The Boat



Westward is a 50 foot, double-ended (pointy bow and stern) sloop. She is the fifth of six Lapworth 50s that were designed by Bill Lapworth and built in the Cheoy Lee shipyard in Hong Kong. Westward is all wood.

Built for Willard Bell in 1962, Westward  has raced with all the Bell family aboard to Honolulu, Tahiti, Ensenada, and Mazatlan (to name a few) and has spent time cruising the South Pacific, Alaska, and countless times to Catalina. Westward raised Willard and Inez's 5 children and 12 grandchildren. She is an integral part of the Bell family.

Westward's last Transpac was in 1981 (you can read more about that here: http://www.transpacificyc.org/05/news/tp05-press-rel-39.html), and has mostly sailed to and from Catalina since. As you can imagine, a lot of work was needed to put this 50 year old boat back in ocean racing shape. Westward has enjoyed a lot of attention that has included:

  • New bottom
  • Bilge stripped and painted
  • New sails
  • Reshaped rudder
  • New boom
  • Rebuilt mast
  • New lifelines
  • Repainted and non-skidded cabin top
  • New refrigeration
  • Replated ventilators
  • New navigation equipment
  • New safety equipment
  • New docklines
  • Refurbished electronics
Westward is looking good as new and is sailing faster than ever!

No comments:

Post a Comment