Commissioned by Samantha and Barry Spanier, GMT Composites has built a free-standing carbon mast for Rosie G, a sailing vessel that is unlike anything we have seen before. Designed by Barry Spanier and Jim Antrim, and being built at the Berkeley Marine Center in California; Rosie G features a junk rig, scow bow, shallow draft, electric motor, and a keel designed for grounding, all in a 42’ “modern” cruising boat. Barry Spanier, probably best known for designing and producing windsurf sails that set world records, had a dream, and it is becoming a reality.
In spite of Rosie G’s “out of the box” design, she features a number of traditional concepts that have been used in sailboats for hundreds of years. The free-standing junk rig, supported by a 200lb light GMT carbon round mast offers some solid benefits. “It’s very winglike and controllable, lightly loaded, all sheeting from the leech, full twist control with low tension. A junk rig has few parts and low loads, it us uncomplicated and easy to fix anywhere, no rigging to fail, infinitely adjustable, and makes total aerodynamic sense.”
Barry’s goals are practical - fewest moving parts, simple everything, easy to board, easy to sail, shallow draft, fast, dry, and stable, all with the galley/nav/dinette on the same level. GMT is proud to be a part of the project, and we can’t wait to see the final results. Maybe we will even get an invite to sail her out on the west coast - Hint Hint. To learn more about SV Rosie G, check out Barry’s website.