Windwalker, Taswell 43 hull #22, will be a find for new owners seeking a great liveaboard and serious offshore passage-maker. Designed by Bill Dixon and built by Ta Shing in Taiwan, her hull is solid, hand-laid fiberglass below the waterline and end-grain balsa cored above, keeping the topsides light and stiff while leaving the hull below the waterline free of any concern over core deterioration. This is a boat built to head west out the Strait of Juan de Fuca and turn left, or venture north to circumnavigate Vancouver Island. In the latter case, her dual interior heating systems, air conditioning, and dodger/bimini combination make Windwalker a capable four-season adventurer. Her cutter rig comes with a well-considered sail inventory, including a newer Code 0 and Seldén furler, in keeping with her mission as an able, robust sailing vessel both upwind and down.
9,600 pounds of encapsulated iron ballast, carried in a moderate fin keel and paired with a skeg-hung rudder and wheel steering, strikes the sweet spot between solid offshore tracking and directional stability on one hand, and maneuverability in close quarters on the other. Her deck layout is built around generous side- and foredeck working space, reflecting a design brief centered on functional, shorthanded, offshore-capable sail handling rather than dockside styling. Her two-cabin layout comfortably accommodates two couples, with a dinette that converts into a midship double berth.
From the owners:
"We originally chose Windwalker because we fantasized sailing to Mexico and the Pacific after retirement. We knew she was the perfect blue water vessel. We found out quickly that Emily was not a fan of being on the ocean so we revised plans and spent the next 20 years exploring British Columbia: Haida Gwaii, a few trips to Barkley Sound from the south, counterclockwise circumnavigation of Vancouver Island, six trips around Cape Caution to the Great Bear Rainforest, and nearly annual trips to the Broughtons at the north end of Vancouver Island."
Interior Accommodations
Below decks, all Taswell 43s are immediately distinguished by their hand-crafted teak joinery, a hallmark of the Ta Shing yard's build quality. Forward and to port is a double pullman berth stateroom with a separate forward head featuring hot and cold pressure water, a sink, and a shower. Athwartship of the pullman berth is a large vanity/worktable with desktop storage and additional built-in shelves and drawers.
Moving aft, the main saloon is bright, functional, and well ventilated, with multiple opening ports. A large U-shaped dinette and seating area to port comfortably accommodates six adults. To starboard, opposite the dinette, is a traditional, generously sized forward-facing chart table and nav station equipped with a radar display, Raymarine instruments, and VHF and SSB radios.
Aft of the nav station, Windwalker's U-shaped galley sits at the base of the companionway and is equipped with an outward-facing, gimbaled Force 10 three-burner propane stove with oven, generous countertop space, a side-accessed refrigerator/freezer, a microwave oven, cabinets including a sculpted lazy Susan bar closet, and a double sink near centerline providing all the necessities, storage, and amenities to keep her crew well fed. The galley is laid out for real use underway.
Aft of the dining area, immediately to port of the companionway, is the pass-through to the owner's stateroom. On the inboard side of the passageway is Windwalker's electrical panel, along with full side access to the engine and mechanical compartment located directly below the cockpit. Outboard are hanging lockers and storage.
Moving aft through the passageway, the owner's stateroom offers a large, comfortable centerline berth, storage lockers, bookshelves, and a vanity desk with wall mirror, a layout that belies any notion of cramped "tiny house" boat living. To starboard and forward of the stateroom is the owner's ensuite head with a stand-alone shower. This is a very comfortable, generous, liveaboard-friendly layout.
Galley
• GE microwave oven
• Top loading refrigerator/freezer
• Seafrost seawater compressors
• Force 10 3 burner propane stove with oven
• Double sink with hot and cold pressure water
• (2) Whale foot pumps for fresh and salt water
• Convenient flip out garbage bin
• Generous storage including sculpted bar with lazy-susan turn table
