Tioga Adventures: Our Boat

s/v TIOGA

"Home is where the heart is."

Powered up in the Med!

name: TIOGA, which we discovered to be an Iroquois word meaning something like "where (life) forks" or "new beginnings"
description: 1979 Fast Passage 39 Cutter
builder: Philbrooks, Sidney BC Canada
designer: William Garden (1918-2011)
dimensions: LOA 39'6" LWL 33'6" B 11'2" D 5'6" DISP 22,000 lbs

Fast Passage 39 - Cruising World Review

For those not initially familiar with the Fast Passage 39, she is a much sought-after late-1970s canoe-stern cutter designed by William Garden and sailed to distinction by Francis Stokes in the inaugural 1982-83 BOC Challenge single-handed around-the-world race.

The 39 enjoyed a ten-year production run totaling some 40 boats in the 1970s and 1980s. Most were built at Philbrooks Shipyards in Sydney, British Columbia, Canada. A handful, including Moonshine, came out of Tollycraft in Kelso, Washington. William Garden's design is a capable amalgam of performance and sea-keeping well suited to a sensible offshore voyaging mindset. If you are looking for an optimal bluewater cruiser, take the time to research the Fast Passage 39. Fast Passage 39 - Cruising World Review.

Here is how our boat was fitted out for our trip....

Navigation & communications

Standard Horizon 50 VHF radio - ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore radio communications
Kenwood TS-50 HF shortwave radio - long distance radio and digital communications
SCS PTC-IIe pactor 3 modem - to fetch email and weather while at sea
Furuno 1721 radar
Garmin GPS 76
Panasonic Toughbook laptop with charts by C-MAP
SatFind 406II EPRIB
Wagner S50 Hydraulic Autopilot
Capehorn wind steering vane

Friend Wayne checks out the wind steering vane