Little Scarlet is a 32 foot long sailing yacht that was built in 1987 by Sadler Yachts in Poole, Dorset. She is one of around 300 Sadler 32’s that were built between 1979 and 1989 and her design is very typical of that era. She was designed to perform well within the racing handicap systems of the period and so has a wide beam, canoe-like stern and very small transom; elegant lines that are a stark contrast to the more ‘boxy’ shape of modern yachts but gave her good speed in relation to her length. On the downside Little Scarlet does not have the spacious accommodation that is expected in modern yachts but we like to think that sailing performance and good looks are more important than home comforts – if we wanted double beds we would have stayed at home!
Her rig is simple. She has a single mast that extends approximately 40 feet (12.12m) from the deck and in most conditions two sails will be set – a main sail behind the mast and a larger sail known as a genoa that unfurls from the bow and overlaps with the mast and main sail. With these two sails set Little Scarlet should be able to sail at almost any angle to the wind except when the within 25 degrees of the wind ‘on the nose or bow’.
On days when there is no wind or if we need to go exactly where the wind is coming from or perhaps we are just fed up with sailing (!) we have a diesel engine that will drive us along at around 6 knots and uses around 2 litres an hour or, in old fashioned motoring terms – around 14 miles per gallon. With our tank full that gives us a range of around 200 miles. Detailed specifications for the Sadler 32 as built (and Little Scarlet is pretty original!) are available here - www.sailboatdata.com/sadler-32