The Wyliecat 65 features two unstayed rigs in a unique ketch layout.

The first Wyliecat 30 - an imaginative blend of a modern hull shape with a (modernized) catboat rig - was launched 10 years ago. And like her namesake, Mustang Sally has been 'runnin' all over town' ever since. She is still quick and simple to rig, and easy and forgiving to sail. More importantly (at least for this article), she has proven that a freestanding carbon fiber mast is about as durable and user-friendly a rig as you'll find. In light air, the large, fully-battened, high roach (no backstay to get in the way) mainsail coaxes every scrap of wind into useable power. As the breeze builds, the tip of the mast bends off to leeward, automatically flattening the sail and spilling power aloft - essentially adjusting itself. The only line the skipper has to deal with is the mainsheet. There are no runners, no jibsheets, no cunninghams, no flatteners - and the wishbone acts as its own vang. Think of it as kind of an automatic transmission for sailboats.

Tom Wylie, creator of the 30 - as well as such diverse designs as the Wylie Wabbit, Wylie 39 (no two of which have been built alike), the 70-ft ULDB Rage, the 65-ft cruising boat Saga and many others - has continued to employ the freestanding rig in other designs, notably Michael Katz's lovely Wyliecat 48 Ahava - one of the most frequently sailed boats in the Bay - and Bruce Schwab's Open 60 Ocean Planet, which is currently competing in Around Alone, the single-handed race around the world.

A year and a half ago, Wylie partnered up with boatbuilder Dave Wahle and sailor/racer extraordinare Skip Allen to begin building a new boat with a new mission: a light displacement 65-ft ketch that the trio hopes will strike a chord with the scientific community as the next logical step in research vessels. As the project took form, one of the more interested folks to drop by the Wyliecat shop in Watsonville was Randy Repass, founder and CEO of West Marine. He liked the boat so much he commissioned a sistership for future cruising. Here's a quick look at two of the more interesting boats due for launch next year.

Dereck M. Baylis
It's been quite awhile since we've heard the word "workboat" used in the same sentence as "sailing", but that's the mission for which Derek M. Baylis is being created. Specifically, she will function as a small research vessel suited to carry out most of the missions now conducted of what you might call the "stereotypical" small research vessel - a tired, ancient, donated trawler that guzzles fuel, belches pollution and scares away half the creatures it's supposed to be studying.

"Sailors and researchers both enjoy the ocean and care about the ocean," says Wylie. "It's time that my world and their world met the minister and got married."

The Derek M. Baylis - named for the Santa Cruz sailor, marine engineer and sailing family patriarch who has been a friend and mentor to Tom, Dave and Skip for over 30 years - has many features that the boat's creators hope to sell as the "next generation" research vessel. The first and most obvious is that she's a sailboat, so in most situations, she can be operated quietly (and economically), emit zero pollution, and peacefully monitor critters like whales in a non-threatening, non-noisy, and non-obtrusive way. With her shallow-draft 8-foot fin-bulb keel and low center of gravity, rolling motion is reduced and engine odors are eliminated, reducing the chance of seasickness and increasing the productivity and enjoyment of the voyage. And the boat won't waste time getting to places, either. In decent breeze, the light-displacement (35,000 lbs) easily-driven hull will meet or beat any schedule that the old trawler tubs can achieve. Under power alone, the 100-hp Yanmar turbo diesel will push her at 10 knots (12 max) for 240 miles a day for 1,500 miles - and use much less fuel doing it.

As a work platform, Derek M. Baylis has a number of clever accoutrements and innovations developed by Tom, Dave and Skip from their tens of thousands of miles and decades of sailing. The first thing to strike an observer is her gigantic aft deck. At 22 feet long - fully a third of the length of the boat - one can visualize all manner of scientific gear stowed and deployed from there. Aft is also the site of one many clever innovations incorporated into the boat - a removable transom. Without it, D. M. Baylis looks and acts like any other modern open-transom boat and offers excellent ocean access aft. With the lightweight transom installed, and the stanchions and lifelines popped in, all of a sudden, you have the perfect, safe, enclosed space for a boatload of thermal buoys, kayaks, - or school kids. Since the transom and cabin roof have the same camber, when the former is not in use, it stores in special chocks on the latter, out of the way and all but invisible.

For short day trips, the boat is rated to carry 49 passengers, again, an ideal situation for teachers and students. On longer trips, there's space to sleep 12 passengers and two crew in four semi-private spaces and a common area. The boat can also carry 5,000 pounds of gear.

And the whole thing is wrapped around Coast Guard T-boat specs, which means crash bulkheads fore and aft, a high-pressure fire suppression and pumping system, no overboard waste disposal (three Porta-Potties with extra replacement tanks will take care of that), minimal gray water disposal and no open flames (the stove is electric).

The real "key" to this boat's hoped-for acceptance and success, however, is the ease with which she can be handled. Which brings us back to the good old Wylie 30 rig. D.M. Baylis' mizzen is a slightly taller copy of that exact rig. Her mainmast is a bit taller version of the one on Ahava. Together, they spread a bit more than 1,500 square feet to the breeze, with no stays, no shrouds and only two winches. That means she's sailable by one knowledgeable sailor. Skip will sea trial, demonstrate and captain the boat initially, even though he's the equivalent of about three knowledgeable sailors. (Both Wylie and Wahle wanted to stress that that carbon fiber is the "secret" that really makes these rigs work. Aluminum is unsuitable because of its weight and rigidity.) Again, this is in diametric contrast to the few sailing craft that are currently engaged in scientific research. Most of these are traditional schooners, some square-rigged. While picturesque and rugged, they are about the most labor-intensive, crew-heavy type of craft in the world to sail.

How much will it cost? Derek M. Baylis is probably going to come in in the $1.1 million range, but part of that is the nice woodwork going in so the boat shows well. Wylie thinks a more "bare bones" version could go for $800, 000.

Despite the fact that the boat won't be finished for another few months (she's due to launch around the first of the year), word has gotten around and already many people - mostly sailors - are rallying with their time, ideas, and checkbooks to help see the project through to fruition. One is Jon Nackerud, and old sailing buddy of Tom and Dave who, on his own time, gets down and dirty nearly every day alongside the paid crew, because he believes in the project. Randy Repass is another who Tom says has also made substantial contributions.

With no buyer waiting, this is definitely one of the bigger speculative projects to come down the pike in awhile. In a lot of ways, Wylie admits it's a nautical field of dreams. The good news at this writing is, now that it's almost built, they've started to come. Several representatives from the scientific community have expressed interest in the boat, have come by to see it, and/or have arranged "test drives" once it's in the water. We hope to go along on at least one or two of those and bring you more on this ambitious project as it takes shape.

The sistership
The Wylie 65 currently under construction at Westerly Marine in Santa Ana, is what you might call the fun-loving sister of the Derek M. Baylis. When launched, probably next June, she will be the long-term cruising boat of West Marine founder Randy Repass and his family.

The Repasses have spent the last several summers exploring the Pacific Northwest on a 40-ft lobster boat- the only powerboat Randy says he's ever owned. ("Since we sell so much powerboat equipment, I wanted to learn as much as I could about them," he notes.) At the same time, he's been looking for a long-range cruising sailboat for quite awhile. But nothing currently in production suited his desires - which happen to include a pilothouse. "Someone said Tom Wylie was putting together a boat that might interest me, and since his shop is right down the road from our place in Watsonville, I went to take a look."

Repass liked what he saw. He ended up contributing some ideas and backing for the Baylis project - and ordered a set of plans for a 65 of his own.

While the basic boat, rig and outward appearance is the same as the 'Baylis, Randy's as-yet-unnamed boat will have significant differences - naturally aimed more at family use and comfort than "work". For one thing, the aft deck will be slightly shorter - but still able to accommodate an 11-ft hard-bottom inflatable through the open transom. The boat will also have a walk-in engine room aft (with the same turbo diesel setup), three normal-size cabins below, as well as a small sea berth "half cabin." Construction is epoxy e-glass / foam sandwich in the hull and a balsa-cored deck.

"A lot of people get into their 50s and change from sail to power," says Repass. "They do it for ease of handling, inside steering, a raised cabin where you can look out of the windows as you eat… This boat has all those features, and you can still go sailing."

Randy eventually plans to sail the new boat to the South Seas, where he and Sally Christine will cruise for two or three months every year. In the meantime, he's spending a lot of time at Wyliecat, monitoring - and helping - the progress of Derek M. Baylis.