Sail Libra

Vessel Overview: Libra is a 60-foot custom center-cockpit ketch built in 1969 by Abeking & Rasmussen and designed by William H. Tripp Jr., one of America’s most respected yacht designers of his era. From her elegant lines to her rugged fiberglass construction and capable offshore performance, Libra has always stood apart. Over five decades and many tens of thousands of offshore miles, she has proven herself as a serious sailing vessel. Originally commissioned for global voyaging, Libra now serves as the flagship of Sail Libra’s offshore training program, carrying sailors on passages from the Caribbean to North America and across the Atlantic to Europe. ​ Refitted and continuously upgraded, she blends the enduring qualities of classic yacht design with modern systems and real offshore capability. Design Heritage: Libra was born from the work of one of the most influential American yacht designers of the twentieth century and built by a shipyard known for uncompromising craftsmanship. ​ William H. Tripp Jr. was a Long Island–based naval architect whose designs helped shape modern offshore sailing. He was known for boats that balanced performance, strength, and practicality at sea, favoring seakindly motion and manageability over trends or dockside appeal. Tripp was an early advocate for fiberglass as a serious offshore construction material and played a significant role in its acceptance for large ocean-going yachts. ​ Among his most notable works is Ondine, a custom racing yawl whose hull form and proportions became legendary in offshore sailing circles. Ondine’s success in ocean racing, including repeated victories in the Newport to Bermuda Race, established Tripp’s reputation for fast, powerful, and well-balanced hulls that could perform across a wide range of conditions. That racing pedigree directly informed his later cruising designs. ​ Tripp’s influence extended well beyond custom race boats. He worked closely with Hinckley to develop the Block Island 40, which evolved into the Hinckley Bermuda 40, one of the most enduring and respected cruiser-racers ever produced. He also designed several major production yachts for Columbia Yachts, including the Columbia 57, blending offshore capability with interior volume in a way that was ahead of its time. ​ Libra’s hull was drawn from this same design lineage. She carries the DNA of Ondine’s powerful yawl form, adapted for long-range cruising and extended offshore work. The result is a balanced hull with a long waterline, generous displacement, and proportions that favor speed, comfort, and control in open ocean conditions. ​ That design was executed by Abeking & Rasmussen in Bremen, Germany. Founded in 1907, the yard has more than a century of experience building high-quality yachts and specialized seagoing vessels. Their reputation rests on structural integrity, precision craftsmanship, and vessels built to operate reliably in demanding environments. Libra reflects that tradition, combining German engineering with Tripp’s offshore-focused design philosophy. ​ Libra was one of Tripp’s later custom designs, completed shortly before his death in 1971. Today, after decades of sailing and continuous refit, she remains true to that original intent. She is not a reinterpretation or a modernized copy. She is the real thing, refined and maintained, still doing exactly what she was designed to do: sail offshore, carry her crew safely across open water, and reward good seamanship.