The one and only owner of Au Contraire had serious sailing hopes - maybe a Transpac trip to Hawaii, or even a voyage to more distant blue water ports, together with the spouse. Well, life happens, and the sailing did not. But there is a story behind the creation of a special sailboat.

The initial desire was for a boat that could handle blue water almost single-handed for an average sailor. Valiant Yachts quickly came onto the top of the list, because the design captured the best tradeoff between safety, speed, sea-kindliness, and ease of sailing. The Valiant 40 was the breakout design by the legendary designer Robert Perry, which created the category of "performance cruiser." The Valiant 40 was named "Cruising Sailboat of the Decade" in 1997 by the American Sailboat Hall of Fame. Rich Worstell took over production in 1984 and built the Valiant 42 (with slight modifications to the 40' design) until 2011.

Worstell assembled a solid group of craftsmen, with job longevity and dedication, who listened to their blue water customers and then added the nuanced design details for an exceptional sailboat. By 2000, customers were benefiting from this shared "IP" (intellectual property). Au Contraire was a custom design, built in 2002-2003, with multiple trips to the north Texas factory, that added all the best details for a blue water boat.

When researching the design in 2001, the owner came across a sailing magazine article which quoted Robert Perry to say, "The only thing that might improve the Valiant design would be to add a carbon fiber spar." He meant that a carbon fiber mast would lower the center of gravity, further increasing stability. By 2001, other designs had come out with more sail area, claiming a bit more speed than the Valiant. This led to the idea: what if the mast were carbon fiber and a bit taller, allowing more canvas yet a lower center of gravity? A call to Perry sparked his interest.

The owner worked directly with Robert Perry and Rich Worstell to slightly modify the Valiant 42 design. Au Contraire has a 3 1/2' taller mast, increasing sail area to 934 sq. ft. Rich Worstell wanted the boat to be bullet-proof, so the design included heavier steel in a slightly longer bowsprit. (So this Valiant is actually a foot longer.) Au Contraire has a higher Sail Area/Displacement ratio at 17.7. At the time of design, the only other Valiant with a carbon fiber spar reportedly was one owned by Art Linkletter.

Robert Perry went on to design other boats adding carbon fiber. Sadly, Rich Worstell passed away in 2011 and production of Valiant Yachts ended. You can still find parts and service support at Cedar Mills Marina, at the same location in Texas.

Au Contraire never saw much blue water, just a bit outside the Golden Gate, but spent the time since 2003 as a day sailer in San Francisco Bay. So she is in pristine condition - never rented, and with few miles on her hull. Someone can take her on their own astonishing sailing journey.