High Latitude Cruiser - Garcia 45

Yesterday I dropped Kraken off at Shelter Island Boat Yard for some TLC. Boring motor sail down marked mostly by a companion sparrow on board for a while - though I did see 10-15 kts breeze rounding Point Loma. In the yard there was a very serious looking 45ish foot boat. Asking around it turned out to be a Garcia 46 dating back to 2003 and had already rounded the world, and spent seasons around Tierra Del Fuego and Alaska.

The name rang a bell and looking into it I was reminded that Garcia had worked with the well known cruising guide author Jimmy Cornell on his latest boat - Adventura.

Their boats have a lot of interesting features. Anchor locker near the mast, shallow draft (<4') center board boats, interior 360 visibility, great layouts on interior and exterior for short handed cruising, lots of hull insulation which must come in handy in both the high and low latitudes.