Heart of Gold arriving in NY. Note the large wheel and swim platform with hidden swim ladder.
Video clip of Heart of Gold with Bob Lynch at the helm. This was with her very tired mylar sails at that time.
This is from the sales catalogue on 1988. This model has the carbon fibre tiller.
Heart of Gold ghosting along in light air.
Heart of Gold with her original owner and veteran sailor aboard. Arthur was aboard Ted Turner's winning boat during the Fastnet Disaster in 1979.
SO WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT THE 35s5? The 35s5 was boat of the year in 1988 and turned quite a few heads with her
unusual design elements. Of course after 20 years we've seen plenty of boats
with that dash of European flavor. Still, the Stark designed interior basically
blows away most of the interiors you'll see today.
BELOW DECK you'll find a beautiful and simple layout. The nav station is
actually large enough to hold real charts. The galley area is a bit small, but
certainly up to making real meals. The head is large enough for tall people to
actually use the toilet seated. The aft sleeping cabin is very big, ample enough
for a 6'3 captain and his mate to sleep comfortably together. The small forward
cabin is good for kids, but a bit short for taller folks. The striking ports let
in plenty of lights and the cabin-length hand-holds house retractable shades.
The whole interior is beautifully blended and is comfortable blend of both
modern and old world charm. This is not a "typical" interior for a 35 foot
sailboat and yet it's among the most practical. | ON DECK you'll find a average sized cockpit, but wait! It's usually wide
and features two levels of seating that is more functional than most. The
helmsman can sit well out and still reach the giant wheel with ease. The deck,
with most lines running below, is uncluttered and safe. At the bow you'll even
find the furling drum below deck. The entire deck area is clean and
inviting.
PERFORMANCE is wonderful, but this boat can be a challenge if you want to
extract all of her potential. The 35s5 is noted for it's rig, which responds
hugely to tuning. That's not to say she won't sail well out of the box; she
will, but racers have learned that a well tuned boat is key to coming close to
the aggressive rating for the 35s5. On a 15 knot day the 35s5 will fly ahead of
the pack and even the wing keel version will impress to windward. If winds or
crew call for an easier day, furl up the genoa and the 35s5 will dance quite
well under her huge bat-wing mainsail. |
 | 1) Aft cabin has typically low headroom, but two tall adults can sleep. 2) Huge cockpit storage starboard of the aft cabin was actually a 2nd double for some boats, but the head ended up being too small. 3) The head is HUGE and great for adults over 6' tall. There is also a generous wet locker. 4) Galley and opposing nav-station are neatly designed and very usable. 5) Dining area is fine for 4-5 people, but this is smaller than a Catalina 36. Of course it sails a lot better! 6) Cabin forward is small, but fine if you're under 6 feet. 7) There are 3 deck hatches and 7 opening ports. Our 35s5 also has air conditioning. |
