Sea Pearl vs Com-Pac 16

A Round 2 Mini-Cruiser Madness Matchup

We told you these wouldn’t get any easier. Sure, keep calling them “apples and oranges,” but they are both small sailboats sometimes used for camping or cruising, and only one of them gets to advance to the Elite 8.

About the Sea Pearl we wrote: Sixty minutes later the santana arrived in force. Our mirror-like reflection on the water was shattered by whitecaps. Drew suggested we fill the tanks. ‘It’s like giving her a glass of wine,’ he said, ‘the extra ballast relaxes her and takes the edge off.’ The Pearl felt more substantial now—especially hard on the weather, clipping the tops off the foamy swells. We were surprised when the wind built to a sustained 17 knots. Drew demonstrated another Sea Pearl strength—heaving to. Ease the main, harden the mizzen and let go. The boat weathervaned, drifting slowly backward—the rudder turned side-ways and acted as a brake. To reef, Drew lifted the thumb tab on the ingenious rotating gooseneck, unclipped the vang and eased the outhaul. This allowed him to rotate the mast—which spins freely in the mast tube—and roll up sail area. Very simple. Very Sea Pearl.