The Alerion sailboat line is in many ways a plucky, underdog story. The quintessentially classy East Coast daysailors, launched in 1989 with the Alerion Express 28 designed by Carl Schumacher, were quickly recognized throughout the industry for their merit. However, as the 1990s slipped past and Schumacher passed away in 2002, difficult years exacerbated by the 2008 recession caused the naval design company and owner of the Alerion molds TPI (aka the Pearson Marine Group) to close.
Assets were bought by USWatercraft before they also went bust in 2017. Fortunately for those with a heart, Alerion Yachts was saved from the brink by Peter Johnstone and production has resumed on Rhode Island. The company is now poised to celebrate the Alerion family’s 30th anniversary, albeit a past of uneasy economic seas.
All this background serves as foreplay to the Alerion Express 41, the company’s flagship sloop rig. It’s not hyperbole to say that seeing an Express 41 sail by makes the heart ache a little. Diverting from the daysailor emphasis of the smaller Alerions of yore, the Express 41 is made to accommodate six on extended cruises. Despite the cruising refocus, it’s an Alerion alright with a similar bow and stern profile and it’s a close cousin to the Alerion Express 33 with an elegant sheer and low coachroof.
There’s a smidge of overhang at the transom, but that doesn’t stop this forward-thinking design from having the ever-popular deployable swim-step/water access platform to get into the water. The cockpit is deep sitting with high coamings for open water and the side decks are wide and open. The interior is generous with 6’6” headroom, spacious seating, and ample entertainment accommodations.
The Alerion Express 41 is a yachtsman’s sailboat through and through, a true Yankee design. If your interest is piqued, you can contact local dealer Sail Northwest for more details and pricing.
