Morris Yachts Ambassador Cuyler Morris has literally been sailing aboard “Morris Yachts” since his father Tom Morris moved his family to Maine to start building boats in 1972. Meanwhile, he and I have sailed more than a few offshore miles together on virtually every new Morris model that’s been launched in the last 15 years. But the crazy thing is, no matter where we are, or what boat we’re on, or where were headed, wind speeds never seem to dip below 18 knots, and the wind direction never seems to waver from ON THE NOSE!
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And you think I would have learned my lesson when Cuyler called me up yet again and said: “You want to help me sail a new M42 from Cape Cod down to Newport?” I should have also been prepared for steep chop, sporty breezes, and infinitesimal apparent wind angles but……Nooooo.
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And then we saw the large windmills near Hyannis spinning a whole lot faster than they should have been on a “calm” Cape Cod morning.
But you know what I’ve also learned? In the end, the seemingly never-ending sporty breezes on the nose never really matter. Morris Yachts have a well-earned reputation for being as sea kindly as they are stunning. They are built to perform beautifully in the conditions Cuyler and I always seem to find ourselves in. And maybe more importantly, I was reminded how fun it is to sail a good boat, in good breeze, with a good friend (for 50-or-so upwind miles) on a sunny late summer day.
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And you know what else I was reminded of? Just how amazing it is to sail directly into steep chop and solid, 20-knot head winds, and NEVER POUND ONCE!
Never.
Let’s let that sink in for a moment shall we? We did not pound. In fact, we ate cookies, celebrated Cuyler’s 50th birthday, talked about how nice it was to be sailing past Cuttyhunk on a Tuesday afternoon, and logged speeds in the 8’s for most of the way. Sure we were getting a push from the current rushing out of Vineyard Sound, and yeah, we did get wet from an occasional spray that made it past the dodger, but we never experienced the rig-shuttering, filling-rattling, pounding I have all-to-often felt on boats going upwind in those exact same conditions.
While some boats may bash to weather with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, the M42 pampered us with the comfortable and refined ride Morris Yachts are known for. And oh, yeah, her good looks turn heads in every harbor she enters.
So, if a boat’s “manners” mean anything to you, do yourself a favor and take any of the Morris M-Series boats out for a spin. “Pounding” to windward will never feel the same again.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]