The Boat Life Academy

Our Beloved Dulcinea, Cabo Rico 38 Hull No. 99

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by

Matt Claiborne
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Boats are such an individual choice that how they are chosen, why, and how they are adapted for the daily lives of the sailors aboard always makes for fascinating reading. 

Sailing Neuse River

Here’s the story of our Sweet Señorita, Dulcinea. 

The Story Behind the Name Dulcinea

I would have probably picked another name if I had known how clueless most Americans are with Spanish. Coming from Miami, I had no idea. For the record, it is pronounced “dul-SIN-ay-uh.” Not “DUL-sineeuh.”

Why Dulcinea? Our boat was made in Costa Rica, so a Spanish name made sense. Plus, the former owners referred to her as their Sweet Señorita. Dulcinea is a pet name; it translates roughly to Sweety or Sweetness, as you might call your sweetheart. So, it was a perfect fit. 

It originates from Don Quixote, the classic 1605 novel by Cervantes (or the musical film adaptation, whichever you like). In the book, the dreamer Don Quixote fancies himself a knight and charges off to fight battles atop his trusty horse, Rocinante (which is another very popular boat name). The fair maiden whom he fights to impress and charm? The lovely Dulcinea, of course. The knights he does battle with? Windmills. It all makes perfect sense.

You see, Don Quixote and Rocinante are both past their primes and prone to fantasy. Does Dulcinea actually exist or not? At any rate, she was played by Raquel Welch in the film version, so let’s stick with that. 

I later learned that Dulcinea also refers to Cabo Rico’s history. In the mid-1970s, a young sailor and his lovely bride arranged to purchase a Cabo Rico Tiburon 36 hull, customize it by hand-building everything else themselves, and sail it from San Jose in the Pacific to Key West. For their modifications, they consulted with the original designer and transitioned the boat from a center-cockpit ketch rig to an aft-cockpit cutter. The modifications were so successful that the boat became hull number zero of the Cabo Rico 38, and the owners helped the company work out what would become our boat, 99 hulls later.

The connection? They named their boat La Dulce Mujer Pintada, or “the Sweet Painted Lady.” Very close, indeed. They also named their dinghy Dulcita (Little Sweety), which we did as well. 

You can read about the Harrisons’ adventures on La Dulce Mujer Pintada on their website or by reading Ben’s book, Sailing Down the Mountain.

About the Cabo Rico 38

The Cabo Rico 38 was an extension of the earlier Tiburon 36, designed by Bill Crealock. Crealock drafted the modifications that the Harrisons used to create the first 38. 

William Crealock also designed many famous sailboats from the era, like the Westsail 32 and Pacific Seacrafts, including the 34 and 37. Along with Bob Perry and a handful of others, Crealock was among the most well-known yacht designers of the late 20th century. His goal was always for boats that were comfortable during passage, so that a couple could feel safe and secure during any passage. 

Cabo Rico also made a smaller and newer 34, which eventually became a 36. Crealock also designed a 40 and a 45-footer for them, but only a handful were made, including a pilothouse version of the 45 that was the Cabo Rico 47. Chuck Paine, another great designer who did much work for Morris Yachts, took Crealock’s aesthetics and modernized them to make the Cabo Rico 42 and 56. The Cabo Rico 42 is probably the company’s second-biggest success based on the number of hulls made. Only two 56s were completed. 

Your interior will dictate where you can put your Cubic Mini

About 200 38s were made between 1977 and ~1996, including a handful of pilothouse versions. Like all Cabo Ricos, they were semi-custom with various interior layouts. Early boats (from 1977 to ~1984) had a pretty basic interior. From 1984 to about 1990, the teak in the interiors was over the top. If it were any other boat, it would be too much. But the Costa Rican plantation teak has a lovely honey color, brought out by exquisite woodworking and a lacquer finish. It is special and singular if you’re into lovely wooden boat interiors. Lucy and I refer to it as our wood cabin on the water. By the mid-1990s, CR mellowed the wood by using more plain white walls and countertops, but the joinery is still second-to-none. 

Cabo Rico 38 Duclinea Specs

Completed V2 cockpit enclosure
  • Rig: Traditional cutter
  • Keel: Modified full keel with forefoot cutaway
  • Length on deck: 38 ft
  • Length overall: 41 ft
  • Beam: 11.5 ft
  • Draft: 5 ft
  • Mast height: ~ 50 ft
  • Sail area: ~ 750 sqft
  • Displacement: ~ 11 tons (est.)
  • Comfort ratio: 39.4
  • Fuel: 40 gal. (calculated)
  • Water: ~ 150 gal. (est.)
  • Holding: ~ 20 gal. (est.)

Why We Choose a Cabo Rico

Our previous cruising boat, a Lagoon 380 sailing catamaran, was purchased with a completely different goal in mind. We were taking a sabbatical from work, and we knew we’d likely sell the boat within a few years. We wanted the catamaran lifestyle for three or four years, hanging out mainly in the Bahamas and Chesapeake Bay. 

At one point, there was a dream of crossing oceans with it, but after a few offshore trips, we learned that catamaran sailing was not for us in the long term. We both got seasick on the cat in a way that neither of us gets on monohulls. What’s more, it was too big for us in many ways. Not only did it have too much unused space, but it also proved too costly to maintain and (in our opinion) not well-built enough to suit long-term ownership. 

When we decided not to return to office jobs (and maybe think about crossing oceans one day), we knew we wanted the best-built, most comfortable bluewater monohull we could afford, while keeping it smaller and cheaper to own and maintain. The Cabo Rico fits all these bills, even though they are pricy compared to other options. 

Upgrades and Outfitting our Cabo Rico Cutter

We were fortunate to find our Sweet Señorita in such good condition, but she had no cruising gear when we bought her. But we had budgeted for this and invested the first year of ownership into making her our forever boat. Throughout 2019, we spent six months in the boatyard overhauling nearly every boat system, including a complete repower. 

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Engine and Prop

  • Repowered with Beta 43, techno-disk 2:1 transmission (new 2019)
  • PSS Pro dripless shaft seal (new 2019)
  • Michigan Wheel three-blade 18×11 bronze prop (new 2019)

Anchor Setup

  • Main bower: SPADE 120 (55-pound) galvanized anchor, Mantus swivel, 150′ 5/16″ BBB chain + 150′ 7/16″ eight-plait nylon rode (anchor new 2019, chain new 2024)
  • Secondary: Bruce (45-pound) anchor, 50′ 5/16″ chain + 200′ 1/2″ three-strand nylon rode
  • Kedge/tertiary: Fortress FX-11 aluminum, 25′ 5/16″ G4 chain + 150′ 7/16″ eight-plait nylon rode (used 2023)
  • All chain and rode marked in 25′ increments
  • Windlass: Lewmar H3 Gypsy/Drum (new 2019)

Electricity

Solar on the V2 dodger and bimini

Rigging and Sails

  • Precision Sails 3-reef main with triple stitching (new 2022)
  • Custom stack pack and lazy jacks (similar to Mack Sails MackPack) (new 2019)
  • 135 high-clew Genoa on Harken furler
  • Hank-on staysail with one reef, self-tacking on three-point rig or regular jib sheeting for offshore
  • Forespar whisker pole, mast-mounted (used 2020)
  • Asymmetrical cruising spinnaker (used 2022)

Helm and Navigation

  • B&G Zeus3 chartplotter (new 2019)
  • Halo 20 radar (new 2021)
  • B&G Triton2 instruments with DST200 (depth, speed, temperature) (new 2019)
  • B&G NEC-3 autopilot with Raymarine Type II electric drive arm on a custom Edson bronze tiller arm (new 2019)

Favorite Navigation Apps

  • iPhone 15 Pro Max with mag mount at helm for loading navigation apps
  • AquaMap with Master subscription: US Army Corps of Engineers surveys, Bob423 tracks for the ICW, Explorer charts for the Bahamas, plus Waterway Guide, Active Captain, and USCG information overlays
  • Navionics with Sonar Charts for areas with no USACE surveys
  • Noforeignland for tracking, check-ins, and following friends

Water System

Cabin and Comfort Upgrades

Communications and Connectivity Upgrades

Safety

  • Orion electronic flare and flag (meets CG day and night requirements)
  • ACR EPIRB rescue beacon
  • Ditch bag with supplies and copies of documents
  • Cabin fire and CO alarms
  • West Marine auto-inflate life vests with sailing harnesses
  • Ruffwear Float-coat dog life jacket
  • Black lifeline netting for the dog
  • West Marine four-step boarding ladder
  • Lifesling throwable PFD and rope

Galley/Cooking

Dinghy

  • 1985 Fatty Knees 8′ hard dinghy with sail kit and rowing oars (used 2023)
  • 2013 Torqeedo 1003 electric outboard (used 2023)
  • Easy Stow Fenders “dinghy dogs” inflatable dinghy sponsons for snorkeling or possible offshore/liferaft scenarios
  • Kato Marine folding davits (used 2022)

Other Miscellaneous Upgrades

Questions? Wondering how it all worked out, or looking for an equipment review that’s not listed here? Drop a comment below and we’ll set it up.

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