Avalot, III I.O.R. classRef. CP118

It is not easy nowadays to find a classic boat with only one owner: the one who had it built and the one who has been taking care of it all his life. The Avalot is just that. Her owner was looking for a design that was both sporty and livable and the I.O.R. formula of the time gave him just what he was looking for. Sparkman & Stephens, to whom he first approached, seemed overpriced, while Don Pye, who had just separated from Kim Holman, offered him a beautiful design, for a fraction of that budget. Nick Cañeres and Pablo Medina were in charge of the construction, and the whole structure speaks of their art. The interior style of the boat, very typical of Carabela, may seem a little dark today, but it retains all the elegance of the first moment and surprises by the contrast with such a sporty deck, where the self-tailing winches dominate every manoeuvre. Those were times when a racing boat did not necessarily have to be uncomfortable or spartan. Times when, after winning the winter championship races, one could go cruising with the family, without renouncing the comfort and luxury of a cosy and fully equipped interior. This lasted until the mid-1980s, when aluminium prototypes and fractional rigs put an end to the formula. Don Pye had only recently abandoned his partnership with Kim Holman when the future owner of the Avalot asked him for plans and price. The agreement was easily reached and Carabela completed the construction in a year and a half, launching the boat in Barcelona at the quay in front of the Real Club Nautico. As said, the construction is typical of Nick Cañeres and Pablo Medina of the period: Laminated frames and beams, joined below deck by curves of plywood perpendiculars. Steel reinforcements in the most stressed areas and a large steel mast cockpit. The African Khaya mahogany lining is also laminated with three layers. The spar and boom are made of Sitka spruce, considered the best material for this purpose. The lead keel is bolted to a load-bearing structure of wood and steel. A type of construction built to last. The deck has the typical, then very innovative layout of a cockpit with a spardeck before the entrance. This gives height to the aft cabin, which was once again the owner's cabin, as it had traditionally been. The manoeuvring is divided between several winches and the helmsman only has to think about the course. Inside, space is not lacking anywhere, even by modern standards. Spacious galley, spacious saloon and large chart table. Two comfortable and well-equipped cabins for stowage and two adequately sized toilets complete the picture-perfect interior. Two comfortable and well-equipped cabins for stowage and two adequately sized toilets complete a picture in which nothing is lacking. Here and there there is a noticeable need for some cosmetic intervention, to fix small flaws in the plywood of the bulkheads. Together with a few small leaks that are easy to fix, these are the only minor flaws that slightly cloud a very attractive overall appearance. The engine is in very good condition, with only a few hours of use, the sails too. The Avalot has all the papers to be a protagonist of the classic regattas in the new I.O.R. classics division. For cruising her comfort has no limits, like the good boats of her time.