We spend most of our time testing boats of a modern style-comparatively light displacement, light to handle and sitting more on the water than in it. So it was an extra pleasure to have the opportunity to sail the Curlew and remember the pleasures of a traditional yacht.
A different shape and a little more displacement make for a stable boat in harbour and a slower motion at sea, so that the whole atmosphere of a passage changes. The helm took a little more of a push, but the Curlew responded positively and with dignity. The actual effort involved was hardly more than usual; it was simply different.

HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS
Nothing shows up a boat's handling characteristics quicker than sailing her alone during the manoeuvring required for taking sailing photographs. At the end of the session with the Curlew I was certainly warm, but felt we had formed a good partnership. I had re-learned the technique of leaning on the tiller and giving it an adequate nudge to allow ample time to perform some foredeck task before she wandered significantly. This was when reaching, of course. On the wind she was very steady and predictable.

THOUGHTFUL LAYOUT
One felt thoroughly at home with the thoughtful layout of the double-ended mainsheet, the easy reach from helm to Genoa sheet, the deep, secure, roomy cockpit and the wide side decks.
The whole atmosphere was of a solid, dependable yacht, which was designed, and built by people who went to sea in them as of course is the case. In fact the Rossiter family have been involved in the design and construction of traditional yachts for 40 years and while they acknowledge the value of modern materials (and use them efficiently) they still like to produce a yacht with the style, appearance and characteristics of earlier days.

The Curlew is, in many ways, an enlarged Pintail and is recognisable with the varnished top strake, wide sidedecks and turret coachroof. She uses the long keel concept which only draws 3ft 8in (1. 12m) and the boat is fitted with either a centreboard with a maximum draught of 5ft 10in (1.78m) or a pair of bilge keels, to give effective windward ability. Thus the boat has the freedom to explore shallow creeks or even get to and from the builders' yard up the shallow Avon at Christchurch.

UNDER SAIL
The boat we sailed was the bilge keel version and it was interesting that there was none of the characteristic sounds one expects when a twin keeler is sailed upwind in a chop. No doubt the deep centre hull and keel stopped the waves breaking on the underbody as usually happens, so we had as quiet a sail as you would have had with a conventional hull. The Rossiters are reticent about the subtleties of positioning the bilge keels and simply hint at the value of the tank testing which confirmed their beliefs.

All one can say is that she slipped along very easily, making six knots reaching and eight knots surfing in some 15 knots of true wind. Upwind she made five to six knots and tacked through 100 degrees. No doubt she would have done better with a taut jib luff; this was simply a forestay tension problem which we could not deal with. Under the circumstances we thought she did well.

UNDER POWER
Under power (with a smooth, quiet Bukh DV 20M 20hp-the 36 hp is an option) she showed her long keel parentage by being tricky to handle when going astern. This is almost inevitable until one develops expertise with the particular boat as owners do or unless one uses a reasonable amount of ahead and astern to push the stern in the right direction.

CONSTRUCTION
Needless to say the construction is very robust. Completion to S Lloyd's 100 A1 standard is routine though the surveyor's fees for classification are an extra charge. The conventional glass-fibre hull has three stringers each side and one of these picks up the fastenings for the bilge keel. Substantial floors and frames criss-cross the area between the bilge keels and over the ballast.

The deck is of sandwich construction with an overlap hull to deck join carried well down the hull side. To be fair, the boat we sailed was the wooden prototype and as a result we had all the joys of lots of varnish- particularly in the cockpit. There is no doubt that inside, the contrast of the white deck beams, timbers and bulkheads, and teak panels and mahogany coachroof sides suited the style of the Curlew.

WELCOMING INTERIOR
The saloon felt a restful place and very welcoming, particularly attractive in view of the miserable weather we experienced. It is delightfully un-fussy with a surprising feeling of space and ample storage. However, it seemed to us that putting individual cushions as settee backrests was rather unnecessary while they avoided removing cushions to get into a locker, the same result could have been achieved by having a simple, narrow, full-length backrest at shoulder level.

Rossiters do not believe in packing in the berths, that is not the style of the yacht. As a result, space adequate for a quarterberth is given to a second, large and useful cockpit locker and to a good oilskin locker just to starboard inside the main hatch. Immediately forward is a three-quarter sized chart table, with good book and instrument space. The navigator faces aft sitting on the after end of the starboard settee. The port settee converts into a double berth while the table is a solid unit with flaps.

There are some fine traditional cave lockers in the main bulkhead and the style of the boat was further emphasised by the exposed cable runs to the lamps. It seems unusual today, but was, after all, routine in the days before the need to hide a rough glass-fibre surface with a deckhead lining. The intention is a neat functional style and there is nothing unsightly about it, rather the reverse. Even the switches are of an Admiralty design rarely seen today, but still used by Rossiters because they are simple and reliable.

To port inside the hatch is a good, compact galley with a small, deep sink with fresh and salt pumps, solid fiddles and ample storage. The cooking arrangement is ingenious with a gimballed two-burner and grill Optimus stove above a fixed oven - the argument being, reasonably, that oven cooking does not require gimbals. Further, to save space in harbour, the stovetop can be lowered to a non-gimballed position to provide more foot room in front of the galley, the tools box-come bottom access step is well over to starboard, with a single step above this. We don't like steps that require you to remember where they have been offset and to which side, but circumstances dictate such a situation and everything is a compromise. Forward of the saloon is a head compartment to starboard, with wash basin and Baby Blake (what else on a boat of this style?) and this can be used without obstructing access to the hanging locker opposite or to the forecabin beyond.

In the forecabin there is a combination of sail and personal gear lockers, together with a neat chain pipe leading the cable to a readily accessible locker between the berths. Fixed ventilation is well arranged and the forehatch is a well-protected construction, with heavy folding cheeks to allow ventilation even in wet weather.

Handholds throughout the boat (and notably beside the turret coach- roof) are equally thoroughly planned. Headroom aft in the saloon is 6ft 2in (1. 88m) and 6ft l in (1. 85m) forward with 5ft 9 in (1.75m) in the head and below the hatch in the forecabin. Some practice is required to slip under the edge of the sidedeck when sitting down on the berths, but with time it comes right.

CONCLUSION
All these details simply confirm that the Curlew is a very carefully planned and thought out yacht and a worthy successor to the earlier, smaller Rossiter yachts. She has a timeless air about her, which is enormously attractive. It's no surprise that, this small, caring company has a loyal and steady following which no doubt will increase as more people appreciate the advantages of the traditional yacht. This one would prove particularly suitable for a small crew who required a really delightful and comfortable boat for a long cruise.