Building Bijou

Our Journey to Find the Ideal Microcruiser

Article by Bob Trygg

Anchored here in our favorite cove, sitting in Bijou’s cabin with a fresh-brewed cup of coffee, I start to think of the journey we’ve taken to arrive with our microcruiser. It has been the culmination of years of finding our way to this perfect moment.

When I started sailing and building boats, I considered myself not much different from others in my situation. At first, a bigger boat was my desire only because I had the misconceived idea that bigger had to be better. Only later would the realization fully dawn on us that bigger also meant more money for everything (i.e.,. hardware, dockage, upkeep), along with the limitation on where one could sail based on the time available to get there, and frequently limited by the need to earn income to pay for a bigger boat. As I grew older things began to change. Reading accounts of sailing adventures in small boats like Sopranino and Tinkerbelle, two of my favorites, led me to believe that the bigger approach might be all wrong. I don’t know where I first read it, but somewhere is a plaque that reads, “The enjoyment of the boat is inversely proportional to its size.” Over time, this statement took on great significance for me.