Those of us who have crossed oceans on small boats often dream of owning a larger yacht capable of meeting our demand for speed under sail, ease of operation with short-handed crew and comfort both above and below decks. The Hinckley Sou’wester 50, Baccara, built in 1977, meets all of these demands in a spacious, seaworthy, sea kindly package.
A quick study of Baccara’s deck layout and rigging reveals graceful lines, with appropriate attention given to the arrangement of helm and deck winches, all of which are located conveniently close at hand. This lets singlehanded or short-handed crew manage the vessel easily while under sail or when motoring.
Her solid-bronze centerboard is controlled by a worm gear, permitting precise trim depending on the angle of sail, wind speed and sea motion. While the centerboard is up, Baccara can traverse potentially dangerous shallows, such as those found in Biscayne Bay, Fla., and the Bahama Banks.
The cutaway keel and keel-mounted rudder are a key combination separating the Sou’wester 50 from most contemporary boats in its class. With this traditional layout, you can sleep content knowing you will still have a rudder when you wake up to take over the watch.
With Baccara’s yawl rig, undertaking a major crossing will be much smoother than with the typical sloop rig, which may be difficult to balance, particularly on a beam reach. You can trim the genoa, main and mizzen while sailing off the wind or, if the breeze kicks up a bit harder, you can drop the main while maintaining balance and speed.
Belowdecks, you will find a large, well-equipped main cabin, a spacious galley with an L-shaped counter, three-burner stove and oven, microwave, top-opening fridge and ample drawers and shelving. Baccara also has a welcoming 6 feet, 6 inches of headroom and ample seating around the salon table, the main meeting place in cool weather.
The salon features a solid mahogany drop-leaf table. Storage includes space beneath the table, two sliding-door lockers and, storage for four fishing rods. The day head has shower and a locker with shelves, plus a sink, medicine cabinet and ample storage space.
Three staterooms offer sleeping space for seven, plus room for another crew member with the main salon settee converted into a berth. The owner’s stateroom is appropriately appointed with a pullman berth and lee cloth, a bookshelf above and large drawers below the berth and two reading lamps. The private head has a shower and there’s more storage in a tall, vented hanging locker. The forward stateroom consists of a V-berth with shelves lining both sides. A mirrored locker has three drawers and there’s extra locker below, a hanging locker and a large, overhead deck hatch. The starboard stateroom consists of two bunks with lee cloths, two lamps, a sliding door locker with shelves, an overhead hatch and a dorade vent for fresh air. All three staterooms are trimmed with mahogany battens, adding structural integrity and natural beauty to the sleeping quarters.
The roomy navigation station accommodates an L-shaped table, a fixed leather chair, a small reference library and storage lockers. Sitting in the fixed chair, you can communicate with other vessels and study navigation charts without worrying about being tossed across the cabin in a steep wave.
Electronics in the nav station include a Raymarine E-80 chartplotter with radar monitor, EPIRB, Furuno GPS, ICOM VHF radio, SEA SSB Radio, spare handheld VHF, Wood-Freeman autopilot control panel, Sony CD stereo receiver, Chelsea clock and barometer. A bookshelf has space for paper charts and cruising guides. When the main engine is not needed, you can rely on the 8kW genset and Lifeline AGM house battery bank with inverter to provide air conditioning and heating as needed to ensure a comfortable environment below decks.
Hinckley’s Sou’wester 50 combines, tough, traditional design and construction with high-tech navigation and communications. Baccara can fit the needs of the aspiring offshore cruiser with space to handle a half dozen or so crew, while being small enough for a cruising couple or young family looking in search of a spacious, weather-ready platform. n