At slightly shy of 40 foot and as the shallow draft variant, drawing just 1.6m, WeatherWitch has less depth restrictions than many yachts her size, whilst still being bluewater capable. These shallow draft variants were fitted with a Scheel keel to minimise the trade off in draft. A masthead sloop true to the design philosphy of her time, her main driving force comes from a large Genoa.
WeatherWitch is an Ed Dubois design, built in France by the (Henri) Wauquiez yard. They were built as high quality bluewater cruisers aimed as a similiar product to Nautor Swans; in fact the early Wauquiez designs are sometimes referred to as “the French Swans”. Unfortunately the quality and cost of their production was seemingly their downfall, with the brand being sold first to Beneteau and later to a private equity fund.
What’s in a name?
To think of an Albatross is to contemplate an ocean going bird that can spend much of it’s life on wing. Due to their range, navigational ability and prevalence in the remote parts of the worlds oceans, they have come to represent freedom and wonderlust to many. To the sailor they have often been considered good luck.
In ancient times some people used to use Abatross to warn of a change in wind direction and coming storms. They would ride ahead of the new wind, and therefore could give upto a day’s warning of the new direction and potentially, the coming storm. To some there was a belief that they in fact controlled the weather, that they were … Weather Witches…
