A NEW VERSION OF FRANCES
KARMA, AN EARLY FLUSH-DECKED FRANCES
This is where the famous FRANCES 26 design started- a flush-decked, shoal draft cruising yacht without an engine. Dick Cross sailed KARMA from Maine to the Caribbean for the winter in 1977. It is still a fine design but in my retirement I thought I would bring her up to date with a host of improvements. Over 200 of the yachts are now sailing, but they are getting a bit long in the tooth. If you would like a brand new FRANCES with full headroom and a much more effective keel, look no further. The drawings are nearing completion and if you hanker after the finest small adventuring yacht ever designed, I challenge you to find anything better. Renamed La Luz and now fitted with an engine, she is presently in the Galopagos after a quick passage from Panama. I’ll just quote a recent email from her owner:
“Just saw my boat LaLuz ex Karma on the Chuck Paine blog. Do you recall which hull number she is? I had heard that Art Paine did some of the original interior work. I also remember reading bits and pieces about Dick Cross and a sinking during an early BOC event.
We are currently in the Galapagos islands. We made the trip from Panama in 7 days, 6 hours. We never started the engine and were becalmed 30 hours. Granted we had a nice 1 knot current behind us, but she really flew along wing and wing in the 15 to 22 knot NE breeze.Our Windpilot self-steerer has an easy time keeping her balanced sails and hull going straight, and all we have to do is stare at the wake and dream about cold-beer and fresh water showers. We thought she was as good as it gets??….”
For more information please click here http://www.chuckpaine.com/pdf/26FRANCES26.pdf