Sailing on the Sparkman & Stepens 70' Obsesion

When I first saw this racing sled I thought it must be 60' or so

5 Spreaders, how tall is the Mast?

Mega winches and hardware

I asked the Admiral to put her hand up there so there would be some kind of reference on how big they are.

Raising the Main see this short clip: http://youtu.be/MYXOK6h_MJ8

With all that sail area on a mast around 120' we were in for a fine sail.

The whole crew are a bunch of young dudes.

Sailing into the sunset towards Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island

Incredible views of Mt. Rainier today, that building on the left with the tower and flag on top is the Starbucks Headquarters

Just Sailing

Once they had the Main up and the jib set, we smoooooothly accelerated, about 9-10 mph winds and we were doing 8-9 knots

On a day like this you get the Full Monty when it comes to Sunset.

Almost to Eagle Harbor with West Seattle in the background

As we turn towards West Seattle you get some great views of  the Cith

Rainier behind West Seattle

This Sail is all about the Sunsets, there will never be another one like this.

This is what it would be like to have your own vessel in these waters.

I almost waited to late to go below and get a pic, the light was disappearing, very Sparten down below, a lot of crew bunks, a couple of heads and a small galley, that's it.

Sailing on the Sparkman & Stephens 70' Obsesion
https://sailingseattle.com/sailboats.html

My daughter is always on the look out to find a appreciation gift for our time spent with Drew, she nailed this one, a 2.5 hour sunset sail aboard Obsesion:
http://www.sparkmanstephens.com/yachtdesign/sailyachts/performance_designs2.php

Design No2504
LOA69 ft 6 inLWL56 ft 7 inBeam17 ft 6 inDraft12 ft 1 in
Sparkman & Stephens and Derecktor shipyard teamed up to produce this 70’mini-maxi sloop for a veteran ocean racer. The ultimate IOR-racer at the time of her launch, OBSESSION'S design reflects S&S’s extensive use of hydrodynamic and finite element analysis. Her hull structure was optimized within ABS Offshore Racing Yacht Rules by making extensive use of weight saving titanium, a first for the mini-maxi class. According to her owner the S&S efforts to eliminate unnecessary weight have produced a yacht that sails much like a One-Tonner in that she is quick to reward carefully balance and sail trim finesse on the part of her crew. In the talent laden mini-maxi class, she won her class in the Manhasset Bay Fall Series and took line honors in the 1986 Miami-Palm Beach Race.

Doesn't matter if you are a sailor or not this is the best way to see Elliot Bay and Puget South Puget Sound IMHO. There are lots of ways to get out on the water, the least expensive is to just take a Ferry ride over to Bainbridge for about $7 a pop but to appreciate the PNW culture this one will take you there for sure.
there were ab out 20 guest and 4 crew aboard and there was lots of room for everyone to enjoy.
I was thrilled with the way this vessel accelerated as soon as the sails were up and set. The winds were a light 9-10 but we were easily making 8-9 knots across the bay in less than 1' waves. My only mistake was to not bring a couple of beers on board, if you do this ride they have a community Ice chest to keep your drinks cold so make the best of it!
We both enjoyed every second of this sunset sail, It would be great on any day, any time of year but it is
Really nice on a clear day when all the Mountains are out in clear view.