About the Yacht Katmai (Bénéteau First 51)
History
Designed by German Frers, the 51' foot sailing sloop "Katmai" was build in France at Beneteau's custom yard in 1987. The next year, a sister ship, La Poste, competed in the around the world Whitbread Race.
Katmai was originally known as "Decisions" and then "Nitemare". During this time in the early 1990's she had a long competitive run as a racer on the Great Lakes and was stationed in Chicago and Milwaukee.
In 1999 she was purchased by the Clyde Duke family (mom, dad and 3 teenagers) who refitted her for cruising and departed the west coast of the US for 3 years in tropical Pacific. On their way back to Seattle in 2001 they decided to sell the yacht, which they had renamed "Kookaburra". Eric met them in Tahiti and agreed to purchase the yacht on their return to Seattle in August 2001.
After Eric and Laurie acquired the yacht they sailed her north to their home in the State of Alaska in June 2002, where she resided and cruised the beautiful fjords until June 2007. Katmai is currently heading for Australia where she is expected to arrive in January 2008.
Comments By German Frers
"In the design brief for the First 51, Bénéteau set a deceptively simple but in fact truly demanding task. I was to design for them a yacht of both performance and elegance - but also of doing well under IOR. So I went to the lines plans and proven racing results of some of my latest race boat designs - Fujimo, Nitissima and Morning Star. I had as well the technical know-how, high technology and feel for performance developed in the Bénéteau yard and demonstrated so brilliantly in boats such as "Phoenix" during the last Admirals Cup.
The First 51 will be campaigned next season on some of the world's most demanding race circuits: SORC, Admirals Cup and Sardinia Cup. For top racing she has been designed to have partly removable accommodations to make her a very competitive racer-cruiser. First 51 will be marketed principally as a racer-cruiser and will offer a level of comfort and luxury rarely seen in a performance boat. Designing the First 51 has given me enormous pleasure. She is undoubtedly the yacht which most closely reflects my own firmly held views on what the sailing yacht of today should be."
Washington, September 1985
German Frers
Specifications
Length 51', Beam 15', draft 10'
Mast head rigged sloop plus inner forestay.
Deep draft lead fin keel
Hull is Airex Cored, Deck is end grain Baltek balsa cored
Optional tall 4 spreader mast, keel stepped, Navtec rod rigging
Carbon rudder and rudder post
Sail area: 1376 sqft., spinnaker 2445 sqft.
Displacement: 28,600lbs, Ballast:14,300 lbs
D/L: 176, SA/D: 21.6
80 hp Perkins 4-236 auxiliary engine
Berths for 6 in 3 cabins, including owners cabin aft
capacity 450 liters diesel, 345 liters water
Cruising Sail Inventory:
Main Sails:
2003 Neil Pryde Tri-radial Carbon Fiber Cruising main using Dimension-Polyant GPL-28 fabric, stepped down to GPL-21 all with polyester taffeta outer skin. Two reefs. Six round battons using Schafer Marine Batslide adjuster and Antal 60 head board and cars.
2007 Neil Pryde 13.93 oz. Dacron Delivery main. Three reefs. Six round batons using Schafer Marine Batslide adjuster and Antal 60 head board and cars.
Head Sails:
2007 Neil Pride 13.93 oz. 100%LP Dacron Delivery Roller reefing working jib with four inflatable roller batons.
North Sails #3 Kevlar roller furling jib.
Doyle #2 Kevlar roller furling Genoa.
2006 Neil Pride hank-on 405 sq.ft. Staysail
Hood Hank-on 200 sq.ft. Storm jib.
Doyle Dazy staysail - free flying.
Doyle 0.6 oz. symmetric tri-radial spinnaker
UK 1.5 oz. asymmetric tri-radial spinnaker in ATN sock.
Racing Sail Inventory: 20 additional various head sails, mostly Doyle and North
Hull Drawings and Layout
