ROMILLY 23 MPV

R O M I L L Y

ROMILLY is the elegant little sister of the famous ROXANE, two modern classics from the board of Nigel Irens. Bearing in mind “there is a whole world just upstream you have never ever dreamed of”, ROMILLY has been fitted out with a (90 kg) foil-shaped cast iron centre-board giving, her an unexpectedly shallow draft, while maintaining excellent clause-hauled performance.

Her amazing sailing qualities are especially apparent in narrow, gusty estuaries where she is especially fast in light air and will always carry her way through a tack. The superb performance is the result of a unique combination of a classic rig with modern materials such as epoxy and carbon fibre combined with an easily-driven classic hull. The mizzen sail is the key to the complete manoeuvrability of ROMILLY; being placed well aft it can be used by the helmsman as an aid to steering the boat – much in the same way as a jib is used on the end of a bowsprit. ROMILLY can even be encouraged to stern-board her way out of a tight corner!

The use of free-standing carbon spars both reduces the total weight of the rig and lowers the centre of gravity (especially when reefed) which results in a comfortable and smooth motion.

Quite an effort has been made to avoid the look of a “plastic” boat. A neat beading around the cuddy roof gives you the good feeling of wood but in fact it is all original GRP moulding. The same device is used to reproduce the characteristic “woodcarving” of the original vessel on the inside of the aft cockpit coaming.

Holding the helm in her specially designed large cockpit (3.30x1.80x1.10 m!) ROMILLY gives her that a surprisingly “big boat” feel. She is a boat you sail ‘in’ rather than on. For day-sailing her cockpit is very comfortable and welcoming: for weekend cruising her cockpit tent converts her entire cockpit into covered living space.

The spars are painted traditional workboat-style in buff and white disguising the carbon fibre. The footrail capping is of teak and the elegantly shaped tiller made of varnished ash, the Tufnol blocks and the use of authentic bronze (fittings) provide the unique combination of the traditional and modern that is the hallmark of both ROMILLY and ROXANE.

The shape of the hull in combination with the centerboard makes her easy trailarable and easy to launch. The raised centre-board allows her to sit low on her trailer. Her free standing carbon spars are easy to lift and easy to stow on deck. No more fighting steel rigging! Enjoy more easy trailering and smoother towing.

“Upstream there is a whole world you never ever dreamed of “. Either on keel, either on wheels, ROMILLY gets you there.