“The world was theirs” is Mattie McAlarney’s favorite headline written about her seven-and-a-half-year trip around the world with husband Henry. The couple wrapped up a 70-country cruise aboard their 39-foot Corbin Center Cockpit 2 Extreme in 2009.  “I wanted to be home for my 70^th birthday,” Mattie tells me as I admire the aft-cabin curtains sewn from hand-embroidered silk fabric bought in some exotic eastern market. “I made it back a year early.”

Since then 2 Extreme has been on the market. Media outlets ranging from Pacific-based sailing magazines to Pasco County Florida’s local newspaper has interviewed this fascinating couple with so many stories to tell.

Mattie and Henry keep 2 Extreme at Anclote Isles Marina in Tarpon Springs, Florida, an easy drive from their land home. When the newlyweds decided to go ’round the world’, they sold their house in Summerland Key, but retained the digs up North on Florida’s West Coast near Tarpon Springs. And so it was that Henry and Mattie volunteered to pick us up at Tarpon Springs City Marina on an early December morning for a tour of the 1979 Corbin. We’d already viewed 2 Extreme and her stats on-line.

We have learned through experience that absolutely nothing beats seeing, smelling, touching and hearing the actual boat on site as it is. Scott keeps a boat-shopping list; we’ll call or e-mail the seller to arrange a showing when we’re in the neighborhood. The quest is proving to be enriching in ways I’d never imagined, allowing us to meet fascinating sailors while touring their equally fascinating vessels.

In addition to on-line research such as owner listings and group sites, I always take lots of snapshots when we’re looking at a boat. In the moment, you may not notice every little detail. Pictures bring into focus both pros and cons when formulating a decision.

This particular Corbin had been on Scott’s list for some time. Her overall length is listed as 38’2” with a 32’ LWL and a 12-foot beam.

Not super-sized compared to our current 32-foot DownEast, but definitely larger in terms of storage and working areas on and below deck. Powered by a 1987 Perkins 4-108 Diesel (91-gallon fuel tank capacity), the 22,800-pound vessel officially drafts 5.6’ – Henry notes that when she’s fully loaded draft is closer to six feet.

The Corbin, designed by Robert Dufour of Montreal, Quebec, carries an 822-square-foot sail area. While not known as the fastest in the bunch, doing 5 knots on a good day with a max cruising speed of 6 knots, this bluewater sailing vessel is, as Marius Corbin requested and Henry and Mattie can attest, a boat that can be sailed safely and comfortably around the world. The Corbin 39 was produced from 1979-1990. The original molds were lost in a fire; post-1982 the vessel continued to be produced with reduplicated molds due to its popularity.

When you spot this boat at a dock, its spacious, uncommon flush deck is one of the first things you notice. Henry says he knew he was a goner the minute Mattie saw 2 Extreme, as a flush deck was one of her not-debatable conditions.

A flush deck was one of Mattie’s not-debatable conditions

Aboard 2 Extreme, Mattie shows the “girl stuff” while Henry, an accomplished maritime professional with impressive racing and commercial credentials, takes Scott over the details from the sail plan to the engine room. Interests, anecdotes and technical exchanges often overlap as we explore every nook and cranny.

Mattie displays the rattle-proof mis en place storage for saucepots.

For example, I call Scott’s attention to the clever “en place” pots and pans storage in a cunning drawer beneath the nav station opposite the galley. Mattie tries to scramble out of the frame as I snap, shooting me a dirty look when I catch her. She doesn’t tell me I can’t take her picture, but I have a feeling that if I asked her to pose she’d give me a flat-out “no.” So I don’t ask.

Scott taught me to cook; we share galley duties on our boat. Neither one of us thinks the stove on 2 Extreme is adequate. Chip Ahoy has four burners. We can never go back to two, no matter how cleverly this little beauty is gimbaled side-to-side, so the hot stuff won’t fly out at you in rough seas. Mattie demonstrates her favorite heavy-weather cooking position, with one foot braced against the companionway ladder. “I can peel five pounds of potatoes like this,” she rightfully brags.

Stoves are easy enough to replace and most other aspects of the boat are more generously proportioned than our current living space.  Of all of the Corbin’s attributes, for Scott and me the tastiest carrot dangled before the horse is storage. This vessel abounds with it, from the lazarettes holding propane tanks and on-deck essentials to the dry-as-a-bone bilge cubbies accessed via the floor of the solid-teak interior cabin. There’s even a secret spot; can’t tell you where that is.

The couple was just married when they embarked on their circumnavigation. Mattie had zero experience. She says she’d always dreamed about sailing – the water called to her – but boats hadn’t ever been a part of her life.

The super-experienced Henry knows a well-found vessel when he sees one. He saw no need to engage a surveyor and he was comfortable singlehanding as needed.

While Henry did go forward for mainsail adjustments, the ability to control the headsails from the cockpit was a definite advantage that helped to ease first-time sailor Mattie’s concerns in rough seas.

The couple learned what the boat could do as they went. Purchased in the water, 2 Extreme wasn’t hauled out until Trinidad. Mattie says the country lived up to its festive reputation at Carnival time, as well as being a good place to work on the boat.

Being completely new to sailing, Mattie’s learning curve was steep; she was not at all interested in heeling.

Heeling happened eventually, as it will on a sailboat. The wind doesn’t really care if you’re a newbie awed into a panic by its powers.

Mattie shakily ordered Henry to not go up on deck the first time they hoisted too much canvas. He explained to her there was no other choice if she wanted the freight train to slow down.

This was her baptism into the odd and revered school of salts known in some circles as “People of the Cloth.”

Mattie spent many a night watch in the comfy cockpit.

She never learned to handle sails or the anchor, or any of that stuff. But Mattie proved her mettle on watches. Able to go for many hours without sleep, Mattie took every night watch, all night. There were times when she had to wake him up. But it’s safe to say he got more shuteye than one might expect with a novice partner.

Mattie’s windblown hair shows that she has given up taming who she is. Her beauty and force of personality is forged by all the things she’s experienced.

We’ve clicked in that magically instantaneous way that sometimes bonds certain cruisers, and I feel free to pepper her with questions about her trip around the world.

“So here’s the cliché question, what about pirates?”

Mattie said the only problem was at anchor in Tanzania, when “a big black dude” came on board off the stern. Henry firmly assured the intruder that the couple had the means to get him off the boat if he didn’t leave under his own steam. He seemed to understand, retreating. A couple hours of later, around 4 a.m. the miscreant came back and they went through the same routine. Then they hauled anchor and left, seeing as no one was going to get any more sleep that night, anyway.

“Next question: which country exceeded expectations and which was not so great, although you anticipated it would be fabulous?”

“Yemen was great,” she says. “We met a taxi driver who took us around to all the sights.” Mattie notes that the travel climate is not as favorable today, post-911. “This is probably not the time,” she says, noting that many passage makers they know are sticking to the Pacific these days.

The Galapagos gets her vote for most overrated destination. “It was not what you see on National Geographic,” she says, explaining that wildlife encounters were chiefly staged in arranged park settings.

Surprising sights awaited elsewhere. For example, “Everyone grows pot in their yards in the Marquesas,” she says, chuckling. “It’s on vacant lots, everywhere.”

Clearing in and out of countries was normally no problem. Mattie’s pick for most obnoxious bribery is Egypt, where boarding customs officials brazenly brought an empty suitcase they expected to be filled.

Wherever they went, the couple enjoyed trading for artwork and other regional goodies. Mattie carried a Ziploc bag full of make-up (especially lipsticks) and perfume. “It doesn’t even have to be new,” she says. Hair ornaments, clothes of any kind and cigarettes are also very popular. If she went back to Africa, she says she would bring lots of toddler-size shorts and boxers for the kids, who ran around naked by necessity, not tradition.

“We only came home once, for Henry’s father’s 80^th birthday,” she says.

“We didn’t change the name. I hope no one ever does,” says Mattie.

Besides pants for little bottoms, Mattie would also have a watermaker on board to supplement the 80-gallon water tank capacity if “we did it again.”

“But I’m not gonna do it again. Seven-and-a-half years was enough. Henry would go around the world again. I just don’t want to. It just became too stressful.” And there’s that infectious twinkle in her eyes again, with a bit of a challenge thrown in. “But Cyndi, if I was 10 years younger I would.”

As we went over 2 Extreme from stem to stern, the couple received an offer over the phone. Henry passed up to the cockpit a folded slip of paper. Nosy journalist that I am, I didn’t think twice about reading the message in reverse. Mattie knew it, and we exchanged smiles. “It looks like we both have a lot to talk over with our mates today,” I said. “No matter what happens, I’m so glad we met.”

Scott and I decided to keep looking for the “right” boat for us. We heard that the offer on 2 Extreme didn’t pan out. I continue to follow her status with interest; this boat – and Mattie’s story – is a hard one to get out of my head. I’m glad to know that the world was hers.

About Cyndi Perkins

Freelance writer and editor Cyndi Perkins shares her liveaboard adventures in numerous nautical publications, including the book “Women On Board Cruising”. She recently completed her first novel manuscript, “Loop Dee Doo,” and is taking the book to market in 2013.

For more info on Corbins and a word from Marius Corbin himself, check out the owners’ page at www.corbin39.com

More from this website

• People Who’ve Inspired Us: Sparrow on the horizon, by Suzi Wallace

A boat is as personal as a love affair. The relationship with one’s boat is subtle, personal, addictive. Like any relationship though, a boat takes time to figure out and work to maintain. The right boat can bring forth deep passion, evoke dreams, elicit freedom, stimulate self-reflection, build self-confidence, and depending on the vessel, reveal the humility or self-indulgence of the owners. The right boat can enable a life dream. The wrong boat can become a nightmare of problems and expense.

My husband Randy and I have both spent our careers in the marine industry. Being in the business of boat supplies, we have had the opportunity to look at thousands of boats at boat shows and in marinas all over the world. Collectively we have spent hundreds of hours talking to many experienced owners, designers, and manufacturers, asking tough questions along the way. When we had the good fortune to choose a cruising boat for ourselves, we did a lot of soul searching.

We are sailors. Yet for nine summers we cruised British Columbia to Alaska on a New England lobster boat. Our lovely green hull Duffy 42 is a single screw (one engine) powerboat. The hull was designed for lobster fishing off the coast of Maine, but it has a cruising cabin with all the amenities, two cabins, large head, and saloon and galley “up” which means we can see out the windows and drive from inside. The experience taught us about powerboating and a great deal about our powerboat customers.

EXPLORER – Duffy 42′ Lobster boat in Northern British Columbia

For a time, long distance trawlers became one of our options for a cruising boat. But we could not change our stripes, we are sailors, and for open-ocean cruising we wanted the dual advantage of both power and wind.

Three goals shaped our decision in finding a cruising boat.

• We wanted to sail as a family, so it needed to be easy to handle for two people.
• We wanted comfort and efficiency.
• And we both wanted a fast boat.

While there are many wonderful boats out there, we did not find a production boat that completely met our needs or our long wish list of details. Disappointed but not deterred, we set out on the daunting task and two-year commitment of building a custom yacht.

Growing up sailing on the East Coast, Randy has always liked Cat Boats. (Catboats are usually beamy, wide hulls with a singe mast, which is carried forward in the bow.) Living in California he owned a Santa Cruz 33 and Santa Cruz 40, (Slender fast fiberglass race boats) so he also appreciated performance. I grew up sailing on the West Coast in a classic wooden boat,  raced on performance yachts in the Northwest and had the opportunity to crew on various boats in a variety of places around the world.  I wanted a boat that would be comfortable, sail well and get us there safely.

We chose to work with Tom Wylie, a talented San Francisco Bay area designer who is known for fast, innovative cat ketch rigged racer-cruisers with wishbone rigs on unstayed (no wires hold up the rig) carbon fiber masts. His boats are fast, easy to sail and unconventional. Frankly, it takes a while to get used to just looking at them. A giant wind surfer comes to mind.

While Tom Wylie designed the hull and rig, Randy and I designed everything else, the deck layout, the cabin, the interior and all her systems.

CONVERGENCE under construction, note window layout above nav station

The end result is a very fast, reasonably comfortable, fairly easy to handle yacht.

Her length is 65’6”, with a 57’ water line, a 14’9” beam, 8’ draft and a main mast of 80’. At a svelte 39,000 lbs., her average cruising speed under power or sail is 8.3 knots or 200 miles a day. More often, she runs at 10. Her record speed surfing under sail is 22 knots; however, she may be capable of more in the right conditions. Her best run so far was 240 miles in 24 hours. Most of her innovations are common sense adjustments on traditional themes, a coming together of many ideas, hence her name: CONVERGENCE .

We worked with Westerly Marine, in Costa Mesa, CA, who manufactures quality custom yachts, including one America’s Cup boat. Convergence is simple and elegant.

CONVERGENCE splashes in 2004

From stem to stern she has clean lines. Unlike many cruising boats she has uncluttered decks. Even the windlass is below deck in its own compartment.

Rather than stanchions and lifelines, we designed tall stainless steel rails, which give an extra element of safety. Her exterior is easy to maintain. There is no wood on the exterior except for a wonderfully designed cockpit table, which hosts compartments for all the miscellaneous stuff that ends up there. Our canvas Bimini was eventually replaced with a hardtop over the cockpit to keep out the sun and the rain. The cabin top solar panels were exchanged for the WhisperGen™ heat and power system.

The saloon and galley are up. That means we are all together and able to see out the windows, a particular advantage for those who do most of the cooking. Large tempered windows (spec’d at jet cockpit window standards or able to take a frozen chicken at 500 miles an hour) offer complete visibility while maneuvering and allow us to take advantage of the view in beautiful anchorages.

Galley on CONVERGENCE Great view, lots of counter space, storage and easy access to cockpit.

Our navigation station has a large desktop. All of the electronics and communications are laid out efficiently and surrounded by the windshield. You can see where you are navigating. The electrical panel is adjacent to the nav station for ease of checking all systems.

Nav station allows for plenty of visibility – in bad weather can steer from inside.

The engine room has standing headroom, over an 8’ workbench and lots of storage. It is large enough to work in and if necessary to dry loads of laundry. Having a large designated engine room has many advantages. One is complete access to her 100-horse Yanmar engine, fuel filters, etc. We check our engine every day—on passages, every hour. We wanted it to be easy to access and to work on. Two underwater windows allow both keel and prop visibility and make it easy to see the bottom and fun to see sea life swimming by. We carry 400 gallons of fuel (70 gallons in the keel) and 300 gallons of tank water, along with a water-maker.

Engine room with 8ft maple workbench and lots of storage

Mistress cabin

Convergence has comfortable accommodations, four cabins with 6’4”+ headroom, two with twin bunks and two with double bunks. Each of the cabins has hanging lockers, side tables, plenty of drawer storage and shoe lockers (something often lacking on a boat). The two heads are more than adequate, and have lovely hand painted ceramic sinks. Our showers have watertight storage for linens.

The woodwork is beautiful. We avoided rain forest woods and chose satin-varnished cherry with fine bone detail around traditional doors and cabinetry instead.

For its high tech materials and modern exterior, the traditional appointments on the interior are Bristol with nautical sensibilities. The fiberglass in both the interior and exterior is superb. We have a spacious cockpit, one that can accommodate a large party, and is very comfortable for fair weather sleeping.

The after deck, which we call the Beach Deck,  is where we stow the dinghy underway, along with two kayaks, a dive compressor compartment and fishing gear. It is the perfect location for exercise at anchor, donning dive gear, setting out fishing lines or a time out. An outdoor shower allows for freshwater rinse of sandy feet, cleaning up scuba gear and moonlight bathing. Below the Beach Deck are large compartments where we keep dive gear, the swim ladder, an emergency tiller, cleaning supplies, numerous spares and other accumulations.

Beach deck

Central vacuum

Under the saloon, accessed by aft stairs, there is a full pantry. On port is a section with deep shelves and zippered screens for dry stores and condiments.

As I believe a clean boat is a healthy boat, we have a washer/dryer and a central vacuum with hose outlets that reach the entire interior and the cockpit.

There is easy, open access to fuel tanks, pumps, our inverter, water pumps, and the hot water tank. In addition, there is plenty of extra storage for drinks, bulk food stuffs and supplies in the balance of the pantry.

We carry no headsails, just large 80’ main and 60’ mizzen fully battened sails, each cut with lots of roach, which theoretically spills wind aloft, allowing us to carry more sail in higher winds. (To elaborate, main sails are rarely perfect triangles, the bottom edge is called the foot, the forward or leading edge, is referred to as the luff, and the after edge or back of the triangle is called the leech. The roach is the rounded shoulder of the sail, that extra sail cloth beyond the straight line from the top or head of the sail to the aft corner or clue.)

This means that we do not need to reef (shorten sail so as to not be overpowered by the wind) as soon as in more traditional rigs. From my point of view, reefing early, before the wind is too strong is the better part of valor. We installed electric winches, which make hoisting easy on our backs.

Convergence is fast, comfortable, and in inclement weather, we drive from inside.

Sally-Christine standing next to CONVERGENCE’s rudder (Photo by Randy Repass)

We designed all of the systems to be efficient and reliable. However, all was not perfect in her construction. The most critical lesson we learned in building a custom boat was this: Regardless of the competence and trust you have in the boat builders, hiring a project manager who is specifically in charge of overseeing your project is essential and would have removed a lot of our headaches.  A project manager who not only oversee progress, but is onsight regularly to ensure that those in charge of the installations know what they are doing and that all systems are tested, and working before you take delivery.

Most of the challenges we have faced have been the result of improper installations and in some cases improper specs by manufacturers. Critical failures due to confusing or inaccurate manufacturer’s specs or installer error in plumbing and electrical come to light at the most inopportune moments. Many of these issues could have seriously jeopardized the safety of the boat. They could have been avoided with a good project manager. Randy’s patience, skill and his innate ability to fix anything have kept us happily afloat.

We had another interesting issue, which was that we were bow down and surprisingly tender. This was corrected in a Raiatea boat yard by adding a two thousand pound shoe to the aft end of the keel bulb, which added stability and improved her ride.

Like building a house, building a boat requires lots of decisions, a budget, a sense of humor, and determination to get it done, and if necessary part of it redone. Randy and I both love projects. We like building things, and seeing them through to completion. Keeping our eye on the goal, having good communication, mutual respect and staying focused has helped us make the process a pleasure. Like our relationship, we nurture our boat, extol her virtues, and enjoy every precious moment we have aboard.

Nine year old Kent-Harris christens CONVERGENCE with our R bar R Ranch Pinot Noir, Sally-Christine and Randy looking on.

About Sally-Christine Rodgers

Sally-Christine and her family in the water (Photo by Peggy Repass)

When she is not tending gardens, grooming horses, taming long horns or working on marine conservation, Sally-Christine Rodgers spends time writing about the other side of her life – cruising on Convergence.

Making their way around the world a section at a time, Sally-Christine with her husband Randy and son Kent-Harris extend each summer aboard their custom 65’ sailboat sharing observations and insights along the way.

How did you choose your cruising boat?

Let us know.

Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below.