Fancy

Fancy was built by a research and development partnership organized by Sanford Boat in 1982. She is unusual in two ways. Firstly we developed the ALERION CLASS SLOOP's composite plastic/lead keel into a copper nickel keel structure which encompassed the tankage and engine beds and gave her a copper nickel bilge. Copper nickel was chosen because it was corrosion free and the least expensive of the copper alloys.

 

Secondly she was built from the inside out. First her Keel was set up. Then the interior was constructed. On top of the interior the deck was set which held the whole edifice together. The interior acted as the mold around which the hull was constructed and the whole thing was done.

 

She was designed as a big day-sailor, yet able to go to sea. While in san Francisco, she sailed out the Gate easily handling the rough water of  the "Potato Patch" in moderate gale force onshore winds, with double reefed main and her working (only) jib.

 

She was set up to be sailed single handed, unusual for such a large boat, but successful. She started the trend in large easily handled day sailors continued by Hinckley, Morris and Friendships. Unlike those boats, Fancy achieve her ease through design rather through mechanization.

 

Fancy was fitted out and sea trialed on San Francisco Bay. Then she was brought East and sold to Jimmy Buffet. A few years on he sold her to an owner in Brooklin, ME who kept her for 20 years before selling her to a buyer from Nantucket, where she now makes her homeport.