Most builders won't let we magazine types near their boats until they've had them on the water for a few days or weeks to ensure that everything is as it should be. This was not the case when Peter Chesworth and I went to Rossiter's yard on the River Avon at Christchurch. They'd just finished bending on the sails and were still cutting the sheets to length when we arrived to sail their latest craft, the bermudan cutter rigged Pintail. But I suppose when you've seen the first one down the slip some 35 years previously and then put another 40 or so in the water since, you have a fair idea of what you've got and how it should work. And of course she did work, delightfully well, as have all her sisters over the years.

A WELL EARNED REPUTATION
Rossiter's Pintail is one of those boats that have quietly attained a reputation for themselves as thoroughly dependable, comfortable and safe sea boats; a reputation founded upon deep sea passage making, as well as a great deal of coastal cruising. Sturdy rather than svelte would probably be a fitting description of the Pintail's appearance but she is no ugly duckling. In the performance department, while she might not break speed records, she will maintain good averages and her moderate displacement, long keeled, sea-kindly hull will keep her crew comfortable in the kind of weather that will send many bigger and more recently designed craft looking for shelter. Her raised foredeck and lack of sidedecks, reminiscent of some Maurice Griffiths' designs, not only provide her with lots of extra space below but the extra freeboard forward also helps to keep water where it belongs.

Down below the Pintail is finished in a simple style but the workmanship is superb. African mahogany is extensively used in the accommodation areas and the care with which it is fitted and finished has always been a trademark of the boats from this little yard at the head of Christchurch lagoon. The layout, which can be tailored to owner's needs to a degree, is fairly straightforward. A forward cabin with V berths is separated from the main saloon by an enclosed toilet to starboard and a hanging locker opposite. The main cabin or saloon has a full length settee berth down each side and a compact but well fitted galley to port of the companionway. On the boat we sailed, the owner wanted a good sized chart table so this has been fitted opposite the galley, above a well designed wet locker complete with proper boot stowage. There is plenty of light in the main saloon area, thanks to the two long windows on each side of the raised section of the coachroof as well as two oval portholes on each side. The mahogany finish is rich but does not make the interior dark and gloomy in the manner of some boats; the white of the galley and chart areas and of the removable headlining panels gives a sense of light and space.

QUALITY OF THOUGHT AND FINISH
Considering she is just 23' (7m) long on the waterline, there is a truly remarkable amount of practical stowage space. All of the under-bunk areas are given over to storage, with access through drop-down mahogany doors in the lower fronts of the bunks. There's more stowage behind the seat backs and I was pleased to see that this is properly subdivided and accessed by simply pulling forward the backrest of whichever locker area you want to reach, no moving everything just to get at a spare can of beans. The port side settee has a trotter box which extends into the hanging locker opposite the toilet compartment, although this still leaves plenty of space in the locker. Immediately above the trotter box on the saloon side, a number of open fronted stowage spaces lend themselves to use as bookshelves. On this boat, the area above and behind the backrests has been turned into long but deep shelves. On other Pintails, this space on the starboard side is utilised to stow a roll-out root berth.

A COCKPIT TO ENJOY
Having decided that her internal space and layout had all the attributes of a comfortable cruising boat for two and occasionally four, it was time to see how well the rest of her fitted the role. Up in the cockpit, favourable impressions continued: it is a well laid out working area. But it is different from most other cockpits in that the sole is in the shape of a T with the crossbar forward. This, Charles Rossiter explained, allows whoever is tending the sheets to do the job standing up instead of in the usual half twisted position with one knee on the sidebench. What a good idea! All the sheets, including the double ended mainsheet come into the cockpit at its forward corners. A pair of hefty self tailers make the work easier on the staysail and jib sheets, while the mainsheet appears through a pair of slots just below coaming level before being led back to a sturdy wooden cleat on each side. A pinrail is fitted across the after end of the coarning and a pair of hefty bronze pins are provided to keep the tiller where you want it. I was to discover that, properly trimmed, she would quite happily hold her course on most points of sail.

UNDER POWER AND SAIL
Leaving the yard required a three point turn, which, with some judiciously handled springs, was easily accomplished and soon we were heading down the winding channel through Christchurch Harbour towards Mudeford Quay and Christchurch Bay. The 20hp Bukh pushed her along easily and quietly and it took little effort on the tiller to make even the tightest of the turns. Once in open water clear of the bar, Charles hoisted the main; on this boat, the halyard is at the mast but it could easily be led back to the cockpit. With jib and staysail on Furlex roller reefing gear, it was the work of seconds to unfurl them and then Pintail was heeling gently and showing us what she was there for.

For the two or three hours of our test sail, we had between about 10 and 15 knots of wind which was quite enough to show that the Pintail is an able performer on all points of sail and the cutter rig is especially powerful on a close reach. At 15 knots wind speed, we were never close to needing a reef; the moderate displacement hull with its long keel and bilge keels keeps her stiff and pleasantly upright despite a modest draught draft of just 3'6" (1.06m). Every boat is a compromise but I do think that Rossiters have achieved a very good balance with this hull configuration. It is shallow enough to allow you to explore inshore waters and dry out in comfort but the weight is sufficiently low down to keep the boat sailing at an angle that would not worry the most nervous novice. With a displacement of a little over 5 tons with just over 2 tons of this on the ballast keel she feels much bigger than she actually is. With the wind at its peak and a good tide beginning to run there was some quite lumpy water around the Christchurch Ledge but the Pintail hardly noticed it.

In the manner of all long keeled craft, she did like to be sailed around through a tack but she accomplished the turn quickly and without losing way and never felt as though she might not go through the wind. She was equally well mannered on the gybe and here, the position of the mainsheet coming from forward of the helmsman made it much easier to take up and release while handling the tiller; with a mainsheet coming directly from a horse, you find yourself facing aft as you gather it in and often, as a consequence, make too wide a turn.

My first impressions of the practicality of the cockpit were proved absolutely right. With just the two of us, there was plenty of room to work the boat without the helmsman and crew clashing every time we went about and there would be plenty of space for another hand. Although the sheets and winches are set at the forward end of the cockpit, the tiller is sufficiently long for them to be handled by the helmsman, although in practice this is where that pinrail would come in handy.

All in all the cockpit is a thoroughly pleasant place to be whether you are sailing the boat or just sitting on your mooring. Because of its depth the cockpit is not self draining but it is a sealed GRP unit with a pair drains that run down to a sump which has its own bilge pump operated from the cockpit. A separate pump handles the main internal bilge.

Apart from hoisting the main and handling the anchor, there is really little need to go forward of the cockpit but when you do, the deck is clear and safe and surrounded by twin lifelines which run through substantially mounted stanchions between pushpit and pulpit. But it is really only when you do go forward that you realise the advantages of the deck running right out to the sides of the boat; it's easy to walk on, you don't have to squeeze past the shrouds and it tends to stay dry in all but the roughest weather.

The Pintail utilises a modern Selden mast and boom with three shrouds aside. A wooden bowsprit of about 4'6" (1.4m) is secured by a chain bobstay but does not use whiskers. The jib and staysail on this boat are set well above the deck level so that there is no problem with forward visibility.

FEW CHANGES OVER THE YEARS
The first Rossiter Pintail was launched in 1961 and the first six of the class were of all wood construction. But Rossiters quickly saw the advantages of production building and subsequent craft have been built in GRP. Happily Hugh Rossiter's basic hull design lent itself easily to the creation of moulds, though recently the moulds were changed to incorporate bolt-on bilge keels and a separate ballast keel; earlier craft had steel punchings moulded into the long keel as ballast. These changes appear to have made little difference to the way the boats perform; if anything, they are now a little stiffer than before. Probably the only change of any significance is that the mast is now stepped upon a raised and specially strengthened box-like section that extends forward from the existing narrow coachroof; a change made to provide standing headroom all the way through to the forecabin and allow the central area between the saloon and the forecabin to be used as a shower compartment.

CONCLUSIONS
This is a beautifully built and finished craft that would be a pleasure to spend time aboard, whether making long or short passages. Many of her features show a real understanding of the needs of a proper sea boat. There are hand holds where they should be and there are no sharp corners or edges to catch you should you be caught off balance. Fixtures and fittings both on deck and below are of the highest quality and finish. And you can also have her as a bermudan masthead sloop or as a gaff cutter complete with topsail. At about £80,000 for the boat we sailed, the Pintail could not be described as inexpensive. Nonetheless you are getting real value for money and she is built in such a way that she will certainly last you for many years. It says much that Rossiters know where just about all of their earlier craft are and though several return to Christchurch every winter for a check over from those who know them best, there is rarely very much to be done.