The 40 hulls were built by Sen Koh Shipbuilding in Kaohsiung, Taiwan and were fitted out by Wiggers Yachts in Bowmanville ON Canada http://www.wiggerscustomyachts.com/

Only five or six Nonsuch (Nereus) 40s were built. I've tracked down 5 boats, 3 in 2006 and 1 in early 2008, but still want to learn about the one possibly existing and 'missing' boat.

GOLDENMEAN 40 - /1 in the U.K. 'was already known' ; JOURNEYMAN 40 - /2 is in Malta ; CARAMBA 40 22 /3 is in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, U.S.A. ; CAPELLA III 40 4 is in Toronto, Ontario, Canada ; and SEQUOIA 40 (#?) is in Seattle WA, U.S.A.

Please report any sightings and/or the names of the one or two "missing" boats to arthur_langley@hotmail.com Thank you. :)

They have a "baby sister", TALLY ON 36 9 , the 36 built by Hinterhoeller as a ketch.

The 40 is a long-distance cruising yacht with an unstayed cat ketch rig. She has a very spacious cockpit and interior, with very easy handling under sail. Both sails are self-tacking, and all running rigging leads to the cockpit. She has two large double cabins, each with a head/shower. There is a large salon and galley.

The 40 was the largest Nonsuch design. In some ways she resembles, and like all Nonsuches "decends slightly" from, the 1976 Garry Hoyt/Halsey Herreshoff design Freedom 40, of which about a hundred were built. The 'Nonsuch' 40 is however beamier and heavier than a Freedom 40, plus she has a much more efficient underbody, fin keel, and spade rudder than the long shallow keel with a centerboard and the keel hung rudder of the Freedom 40 design.

The 'Nonsuch' Nereus 40 hull is of solid GRP below the waterline, with balsa core above the waterline and in the deck moulding. The interior fittings are of very high quality, and laid out to provide very spacious accommodation for two couples.

LOA: 45'/13.7 m LOD: 40'/12.2 m Beam: 14'/4.3 m Draft: 6'7"/2m Disp: 13.5 tons/12.2 metric tons Rig: Ketch Berths: 5 Heads: 2


Monday, November 05, 2007 9:49 AM

Hello Jorge, Arthur, and fellow 40 owners

Apologies for the delay in sending this but just came back from a wonderful holiday in Morocco - thoroughly recommended - and saw the messages. With regard to the reefing Jorge . . . on the 40 I can't really advise too much as we hardly ever reef. Similar as to all other Nonsuches, this is one of the great qualities of the boat, when other yachts have reefed down we are still flying along without even thinking of doing the same.

A case in point and have photo's to prove, we were sailing past Mount Etna in Sicily where the winds are very erratic and come whistling down the side of the volcano, under full sail running wing and wing going nicely in 19-20 knots of wind, when without any warning up it goes to 35 knots. Not a lot we could do but pray that nothing breaks, the boat behaved beautifully and reached speeds of close to 11 knots and my guests on board were still enjoying their lunch in the cockpit with wine on the table!

Having said that, we have tried many differant combinations of reefed sails and yes there are a lot of possibilities as you have two large sails, so balancing the boat is not a problem and it really is finding out which is best for a particular wind angle and strength. At the end of the day if you do get caught unawares the boat will look after you, the masts are designed to flex - which takes a little getting used to having always sailed stayed rigs prior to JOURNEYMAN - and this spills wind from the top of the sail. I have never managed to get the rail in the water which says a lot for the stability of the boat.

We have been in some pretty bad weather with her, having suffered bent stanchions, companionway flying across the saloon after hitting a wave trough that was like a brick wall, but never torn sails or mast damage.

You have to look a long way to compare another boat with the (Nonsuch) Nereus 40 especially as she is only 40 ft but gives you the feeling and usable space of a 50+ footer. Hope this is helpfull

Best regards,

Ian

Ian & Venessa Macdonald
JOURNEYMAN 40 - /2
Malta


Sunday, October 28, 2007 12:39 PM

One of the major confusions/ errors with wishbone/cat rigs is thinking of, trimming, and sailing them as though the boats have a MAIN sail. These are GENOA type head sails attached to a VERY large diameter, solid, and vertical headtstay (the mast).

Trimming the sail on a Nonsuch or any wishbone rigged sail like a head sail will yield excellent sailing performance. Trimming the sails like a marconi rigged boat�s mail or mizzen will yield slower speeds and poor or worse pointing performance.

I loved the Freedom 40 when it came out back it the mid �70s but they didn�t go well upwind (weren�t intended to either!). Can�t wait to sail one of these rare 'Nonsuch' 40s one of these days!

Arthur Langley
BEAR AWAY 26C 45
JUNO 30C 12


Tuesday, October 23, 2007 8:57 PM

In reply to the questions raised by Jorge regarding our particular ketch rig.
We are have always owned types of freedom rigged boats and find them exceptionally easy to sail, as have others who have sailed with us.

GOLDENMEAN will sail off the wind on the foresail alone but to windward, especially in lighter airs (under 15 knots) she needs some mizzen for balance.

The foresail is about 10% bigger than the mizzen and when reefing we always reef both, unless running when the boat is best balanced with the foresail alone.

Do other 40 owners have similar experiences?

Hope this is helpful

Andy & Sue Walker
GOLDENMEAN 40 - /1
Cornwall UK

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