDING RIGGING & Running Rigging
NEW Mast wiring and lighting
NEW Main Sail
Fresh Engine Service
NEW Interior cushions
NEW Battery Charger
NEW Batteries
NEW Dodger eisenglass
Sailing dinghy with sails included
METEOR was designed by David Sadler, built in Canada by J.J. Taylor to Lloyds Standards. This Blue Water Cruiser is well equipped to go offshore or across the Bay. The Contessa 32 is modern classic, which has become the benchmark for seaworthy offshore cruising yachts. These elegant yachts are fast, comfortable, sea kindly and ever-popular.
1. The Contessa 32 has proven itself in extreme ocean racing
The Contessa 32 shot to fame in the 1972 OSTAR (Observer Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race) - a brutal solo race from England to the U.S.
- "Assent," a Contessa 32, finished 4th overall, beating many much larger and more powerful boats.
- Even more impressive: several Contessa 32s finished, while many bigger, more "modern" designs retired or broke.
This race cemented the boat 27s reputation as exceptionally seaworthy, tough, and trustworthy offshore.
2. A benchmark of seaworthy design
Designed by David Sadler, the Contessa 32 became a textbook example of what people now call a "proper little ocean boat":
- Long keel, moderate displacement
- Narrow beam by modern standards
- Strong fiberglass layup
- Kind motion at sea and excellent tracking in heavy weather
In an era when some designers were chasing lighter, racier shapes, the Contessa 32 showed that balance, strength, and seakeeping matter more than raw speed offshore.
3. Changed how people viewed "small" offshore boats
Before boats like the Contessa 32, many sailors believed you needed much larger yachts to cross oceans safely. The Contessa helped prove that:
A well-designed 32-footer could cross oceans, survive storms, and bring its crew home.
That idea influenced decades of cruising and offshore yacht design.
4. Hugely popular and long-lived
- Hundreds were built, and many are still sailing today - some with multiple ocean crossings under their keels.
- They developed a reputation for outliving owners rather than the other way around.
- Even now, surveyors, sailors, and designers often point to the Contessa 32 as a gold standard of small offshore cruisers.
5. A cult classic with a serious reputation
The Contessa 32 isn 27t just nostalgic - it 27s respected because it earned that respect in real oceans, real storms, and real races. Its history is tied to:
- The rise of modern offshore cruising
- The proof of concept for small, tough ocean boats
- A shift toward valuing seaworthiness over marketing specs
In short
The Contessa 32 is historically significant because it proved, in the hardest possible way, that a small, well-designed yacht could be a serious ocean-going vessel - and it helped shape what sailors still look for in offshore boats today.
It is considered to be one of the "bulletproof cruiser" family &05;
