venerdì 26 marzo 2021

Drago, a pocket-size classic schooner for ocean cruising


She’s twenty years old now, and has sailed more than 30,000 miles since her launch. Drago, a 10 meter long schooner with classic lines, was built of ferrocement in Chioggia (near Venice) by the Cantiere Massimo Perinetti in 2000. Her proven solidity and excellent sailing qualities bring her to the forefront if you’re looking to undertake long offshore passages. Drago is currently lying in Sottomarina (near Chioggia) and available for a new owner who wants to safely sail, in any seas, with their family.

DRAGO, AN ALL-WEATHER SCHOONER

Robust, heavy displacement, a low deck house, external chainplates, tiller steering, a 3.49m beam and a two masted bermuda rig. These are the defining features of the 10m Drago, launched in the year 2000 in Chioggia by Massimo Perinetti Casoni’s yard. Not only is Casoni an expert builder of vintage and classic yachts, but he is also the ex-president of the Venturieri, the famous Italian nautical association founded in 1988 by the sailor and historian Gian Marco Borea d’Olmo (who is 100 years old this year!). With an overall length of just 10 meters, Drago is qualified as a small-craft under Italian law and is very simple to register. Today Drago is waiting for a new owner who’s dreaming of long off-shore passages with the safety that only a boat like Drago can assure. Inquires should be directed to Andrea Drago, +39 320 4304188, andrea@studiolegaledrago.com.

THE PACIFIC DREAM BY LUC HONSIA

Drago is a Pacific Dream design, a name that recalls sailing in far-off seas. Developed by the Belgian architect Luc Honsia, once part of the design team for Tencara, the builders of the Moro di Venezia, Drago has a more slightly accentuated sheer than the original project, giving her an additional touch of elegance. The smooth shape of the long keel keeps the underbody clear of snagging seaweed and plastic waste. The reverse transom and the externally mounted rudder make it easy to keep an eye on the gudgeons and pintles.

BUILT IN FERRO-EMACO AND WOOD

Drago is built of ferrocement, more specifically, in ferro-emaco. Emaco S88C is a special cement malt commonly used in concrete construction, bringing together construction economy, flexibility in building, strength, and low maintenance costs. The Italian Naval Register has tested ferro-emaco for compression and distortion. In a nutshell, just as resin ties to glass fiber in fiberglass construction, with ferro-emaco the entire structure of the hull, made of interlaced iron rods and grids, is completely covered by the malt. The deck is made of straight 15mm teak planking, laid over 20mm marine grade plywood, all on top of mahogany deck beams. The deck assembly is tied to the hull by laminated mahogany knees, glued by epoxy resin and through fastened to the hull by stainless steel screws. The deckhouse, set on hardwood beams to give even more strength to the coachroof, is made of two layers of mahogany marine grade plywood.

A DISPLACEMENT SCHOONER

The result is a heavy displacement hull weighing 10 tons, of which 3.5 tons are in internal lead ballast, completely emerged in ferro-emaco. This is about twice the displacement of a fiberglass yacht of similar length. This is evident when sailing in light airs, but also when beating into 30 knots of wind, making Drago the safest boat one could wish for when sailing in these conditions. With a very low center of gravity, her form stability and schooner rig make her a marvelous little ship that will cleanly fend the waves in heavy winds. As Carlo Sciarrelli, the famous yacht designer from Trieste, once stated, “there are advantages and disadvantages to weight”. After a day’s sailing, the important thing is to be able to return to a safe port under your own power.

30,000 MILES AT SEA

We’ve estimated that Drago has sailed 1,500 miles a year, from the upper Adriatic to the Greek islands, to give us a total of 30,000 miles sailed over twenty years. And in all these miles, there has never been an accident, nor any breakages. The rig lets you set five sails on the two box-laminated wooden masts: the mainsail, the foresail (full battened with an ample roach), a boomed staysail, a roller-furling genoa set from the end of the 2m bowsprit, and a gennaker (with a dowsing sock) for downwind speed. The 42 hp Vetus engine will push Drago at a dignified 5 ½ to 6 knots @ 2,000 rpm – this low number assures little effort for the powerplant and great milage. Onboard systems include the autopilot, GPS, radar, a fixed mount VHF, sun awnings, 70 meters of Rigamonti anchor chain, and a twin system (high and low) of LED running lights.

INTERIORS

The slight camber of the deck helps increase the available space below decks, and Drago offers two double cabins (with a double bed forward and two single beds aft), standing room in the head, a “C” shaped dinette to port and the galley to starboard, next to the chart table (you have to do without on modern yachts!). There is also a diesel heater for winter sailing. The lockers are all in Vienna straw to help keep their contents dry.

DRAGO - SPECS

Name:                                 Drago

Rig:                                       Bermudan schooner

Year:                                     2000

Shipyard:                            Massimo Perinetti Casoni (Chioggia, Venice - Italy)

Naval Architect:              Luc Honsia (Belgium)

Material:                            Ferrocement

LOA:                                     10,00 mt (12,00 mt including bowsprit)

LWL:                                      8,70 mt

Beam:                                  3,49 mt

Draft:                                   1,53 mt

Displacement:                 10 tonn.

Sail surface:                      72 mq

Engine:                                               Vetus 42 hp (31,3 KW)

Fuel:                                     130 lt

Water:                                 300 lt

Grey water:                       50 lt

Cabins:                                2

Toilet:                                  1

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