What kind of boat is Sisu?
1983 Canadian Sailcraft - CS33
Sisu is a 1983 Canadian Sailcraft, model CS33. She is 33 feet long and displaces 10,000 pounds. Her construction is fiberglass. Her top speed (theoretically) is 6.83 knots, but I've had her up to almost 8 knots, sustained. She is a masthead sloop, which might be the most common cruising sailboat on the Great Lakes. Sailing magazines speak well of this design.
How common is CS?
Although CS is no longer in business (their last boat was build in around 1990), there were somewhere north of 400 built. There is a vigorous owner's forum, which I have used to diagnose problems, design enhancements, and just chat with other owners. I built this interactive Google Map to show each of the boats I could identify from the owner's forum, which shows where they all are. Mostly Canada! They are very well regarded, and don't get far from home. I was lucky to come across one.
Electronics and Navigation
Although she is over 40 years old, Sisu has a full suite of modern electronic navigation equipment. A chart plotter contains charts of the entire great lakes, in close enough detail to navigate in the dark. Her wind, speed and depth instruments are all networked into the chart plotter as is the autopilot. We can set Sisu up to automatically follow a course with multiple waypoints, or steer to a specific direction, or even hold position relative to the wind.
On my first solo lake crossing, Patty bought me an AIS receiver, as part of my long-range VHF radio, which tells me the location, course and speed of any ship that broadcasts AIS - which is all commercial vessels, and quite a few pleasure boats. It is a safety feature, and also interesting to see details about other boats.
Propulsion: Sisu Under Sail
I get asked how fast can you sail? How fast is your engine? Our engine is a 20 horsepower diesel desinged to run for days on end. It is reliable and efficient, but not fast. Fact is, with 10 knots or more of wind, Sisu is faster under sail than under engine. Engine will drive her about 5.5 knots. Sails - depending on wind will hit 7+ knots in spurts, and 6.5+ sustained.
The "catch" is light air sailing. With wind under 5 knots, or a headwind Sisu needs her engine. I'm pretty good at the fundamentals of saiing, but I have several friends who can visualize the wind and the set of sails and always make us faster than what I can alone. I'm sure that Mark, or Willi, or Glyn ... or several others will cringe at the sail set in this picture and have suggestions!
Anchoring
If you ask experienced sailors what worries them the most, they are likely to say "docking and anchoring". (Storms are only in second place - these boats handle rough weather very well).
Sisu's primary anchor is a 15 kg (33 pound) Vulcan, designed to dig deep into sand or mud. The harder the boat pulls against it, the deeper the anchor digs! It is designed to hold her fast in winds up to 50 knots, which i hope to never see!
As a frequent single hander, raising and deploying anchor can be a challenge, so Sisu has an electric Windlass to support that chore. There is a remote control for use at the bow, plus a cockpit mounted control.
Living Quarters
Canadian Sailcraft boats are generally built to optimize stability and sailing performance; the cabin is a bit narrower that that of boats optimized for "cottage comfort" like Catalina or Hunter.
Still, she is great for a cruising couple with a separate sleeping berth and head (bathroom), and a main cabin with sofas, a nice table and functional galley (kitchen).
The main cabin doubles as a second sleeping area, with a large and comfortable double bed.
The galley is nice enough that I have an annual trip to visit with my niece, where we prepare a gourmet meal on board.
Mission: Coastal Cruiser
Some sailboats are built for racing, others for blue water ocean crossings. The CS line seems to have been optimized for the Great Lakes, although you will find quite a few in the North Atlantic, Pacific Northwest, and even the Caribbean.
Coastal Cruisers are rugged enough for ocean sailing, but tend to have storage and tankage for water, waste and fuel designed for a couple weeks at a time, rather than months at a time. Still, Sisu can easily provision to spend several weeks away from grocery stores and most other provisions. For my North Channel Trip, I probably only filled her up less than half full.