The Santana 20

 

 

What do an America’s Cup Skipper, the head of North Sails Race week and the President of Mexico have in common?  They all race a Santana 20!  Both Charlie Ogletree and Bruce Golison have captured the National Championship.  President Calderon has been too busy to compete on this side of the border.

First designed in 1977, there are over 500 Santana 20’s actively sailed across the county.  While they are most active on their west coast home, there are active fleets in Atlanta, Columbia, Knoxville, the Chesapeake and our newest fleet outside of Portland, Maine.  They are also raced PHRF and have a performance similar to that of a J22 despite the 222 rating.

Easily trailered, she is at home on inland lakes as well as the coast. Santana 20’s are very popular on our lakes due to their amazing light air performance.  She is the PERFECT boat for Lanier’s mostly under 10 days.  Once the wind picks up, she is very stable and can easily carry a chute into the 20’s.

She is also a good pocket cruiser.  The V berth is surprisingly large and very comfortable for such a small boat.  There are two opening ports directly above the berth providing ample ventilation and a great view of the stars!

The older boats compete on the same level with the brand new boats.  There was a deck upgrade in the 1990’s. A competitive used boat with trailer can be purchased for under $5,000.00 and new boats are still in production. 

A recent review in “Sailing magazine” Says it all: It's interesting to consider the possibility that the differences between this early sport boat and, say, a Melges 24, may be precisely the reason for the 20's longevity. This boat is very easy to sail and less physically demanding than the newer boats. This benign personality combined with its sparkling performance may be at the heart of its popularity. The boat is the perfect family day racer. Forget harnesses and dry suits, just go out and have fun.